Who Are Those Singers & Musicians? ~ Ken Darby Singers

 

Kenneth Lorin Darby (May 13, 1909 – January 24, 1992) was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor who was born in Hebron, Nebraska on May 13, 1909. He died in Sherman Oaks, California on January 24, 1992.

Ken Darby's choral group, The Ken Darby Singers, sang backup for Bing Crosby on the original 1942 Decca Records studio recording of "White Christmas." In 1940 they also sang on the first album ever made of the songs from “The Wizard of Oz”, a film on which Darby had worked. However, the album was a studio cast recording, not a true soundtrack album (although it did feature Judy Garland), and it did not use the film's original arrangements.

The Ken Darby Singers sang theme songs for several films and westerns during the 1950s and 1960s including “How the West Was Won”.

The Ken Darby Singers (DARBY, Kenneth Lorin [5/13/1909, Hebron, Nebraska, U.S.A. - 1/24/1992, Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.A.] - married to composer, arranger Vera Almeda Matson [1909-1994] (1932-1992), father of Peter Lorin [1938-2009], Cristina Ver Doremus [1944-    ], ROBINSON, Rad (Radburn Brown Robinson) [11/11/1910, Bountiful, Utah, U.S.A. – 9/20/1988, Las Vegas, Nevada (heart attack)] – baritone singer, married to Hortense Hatch [1911-2005] (1934-1988) father of John C. Robinson [1946-    ], Mary E. Robinson [1949-    ] DODSON, Jon (Jon Dodson Blunt) [3/28/1904, Richland, Missouri, U.S.A. – 11/28/1963, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.] – tenor singer, married to Myrtis Rose Jackson (1941-1964), LINN, Bud (Grafton Earl Linn) [4/30/1909, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. – 7/31/1968, Thousand Oaks, California U.S.A. (coronary occlusion)] singer, married to Dorothy Lee Woodbury [1910-2009] (1932-1968) father of singers Linn Sisters: Penelope S. Linn [1940-    ], Kathie S. Linn [1943-    ], Susan L. Linn [1945-    ].    

The Canadians – 1961 [sing: “This is Canada”]