Eddy Howard

Edward Evan Duncan Howard was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California, and after attending San Jose State College from 1931 to 1933, studied medicine at Stanford University before dropping out to become a singer of romantic ballads on Los Angeles radio. Later he sang with bands led by Ben Bernie and Dick Jurgens. His hits with Jurgens included "My Last Goodbye" and "Careless," which became his theme.

Howard was a singer on a radio program on NBC in 1938. In 1939 Howard started his own band, and he was the regular vocalist on It Can Be Done, Edgar A. Guest's 1941 radio program on the Blue Network Wednesdays through Fridays. The first #1 single for Howard and his Orchestra, "To Each His Own", spent five non-consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. pop chart in 1946. The song was a tie-in with the 1946 Paramount film, To Each His Own, which brought Academy Awards for Olivia de Havilland and screenwriter Charles Brackett. The recording by Howard was released by Majestic Records as catalog number 7188 and 1070. It first reached the Billboard chart on July 11, 1946 and spent a total of 19 weeks on the chart. The recording sold over two million copies by 1957, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Howard's orchestra was heard on The Gay Mrs. Featherstone on NBC (April 18 - October 10, 1945) and on NBC's The Sheaffer Parade, sponsored by Sheaffer Pens (September 14, 1947 - September 5, 1948).

In 1949, Howard signed to Mercury Records. His popularity continued into the 1950s with tracks such as "Maybe It's Because", and "(It’s No) Sin," which became Howard's second #1 tune, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was also a million selling hit for The Four Aces.[9] Howard's last hit was "The Teen-Ager's Waltz," which peaked at #90 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1955. In 1952-53 he was heard on CBS on Thursday nights at 10:45pm, with further broadcasts on Tuesdays at 10pm in 1955-56. The rise of rock music led to a decline in Howard's popularity. In a change of roles, Howard was the host on Just for You, an hour-long variety program on NBC in 1954. The staff orchestra of WMAQ provided the music.

Howard died in his sleep of a cerebral hemorrhage in May 1963, in Palm Desert, California, aged 48. He was buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.