Famous Old-timey singers you may have never heard.

My wife mentioned a singer named Skinnay Ennis one night. "Skinny who?" I said. "You know. Skinnay Ennis. My mother loved him. I loved him. EVERYBODY loved him!" So I looked him up. Sure enough, there was once a very famous singer named Skinnay Ennis. And many more I'd never heard of! 

So here are four. Hope you enjoy them. Old Timey Singers: Skinnay Ennis
Skinnay Ennis is similar to Bob Crosby – men who make the best of their vocal limitations and thus emerge with individual contributions to the art of singing. This may not be trained art singing but it’s nevertheless satisfying and comforting -- pop art at its best. Ennis started as a drummer but in the 30’s became best-known for his unique crooning with the Hal Kemp Orchestra. He’s very breathy and close to the mike, almost making love to it, as he shapes the Irving Berlin song while the band trots along in a friendly manner like so many sweet outfits of those days -- an antidote to the growing frenticism of Swing. Skinnay Ennis and his Orchestra.


Skinnay Ennis and his Orchestra by redhotjazz

Alice Faye
Alice Faye (May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian Phil Harris. She is also often associated with the Academy Award–winning standard "You'll Never Know", which she introduced in the 1943 musical film Hello, Frisco, Hello. – (Wikipedia)
Alice Faye sings Moonlight Bay:



The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia, soprano Maxine Angelyn "Maxene", and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty". Throughout their long career, the sisters sold well over 75 million records (the last official count released by MCA Records in the mid-1970s). Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of rhythm and blues or jump blues. The Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company B



Helen Humes
With her true young voice, Helen Humes was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Spotted later by guitarist Sylvester Weaver, she made her first recordings in 1927. She moved to New York City in 1937 and became a recording vocalist with Harry James' big band. Her swing recordings with James included "Jubilee", "I Can Dream, Can't I?", and Jimmy Dorsey's "It's The Dreamer In Me". Humes became one of the vocalists with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1938, replacing Billie Holiday as lead female vocalist. Basie, Count & Helen Humes - "If I Could Be With You"



Nick Lucas
Listening to Nick Lucas' high-pitched voice and knowing that he introduced "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" makes one immediately realize that he was a major influence on the infamous Tiny Tim in the late '60s. But there was much more to Nick Lucas than that; even beyond his singing. Born Dominic Nicholas Anthony Lucanese in 1897, Lucas was a musical wizard, learning guitar, banjo, mandolin, and ukulele early in life. He was an American singer and pioneer jazz guitarist, remembered as "the grandfather of the jazz guitar", whose peak of popularity lasted from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s. He became best known as an easygoing singer who was billed as "the Singing Troubadour". During 1925-1932 Lucas' records sold over 84 million copies. – Scott Yanow Tip-Toe Through The Tulips (1929).
    However famous Nick Lucas was, the public will never forget Tiny Tim's version of "Tip Toe Through the Tulips". In 1968 this song gave Tiny Tim his one and only top twenty hit. He appeared several times on the massively popular Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, an American television comedy-variety show.