American bandleader; b. Lakewood, Ohio, March 13, 1910; d. Ridgewood, N.J., June 2, 1987. He graduated from Ohio University. Having learned to play the CLARINET and alto SAXOPHONE, he organized his own band, which gained notice in a coast-to-coast radio broadcast in 1935. He scored his first hit with a recording of the title song from the film Rosalie in 1937.

After appearing in N.Y. in 1938, he became one of the most popular bandleaders of the SWING era, as millions were enticed to "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye." He was host of the Sunday Serenade radio show and later made appearances on television. During a career of some 50 years, he made more than 100 recordings. Among the most popular were The Old Lamp-Lighter, Harbor Lights, Remember Pearl Harbor, L Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen, and Walkin' to Missouri.