Bea Wain Baruch and Brandon Baruch

00:05 Hi, my name is Brandon barash. I'm 20 years old. Today is January 10th 2006. We're at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. I will be interviewing B Wayne barouche my grandmother.

00:19 Hi, I'm be wearing the Rouge. I'm 88 years old. This is January 10th 2006. We're in the 3rd Street Mall.

00:31 And my relationship to the young man here. I'm happily saying that I'm his grandma.

00:39 So my grandmother be Wayne was a very famous singer still is a very famous singer from the 1930s and 40s & Beyond and today we're going to be talking about her career and her life as a performer in New York, you know, I've been introduced many times Brandon as be Wayne or mrs. Andre the roof.

01:02 But this is the first time that I am going to be announcing the fact that I'm a grandma and I'm very proud of that and I thank you for asking me know. I'm honored. I'm on it. So let's start with your career. How did you get started singing? Well, I was on the radio with the age of five every week for $2, by the way. They gave me songs to sing and I sang them and that's how I started my career.

01:34 And I've been going on ever since right through the years for my school years to my high school years. I never went to college cuz I knew I wanted to be a singer and I didn't want to waste of time but the most days it wasn't necessary to go to college as it is today. Right, right, so that's my story.

01:57 I am a single for my high school career.

02:02 I did radio commercials and it shows always a New York, by the way. I was in New York. I'm born in New York and I

02:13 I just kept on going on here. I am so you started at the age of five doing commercials, right and did your parents encourage you to take this job was always a dream of yours as even as a child to to sing. I didn't know any better and my mother didn't cartridge me.

02:37 Amanda I was pretty well-known as a little kid like I don't like to say that but I was known as a singer a child singer.

02:46 And then my mother was she had to take me wherever I had to go.

02:52 And my father wasn't too interested. He was up for a lover.

02:56 Panda

02:58 So my mother and I we became an ax and I was there for me when I needed her to put the lipstick on when I was doing Club dates as a kid.

03:15 What is that mean a club date at a sphere or a party?

03:25 I don't usually I got $5 and that was big money and the good thing about it was a fact that I was in school at the time now. I'm past five well past 5 and the

03:39 I did always shows these Club Des.

03:44 And I was Milling around town in New York, you know as a performer.

03:50 And that's where I went the good thing about it by almost forgot to say.

03:56 Oh.

03:58 I I missed school in the morning.

04:01 Because I was busy slinging at night and that was very nice. I mean I have permission from school to come in late. And so that was what was going on then to high school. You sang Oak Hill High School. I sign in school not so much in school, but outside of school and they were radio stations in New York that the hired and I did commercials like the other show every day and a station called wov.

04:33 And I love the wonderful thing about this year's every radio station in New York and probably everywhere else.

04:43 Had to have a live band that was a union thing for the musicians union. And so I was exposed to a wonderful music to wonderful musicians. And then that's where I really learned to Grecia.

04:57 Tony Bennett High School, you already had your own show and Leon shell. I carry my books to the studio. So I went back to my book. It was an interesting time and I do when I say, I didn't know any better. I really had a wonderful time doing it like made money, which was very nice little family. You know, when I graduated from high school and I became very serious trying to get myself into my future and it was a radio station in New York. And I'm sure that many of these people that are listening no would be aware of wnew which was a wonderful station and They too had a live band. So they gave me what they call the 15 minutes sustaining program sustaining means they were no commercials so you didn't get paid. So I'm I would do a 15 minutes explaining show.

05:58 Frank Sinatra would do a 15-minute sustaining show a dinosaur did the same thing and we were on the same station and we all are friends and that's how many of us started.

06:12 So then

06:15 There you are. You're doing you're doing your ear radio show and we would you get all of your music all of your songs for the show in New York. It was a famous building called the gorilla Building B R I L and that was Tin Pan Alley and that's where all the publishing's publishing companies who are in that building and they would have songs that they would be plugging and I would go around to these Publishers with say, please can I have some professional copies? That's what they called and they gave me music cuz I had a radio show and in these

06:53 Publishing companies there was always a little room or two with a piano and it was a man that or woman who played the piano she demonstrated the songs.

07:08 Until I met a lot of good people like that. And actually there was a young man playing in one of the publishers.

07:16 Who said to me one day, you know, I'm singing with the quartet and we need the 4th for the court to we have free guys. Do you think you'd like to see how it would work for you to swing with? I said yes to everything and I said, so let's try it and I became the lead singer with a group which we called the and The Bachelors that was a group and the we did we rehearsed a lot. We don't have a job. But we are is the great deal in the music publishing Place goes there was a piano and there was a piano.

07:54 End of one day being the bad place. We rehearsing in the Irving Berlin offices. Everyone had a nice day. They had Publishing Company.

08:05 At least we thought we were pretty good. We were a good quartet.

08:10 I'm in another world in another one of the offices.

08:15 There was another Court cut for boys trying to rehearse also also not working.

08:23 And they were very good. As a matter of fact, they became the full modernaires now. I don't know if you know the modernaires, but they sang with Glenn Miller and little out of the big bands later.

08:34 Will somebody once said to us look instead of you trying to outdo the modernaires you're trying to sing louder than they are and why don't you get together? I mean, you're not working. Anyway, why don't you see what you can do is 108 voices. So we did and we will use some of our arrangements are some of the arrangements and we were a swinging group. We were really great.

08:59 And somebody said to us one day. Why don't you you you should be singing Fred Waring and Fred Waring in those days Brandon had a major radio program. I'm at work all over the country for Ford cars. So we sign for friend and he likes us and he hired us and he named us because of the Ford program the V8 which is pretty obvious and we were on his show every week and he can producers the v87 boys when a girl and we will really good. I mean, I'm not being a mother snow you play for me the records I am going on record now saying they were really good. They look really good.

09:44 And we were really proud but now we had a job in the meanwhile. I became up a group singer. I was with a V8 but Kate Thompson who is one of the brilliant Rangers on singers in those days was getting a program called with Chesterfield allow for Chesterfield with Andre kostelanetz & The Great Orchestra and she was looking to put the group together and one of the musicians I had work with told her about me. So she called me and said would you like to be in my group wasn't sure so what I'm trying to say is that I was on the Fred Waring program the K Thompson program and instantly the Kate Smith program all simultaneously Kate Smith had a choir we call him choirs in some cases.

10:37 And the lady that stood next to me in the cage Miss choir, her name was Dorothy Kirsten. She became one of America's Great opera singers. She had a beautiful high voice and she saying hi in the chorus Riesling low. We became great friends because I was terribly proud when she became a really famous opera star. So I was doing all those things simultaneously and the

11:03 And make very much money, but it was wonderful experience. I mean to work with Andre kostelanetz in this 50-piece Orchestra was a kick, you know, and I learned a great deal. And so that was another face in my life on the Kate Smith show. By the way. There was a man by the name of Andre barouche who was announcing the cakes with show and if I wearing show he was a famous announcer commentator man about town.

11:34 Amda

11:36 I really had a crush on him. I must say but I was a little kid lacrosse quote on quote and he was a big star announcer. Anyway, after one of the Kate Smith broadcast, I had a phone call.

11:50 And this man got a new phone. He said, my name is Larry Clinton.

11:54 He said I am starting a band big band and I'm looking for a girl singer and it would be lovely if you would come and work with us and I said to myself this guy is out of his mind. He never saw me never really heard me. Somebody few people had talked to him about me as I say I had a reputation in town and I was a good singer. I was Dependable I could read those. You know, I know something else is that you took piano lessons, right? So which I did and which was very important in my life. A lot of things never learn to read music. I mean they did very well without it, but I could never figure that out.

12:42 Anyway, this man said I'm recording Tuesday. This was Thursday. He said that and I'd like you to send you a song. I have a song in mind and if you call me and tell me what do you sing it in and I'll see you Tuesday down at RCA Victor.

13:01 So again, I thought the man was cuckoo. But anyway, he sent me this song and I learned it at home. I read the music you see at home with my parents till I got married. I don't know how, let us these days, but it was the most days.

13:20 Honda

13:21 I came to the studio RCA on 24th Street in New York on Tuesday and he had his plans there and he was a very nice man.

13:31 And introduced himself and I sang the song and we made a record that became rather popular. So from then on I'm now a singing with a band.

13:42 So I said to him I'm not sure about this cuz then he said look we're going to go on the road for a few a few days. And I said well, I can't. When are you going he said Thursday with leaving or something like that? I can't do that. I got the case with show and I really wanted to be on that show because of the announcer. I wanted to I wanted to meet him and know him. I did meet him of course cuz we worked on the same show.

14:11 But anyway

14:13 I don't know what to do. I'm serious. I wouldn't want to leave the casement show where I was just a chorus. They are for this man who wanted to make me a star, you know, so what I did to get straighter a young pianist the well-known piano.

14:28 Conducted the group on the Kate Smith show and I went to him and I said, I don't know. I'm in a quandary. I said, I don't want to leave the show but this guy wants to make me a singer with a band and it's going to be a pretty good future because RCA Victor is behind them.

14:47 So kiss Ted said he was a really nice guy. He said I'll tell you what, I'll put in a substitute when you're saying with a group you could have a substitute. Nobody would know it and we all get that if we had a conflict, you know, he said I'll get a substitute and you go try out whatever it is you want to do if it works fine. If it doesn't work in come back. We'll let that since it for me when I went to Larry Clinton, and I said I'm available and so I went with a band and we played a lot of wonderful spots. We made a lot of Records.

15:25 And many of the records became big hits and nice women. They will all vocal. I mean I'm by Deep Purple which was a smash and that was a vocal made my revelry, which was Debussy reverie made into a popular song by Larry Clinton.

15:44 And that was a big hit and I done Larry had a wonderful idea. He he did an idea of swinging upper.

15:52 So he took Martha mother from

15:57 I'm laughing right by my pony from the earth whatever language that was and he made it into work of, you know, a swing and it became a bill yet.

16:18 And as a matter of fact later on I'm going to cut now too many, but just a few years ago.

16:27 A my son your father work with The Three Tenors he had to do with their production and he as a matter of fact. He invented The Three Tenors which became big big people and

16:43 He had a session with Pavarotti one day Republic already did a wonderful thing. He would audition young singers opera singers. Now I'm talking about he would advise them. I mean ice ice and this was in the field and nobody was on the field. It was quite quiet and private but quite wonderful experience. So one of the singers he was listening to and I was in the theater playing my son arrange for me to be there one of the singers with singing them that particular area.

17:22 And so after it was over I was introduced to Paparazzi who was very charming and hand kissing department. And he said that I said to him I was crazy. I really got very skinny and I saw you know, I made a record of of it up or let one of your Salinas was just saying he said really I said, yeah, we were swinging it. So I went off so pure so bright on my site and he said wait, he's not feeling me and he started to snap his hands fingers and he sang he said and he pretended that he was playing the trombone anyone.

18:11 And it was a Kik for me a real kid my bed. And the cost. The only problem was that after it was over Wayne my famous son your father forgot and he had let the engineers go cuz I would love to have had a tape of that and he didn't want to send cost up its worth. We now have half of that recorded so we can we can right now because when you were singing These vocals, this is really start of something because before this time it was really always about the band and not then. The vocalist, right and this is but it was not just me it was Frank Sinatra who made a big hit with the band Tommy Dorsey as a matter of fact an interesting train Brandon, he came to me I was singing now I had let on the bed.

19:11 Yeah, I had left the band. I was with the Larry Clinton been for you and a half and then that time within the time I got married to Andre the route of the famous announcer and and 53 years until he died in 1991.

19:36 And it's never been wonderful from the after that anyway.

19:44 Where was I you would just left the band in Frank? Okay, and I was still in Spanish and that's good thing about having been with the band which was pretty rough. That's a whole other story. But when I when I recorded all these things are became big hits, then I left the band went out on the road on my own.

20:06 People wanted to hear those songs, which was great for me. Anyway, I was saying in the theater in New Jersey, isn't that if I remember it? Well Paterson, New Jersey and Frank Sinatra, who is my friend came to me. And you said look, you said I want to leave The Dorsey man. He said I got to go out on my own and if I don't do it now, it will never happen and he said, you know, we just had a baby that was little Nancy Sinatra and he said and I'm coming to you because you quit the band and how did it work? How did it go for you? Was it a good idea? And I said, of course it was a great idea. I'm now making money and having a wonderful career and of course your sheets, of course, I told him to leave the band and he became a big star which had nothing to do with me. By the way. I will feel need to say that will edit that part up ladies and gentlemen be Wayne made Frank Sinatra.

21:06 Well, I can say to this day because he's passed away. But up until the time he died. We were good friends.

21:13 Okay, so now where do you want to go? Mr. Andre viruch because you knew of him before you even knew him. Well, I worked on all these shows that he announced and adored him. But as I say, you know, he was a big star an announcer and did all the shows. He did everything.

21:32 And finally, he asked me out several times, but I would never go because he asked me out after one of the shows that we did together.

21:43 And I don't know if you know this brand and I know if anybody knows it but in those days.

21:49 All the radio programs the important ones like I did with wearing and Kate Smith from Cape Town. So they did two shows one at 9 and again at midnight for the West Coast. You see the networks wanted to solid through those and those days so we had to do a second show exactly the same for the west coast and so he would always ask me out after the West Coast or which was over at 1 in the morning and I had a very strict family my father wouldn't let me go out at that hour, which was all right with me. So One Night Benny Goodman opened at the Astro roof and New York.

22:33 And for some reason a publicity he and his public repeat the regulations people invited a lot of celebrities to the opening and one of the things he did they did was invite the Kate Smith show after the second between shows between shows which was like from 10 to 2:11.

22:56 So

22:58 Andre said came over to me and I will you go out with me or not after the second show. It's in between the two shows and I said sure that makes sense. So we won't went out the whole group went out early and ask her if and only show that time was Abbott and Costello on the Kate Smith show and a lot of stars and cakes with you know, I went with them Henny Youngman for some reason was being the MC at this big opening a wonderful guy.

23:36 And he's please introducing the Stars on at one point. He says and I'll here's the famous announcer of the casements show and many other shows and Reva Rose and his lovely wife be when it's the truth when we almost killed him. I mean, you know, he was dating everybody in New York at that time.

23:56 And he and the anyway, we became good friends with honey. And after what he always would say c a fun kind of meat. I think I married and we did we think started go out together for real and he was a really fabulous man.

24:14 And we got married like six months later. We had a big wedding and all those people were at the wedding and the Larry Clinton band played. It was in New York at the Saint Moritz Hotel, which of course I never forgot and we going on a honeymoon to Bermuda on a boat. That's what they did in those days and Bridal about the third day of our honeymoon. I got a call from Fred Allen. What island was this famous comedian?

24:45 We just had a little weed affect put a little bump in the trailer.

24:50 Are you alive radio will anyway and he wanted Andre to Common Pleas take his place for a couple of times, you know, the show must go on department. So we went back to the show and we started our life together in New York. Now. Where do you want to go?

25:26 Well for this is going to tell me how did he propose?

25:30 Oh, well Audrey was a very Suave sophisticated guy on the outside. It wasn't really like that when he was a funny man. He told wonderful stories, but he did have an air about him and he had left my folks appearing there.

25:49 That we went out.

25:51 And one time he said I'd like to talk to your father and mother of course. So my mother invited him for Sunday brunch and he came to their apartment and I was there.

26:04 Any he had really rehearse to speech. He said Mr. Wayne my father. I thought it tell you it was a very straight.

26:13 How to describe them straight tall handsome

26:20 Intimidating man. Okay. I got the word. So you had to really have the pitch ready when you go in there and Andre said Mr. Wayne, I'm in love with your daughter and I would like to have her hand in marriage and I would like to know for them that my father is with your man. You want to marry her. Okay, let's go. Let's have a brunch and that was how he propose we changed our wedding date like 5 times because now I'm on the road with a band with a little later.

27:06 And until I wake up having to go back to the hotel and say listen, she's not available again. When can we make the date? We have we ended up marrying May 1st, 1938 pink 38 and it was a good marriage. Then I continued my career and he continued his career.

27:27 And we all lived happily ever after I've seen the wedding photo that's on your wall by your bed and everyone. Who's anyone was there right now. What is there? Is there one moment of that night one moment in particular that you'll never forget.

27:41 I'll never forget the whole night. Really. I can't I got to tell you something really silly. Now. I'm not so sure what about a couple of years ago. I had to do a gig in New York. So I said she would be fun to go to the Saint Moritz Hotel and stay there. You know, I'm a very sentimental person.

28:08 So I made a reservation for myself. I was alone.

28:13 And it was just a couple years ago. As I said and we are we made the I made the reservation when I got there. It was late at night after flying from wherever I think I was going to California by that time.

28:29 And I went to the desk and I when I said, you know, I'm I'd love I have my reservations. I'm very anxious to stay here. I said, you know, we were I was married to hear the lady behind the counter said well, if you have the receipt we can give you a room for less money is walking around with any way they did give me a lovely Suite overlooking the park and it was nice. Yeah, yeah.

29:03 So, yes now you're married. Yes. I know you're still touring with the man in the well not to worry too much cuz I didn't want to tour with a married lady and I quit the band and I had a cool. I was doing theaters now throughout the country that is mostly and love. Call from my agent. Now. I had a manager and he said hey, you know, you got a lot of office. He got to come back.

29:31 Hit Parade once you and that was your Hit Parade on Saturday night's big popular radio show

29:39 Put on Rebelution ounce by the way, and that really bothered me because a lot of people to know you got the job because Andre Rouge Louisiana answer that wasn't true. I got the job and I after a few more Fearless I came back home.

29:56 And he found a place for us to live.

29:59 I'm the one on your Hit Parade radio.

30:08 With a lot of different male singers one of who was Frank Sinatra.

30:13 So that was another reunions.

30:16 It's alleged that chill for a few years and then we found a place. I mean, we really settled in New York and had a wonderful apartment.

30:25 And had a lovely life when the war started and your grandfather and listed.

30:33 And he ended up over so you think that a wonderful bunch of things.

30:38 He went in the lieutenant and came out of major in while I was swinging through it, and I'm a lot of other shows.

30:48 Keeping the home fires burning.

30:51 Rosie the radio Riveter

30:55 And I don't know what else you want to know friend. I meet you for you've had so many so many celebrity friends, right like you and a lot of things you've worked with through the Society of singers when we talked about the Society of singers. That's the ocean. That's a good idea. I'm one of the founders of a group called the society and singers in the Society of thing is is was started by Jimmy Mancini who is Hanks wife.

31:24 A wonderful girl Henry Henry Hank, but she sang with Lil Tex Beneke band. She was a singer and he played piano with my band, by the way. It was just how they met. That's another story. But anyway,

31:42 What are the singers well known singer? Who was I'm not going to mention the name.

31:47 I said, you know, what am I going to do after I stop singing?

31:52 I'm I'm really worried.

31:55 And she said it to Jenny and Jenny said

31:58 And probably a lot of thing is there in that category and I mean singers of my time.

32:05 There's a lot of them Florida work a lot of them a big hit records, but suddenly went out of work. And so we decided to have a society where we would help singers. I don't mean help them sing. God knows when I get home or wonderful.

32:23 But financially we help them financially 11 couldn't pay the rent will of a sudden. It was really a very hard time. I was fortunate cuz I married well.

32:36 So anyway, we started with Society of things which today is a large organization. We helped singers who need help financially and the every every well-known singers in love and I'm very proud of that group. And Jenny is Natalie America's first president every year we have will almost every year cuz it's so hard to put on it's about every 18 months. We put on a great fundraiser and we on a star singer.

33:13 An Ella Fitzgerald was the first one cuz she's the Queen's far as where I am concerned and I think so and Tiffany the jeweler's made us a beautiful award and we call it the Ella. You know, I asked her. This is the hour.

33:34 And you are you are friends with a lot 200. Yeah, mostly later in life, you know when when she was in a really big star.

33:45 I haven't always adored her and we live not too far from each other.

33:51 And when she became ill

33:55 Cuz she had a lot of physical problems.

34:00 And when she became really ill I mean up to that time we were good friends and we talked about our kids and she lived in a beautiful home with the most wonderful.

34:11 Awards

34:13 Everything I mean not just like somebody around the corner. I gave him a thing right from the president of the United States. I mean their everybody cherish title everybody adored her.

34:29 And when she was in a coma at the very end, they called me an at home now. She's home. I don't know hospital and I sat on her bed and I sang to her.

34:42 Can I see the doctor said you never know when someone's going to come if they can hear and so it was very meaningful to me cuz she meant a great deal to me.

34:55 And when she died

34:58 She had the greatest funeral all the singers all the musicians musicians Adorn her, you know.

35:11 I was very proud to be her friend until the end. She had a Rolls-Royce and she had a driver course and she used to ask me to go with her and they would drive a her around Beverly Hills and I would sit in the front with the driver and she was hitting the back.

35:33 And the radio would be playing one of the music stations that would play her stuff my stuff and she she would listen and she'd save my God. That's the one so it's a piano. So once she can do everything she never forgot and that was a kid for me, you know to be in her company so much.

35:54 And that was Ella. Of course. I was friendly with Sarah Vaughan.

36:05 And they say they were all crazy about Andre because under used to announce the big bands 2.

36:11 Along with everything else he did.

36:15 And so and he played piano played good piano. I could never marry somebody who didn't have music in his soul.

36:23 Yes, and I want you to know ladies and gentlemen love my little grandson here. Brandon Rouge also plays a pretty darn good General shocks and sings pretty darn. He wouldn't not it's true. It's true. I thought I would throw myself out of the family.

36:43 So there we are. I'm trying to think of anything else. I could just remember the history. You lived most real life in New York. When did when did you come out to Los Angeles Los Angeles and 1980 which is fairly recent parade displayed throughout the country.

37:11 And it was a really good show. Unfortunately will when he died a lot of his stupid stations took it off, but I think they think I made a mistake plus I think so.

37:24 So what else lenci also to record a record back then because these days you go in each singer has their own room and I understand one take one take if we're lucky because what he did he did three sites for me for sides in 3 hours. That was a record day.

37:55 And you're making me think enough plus rides in 3 hours and if they was a slip if they usually we couldn't go back and do it again.

38:09 But we just had another cute looks like you sure this is not an earthquake. I had a singer to Mike the band had one mic.

38:25 And that was it. He had pretty good ends in there. But like when you were with a V8 and you were performing live over the radio, you'd all be over one. Mike Riley had one mic for now is every every group has what every little thing us more than 3 backup. Mike's reach one of them Rock.

38:47 Because you know, I got to tell you friends with sitting in a little north of the old Airstream mobile trailers this going through the roof here, right? It's still and we each have a microphone, which is lovely.

39:08 But every once in a while we get stuck up.

39:14 We keep us on our toes I think.

39:17 Okay, I'll pick up a wonderful a wonderful note on which to end this interview. I want to say thank you so much for doing this with my Grandma. Thank you. My dear grandson, and I love you very much. I love you very proud of you cuz you're a good person.

39:34 Oh, I really love you. I love you, too. Thank you. And thank you to our loyal listenership will be doing this interview again in 3 hours for the west coast feed that was that could be very dangerous because during the interval between the shows a lot of the boys were going to the bar.

39:55 The West Coast I was a little bit more of a slurred version by by.

40:08 That was fun.