James Kern Kyser was born on June 18, 1905, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In 1926-27, Kyser took over as bandleader for UNC plays, where he went to college. Soon, Kyser graduated and took his jazz band out on the road. Through the late 30s and all of the 40s, Kay Kyser & His Orchestra consistently made the U.S. Charts, with five songs hitting #1.
When the United States declared war in December of 1941, Kay and his big band performed for troops. A song that was performed by Kay Kyser and his band to increase troop and American citizen morale was “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”, released in 1942. Most songs from them were postive, lively, and relaxed in tone, like “Indian Summer”, “Woody Woodpecker”, and “On a Slow Boat to China”. In 1950, Kay retired and mysteriously disappeared from public life, and worked philanthropically in churches and as a teacher for the rest of his life.
Kay Kyser died on July 23, 1985. He was 80.
