Sonny Skyler
Sunny Skylar (October 11, 1913 – February 2, 2009) was an American composer, singer, lyricist, and music publisher. He was born Selig Sidney Shaftel in Brooklyn, New York, one of four children, to Sarah and Jacob Shaftel (or Schaftel), Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father sold knit goods. In the 1940s, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was a headliner at hotels such as The Flamingo and the El Rancho, among others. As a singer, he appeared with a number of big bands, including those led by Ben Bernie, Paul Whiteman, Abe Lyman, George Hall and Vincent Lopez. It was Lopez who changed the singer's professional name from Sonny Schuyler to Sunny Skylar. After the end of the big band era, Skylar continued to sing in nightclubs and theaters until 1952. He was married four times: Joyce Coleman, 1942, Manhattan, NY; Christine Belanger, 1969, Las Vegas, NV (divorced, 1971); Jari Dee Rheinick, 1974, Las Vegas, NV (divorced after one month); Jacqueline Marlene Williams Trent, 1979, Las Vegas, NV; to whom he remained married until her death in 2008). He died in Las Vegas on February 2, 2009 and was buried in Davis Memorial Park, Las Vegas. His grave marker shows his name as Sunny Skylar. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | PBS-042538 | 10-in. | 2/24/1940 | How did I know | Vincent Lopez ; Sunny Skylar ; Suave Swing Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-051522 | 10-in. | 6/19/1940 | Call me happy | Earl Hines Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-054699 | 10-in. | 8/8/1940 | Fifteen minute intermission | Four King Sisters ; Alvino Rey | Female vocal quartet, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-060990 | 10-in. | 3/20/1941 | Just a little bit south of North Carolina | Mitchell Ayres ; Fashions-in-Music ; Mary Ann Mercer | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-062744 | 10-in. | 3/7/1941 | Just a little bit south of North Carolina | Four Belles ; Dick Todd | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and female vocal quartet | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-067974 | 10-in. | 10/6/1941 | Temporarily mine | Joan Merrill | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-071437 | 10-in. | 10/1/1941 | I wanna go back to Texas | Mitchell Ayres ; Johnny Bond ; Fashions-in-Music | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Skyler, Sonny," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/344113.
Skyler, Sonny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/344113.
"Skyler, Sonny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Skylar, Sunny, 1913-2009 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2002028606
Wikidata: Sunny Skylar - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1566340
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/44569074
MusicBrainz: Sunny Skylar - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/cace4f50-6af8-4edc-8ea1-1bab8cb18570
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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