Biography
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Born
14 November 1919
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Born In
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States
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Died
6 September 1985 (aged 65)
Johnny Desmond (born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone; November 14, 1919 – September 6, 1985) was an American singer who was popular in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Desmond was born Giovanni de Simone in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He began singing in the St. Joseph's parish choir when he was 11 years old. As a boy he also sang on a local radio station, but at age 15 he quit to work at his father's grocery. He attended Northwestern High School. He retained a love of music, and briefly attended the Detroit Conservatory of Music before heading to the nightclub circuit, playing piano and singing.
In 1939, he formed his own singing group. The group was first called the Downbeats. After being hired to work with Bob Crosby's big band in 1940, it was renamed the Bob-O-Links. The group appeared on 15 commercial recordings by the Crosby orchestra, including two charted hits, "You Forgot About Me" (which reached No. 15), and "Do You Care?" (No. 18).
In the middle of 1941, Desmond decided to leave the Bob-O-Links to go solo. He became the featured vocalist for Gene Krupa's band, replacing Howard Dulaney, in September, recording over a dozen songs, the last of which was "All Those Wonderful Years", a song from the movie Keep 'em Flying, which reached No. 21 on the US chart.
In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army, but his military service was in fact a continuation of his singing career. He was a member of Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Orchestra and replaced singer Tony Martin after he joined the US Navy, from November 1943 until July 28, 1945, when the band was shipped home. He and the band played troop and air bases in England, and eventually went to France in December 1944. He made a number of radio broadcasts with the Miller band, and was given his own show called "A Soldier and a Song." on the American Forces Network (and sometimes on BBC Radio). His discharge took place on November 23, 1945.
Desmond married singer Ruth Keddington.
In September 1985, he died of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 65.
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