Born Hubert Vallee in Vermont in 1901, of French Canadian and Irish descent, Vallee grew up in Maine, and remained close to his New England roots throughout his life. he played drums at school, then took up clarinet and saxophone, and after a brief time in the Navy, from which he was discharged when the authorities found out he was only 15, he played in local bands, before travelling to London in 1924 to play in the band at the Savoy Hotel. On his return, he formed his own band, Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees, taking on the vocal duties, despite his rather thin voice, amplified by his trademark microphone. His urbane manner and good looks, coupled with his unusual vocal style attracted attention, and he was fortunate to be able to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the growing medium of radio, where electric microphones meant that vocalists did not need foghorn voices to make themselves heard. He became what wouldn now be called a teen idol, mobbed by young fans of the flapper generation in the late '20s. He made his first records in 1928, and his first film in 1929, and through the '30s cashed in on his popularity with records for a variety of labels, and regular slots on popular sponsored radio shows, as well as more films as his initially somewhat wooden acting improved. With hits like "Life is just a bowl of cherries" and "There's a tavern in the town", he was very much in the mainstream of popular music, and had his last big hit with "As time goes by", re-issued in 1943 when the song was featured in the movie "Casablanca". He continued to make occasional movies during the '50s and '60s, and appeared in the Broadway show and film of "How to succeed in business without really trying". He toured a one-man show into the 1980s. He died at his home in Hollywood in 1986 at the age of 84. Acrobat has on catalogue an album of his popular recordings - for details click here.