John Gary

A pleasing vocalist with a warm delivery reminiscent of Andy Williams or Tony Bennett, John Gary unfortunately came along just at the beginning of the British Invasion and never managed to make much of an impression on the adult vocal audience. Born in 1932 in Watertown, New York, he was a singer on Don McNeill's radio show Breakfast Club before signing a contract with RCA Records in 1962. Though only one single charted on the U.S. pop charts -- the Top 100 "Soon I'll Wed My Love" in 1964 -- John Gary did reach the Top 20 with mid-'60s LPs such as The Nearness of You, Encore, and A Little Bit of Heaven, and fared even better on the easy listening charts (with albums including the number one Cold) and Cash Box, where Gary albums hit the Top Ten twice. He also covered a wide repertoire for the time, from show tunes to country hits and romantic ballads -- though, remarkably, very few of the novelty pop songs which dragged down fellow vocalists. Gary died January 4, 1998. ~ John Bush