Don Cherry

Pop vocalist — and professional golfer — Don Cherry was born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1924. He got his professional start in the music business in his twenties with a short stay as lead singer in the Jan Garber Band. Cherry’s spot lasted for all of 17 days. Never one to give up, he did a recording with the Victor Young Orchestra titled “Mona Lisa.” His smooth vocal styling drew enough attention that he soon had a record deal. In the ’50s he had a number of hit singles under the Columbia Records label. Over the years, Cherry appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Grand Ole Opry, The Arthur Godfrey Show, The Johnny Carson Show, and many others. He also performed in major nightclubs in Las Vegas, Reno, Rio de Janeiro, Lake Tahoe, and New Orleans. He died in 2018 at a hospice in Las Vegas; Don Cherry was 94 years old. ~ Charlotte Dillon