Lorry Raine born 13 June 1928

Lorry Raine (June13, 1926 - Oct. 1, 2004*) was an American jazz and pop singer. Although she has had quite a bit of publication and was often referred to on billboard, there are hardly any detailed biographical data about her.

She was born Lorraine Dorothy Furns in Detroit, MI and attended  High School before moving on to Florida. Then she married her publicity manager Tim Gayle on 12 August 1944. She formed her stage name by dividing her first name and experienced her first hours as a radio artist on Mark Warnow’s CBS Sound Off show in California during 1947 which was sponsored by the US army. It was around this time that the husband and wife team had organized something completely new: they produced their records themselves.

With the help of Bill Putnam in 1947 for Universal Records, the recordings were leased to Tutti Camaratta at London Records, such as "Strangers" which reached number 24 on the charts in autumn 1950. Further hits followed until 1954. She also recorded for Coast Records, Coral, Kem and Dot records between 1947 and 1957. She was popular enough to have her own radio show “Lorry Raine Stars” and  on numerous TV appearances. Despite being heavily promoted by her husband she never seems to have had quite the success she hoped for.

                              

Lorry Raine was best known for a jazz singer not a rockabilly artist, but 1956 she recorded "Cotton Pickin' Kisses" and the flip "Casual Look" (a ballad) on Dot 15493.The A side was a good rockabilly jiver with a great sax break. She  recorded on the Advance label 
putting out a album also an EP and a few 45's. She only recorded one 

LP in Hollywood during 1957. Here’s what the liner notes have to say:

“Lorry Raine may not be one of the biggest names on the LA scene of the 50s, but she's working here with top-shelf backings from arrangers Nelson Riddle and Russ Garcia! The album “Interlude” it's a bit jazz, but also a bit more of a fuller vocal affair -similar to the sort you might find on Capitol from the time, with orchestrations that nicely support the singer throughout. Lorry's got an evocative vocal approach that sounds as if it might be at home on the silver screen -a mode that paints little pictures in sound with the tunes, and really adds a lot on top of the already-great orchestrations- and the album's also noteworthy in that it features a fair bit of lesser-known tunes that keep it from being just another rehashed batch of standards.”

And that dear music lovers is all I can muster. Any more information will be gratefully accepted.
FOOTNOTE: Lorry’s husband Tim Gayle who was born August 26, 1913,  died in Los Angeles, CA, October 14, 1970.

(Edited from various snippets of info found on the web)

*(source of birth date given by Who’s Who in America, Discogs give birth month as July. Date of death only given by Discogs.)

Some sources  state Tim Gayle was already estranged from his wife in 1958 which is probably why Lorry is not mentioned in any press after that date. Did they divorce or did she die? Also by 1961 Tim was managing Nina Gaylo & Gayle Stevens. Any other information would be very helpful.)