Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer best known for her
apostrophicApostrophe is an exclamatory rhetorical figure of speech, when a talker or writer breaks off and directs speech to an imaginary person or abstract quality or idea...
1950 hit song, "
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950.The big hit version in 1950 was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. The recording was released by National Records as catalog number 9103...
."
She was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as 1929, but a certified copy of her birth certificate shows that she was born in 1924. This was done commonly, to shave a few years from a performer's age.
Eileen's parents, Benny and Elsie Barton, were
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performers.
Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer best known for her
apostrophicApostrophe is an exclamatory rhetorical figure of speech, when a talker or writer breaks off and directs speech to an imaginary person or abstract quality or idea...
1950 hit song, "
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950.The big hit version in 1950 was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. The recording was released by National Records as catalog number 9103...
."
She was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as 1929, but a certified copy of her birth certificate shows that she was born in 1924. This was done commonly, to shave a few years from a performer's age.
Eileen's parents, Benny and Elsie Barton, were
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performers. She first appeared in her parents' act at age 2-1/2, singing "
Ain't Misbehavin'"Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Fats Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather...
," on a dare to her parents from columnist (and later radio star) Goodman Ace. At 3-1/2, she appeared at the Palace Theater, doing two shows a day as part of comedian
Ted HealyTed Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. He is chiefly remembered today as the original employer of the Three Stooges, but had a successful stage and film career of his own....
's routine (Ted Healy would go on to put together "The Three Stooges."
She soon became a child star. By age 6, she appeared on "
The Horn and Hardart Children's HourThe Horn and Hardart Children's Hour was a variety show with a cast of children, including some who later became well-known adult performers. It had a long run for more than three decades...
," a
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program sponsored by
Horn & Hardart's "Automat,"Horn & Hardart was a food services company noted for operating the first automats in Philadelphia and New York City.German-born, New Orleans-raised, Frank Hardart and Philadelphia's Joseph Horn opened their first restaurant together in Philadelphia on December 22, 1888...
a then-well-known restaurant chain, and by age 7 she was working with
Milton BerleMilton Berle was an Emmy-winning American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , he was the first major star of US television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
on his "Community Sing"
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program, using the name "Jolly Gillette" and playing the sponsor's "daughter" (the sponsor was
Gillette RazorsGillette is a brand of Procter & Gamble currently used for safety razors, among other personal hygiene products. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, it is one of several brands originally owned by The Gillette Company, a leading global supplier of products under various brands, which was acquired by...
). She would ask to sing, he would tell her she couldn't, and she would remind him that her daddy was the sponsor, so he'd let her sing a current hit song.
At 8, she had a daily singing program of her own on
radio station WMCAWMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City, most known for its "Good Guys" Top 40 era in the 1960s. It is currently owned by Salem Communications and plays a Christian radio format...
, "Arnold's Dinner Club." She also acted on radio series such as
Death Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. It was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman and ran on radio until 1945. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
.
At age 11, she left show business briefly. At age 14 she went on the
Broadway stageBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
as an understudy to
Nancy WalkerNancy Walker was an American actress of stage, screen, and television.-Career:Born Anna Myrtle Swoyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1922 , she held a life-long feeling of abandonment by her mother, who died while she was an infant...
in
Best Foot ForwardBest Foot Forward is a 1943 American film adapted from the 1941 Broadway musical comedy of the same title. The film was released by MGM, directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Lucille Ball, William Gaxton, Virginia Weidler, Chill Wills, June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, and Nancy Walker.-Plot:The...
, followed by an appearance under her own name with
Elaine StritchElaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist, best known for her performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch" in Company, her 2001 one-woman show Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and most recently for her role as Jack Donaghy's mother Colleen on NBC's 30 Rock.-Early years:Stritch was born in Detroit,...
in
Angel in the Wings.
At age 15, she appeared as a guest singer on a
Johnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American songwriter and singer. As a songwriter, he is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
variety series, leading to her being noticed by
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
, who took her under his wing and put her in a regular spot on the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
radio show that he hosted in the 1940s. She co-starred on Sinatra's show for one year, and was also part of Sinatra's act at the
Paramount TheaterParamount Theater or Paramount Theatre may refer to:In Canada*Paramount Theater In China*Paramount Ballroom or Paramount Theatre, ShanghaiIn England...
in 15 appearances there. She also appeared on her own and as a guest performer with such stars as
Count BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years...
,
Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
, and
Danny KayeDanny Kaye was an American award-winning actor, singer and comedian.-Early years:Born David Daniel Kaminsky to Jewish Ukrainian immigrants in Brooklyn, Kaye became one of the world's best-known comedians...
.
Soon she got her own
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
programs, first one called
Teen Timers, and later the 13-episode
The Eileen Barton Show. She also did some early
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
.
Her first record, done for
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
, was "Would You Believe Me?" (
catalog numberThis article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
402), with the orchestra of
Lyle "Skitch" HendersonLyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson , was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.-Biography:...
, in 1948.
In 1949 she cut the record of "
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950.The big hit version in 1950 was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. The recording was released by National Records as catalog number 9103...
" (written by
Bob MerrillBob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a dialogue...
,
Albert HoffmanAl Hoffman , a member of the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame since 1984, was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for many number one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today...
and
Al TraceAlbert J. Trace was a prolific American songwriter and orchestra leader of the 1930s, 40s and 50s whose peak of popularity was reached in the Chicago area during the height of the Big Band era....
; Trace used the pseudonym Clem Watts) and introduced it on
Don McNeill'sDon McNeill was an American radio personality, best known as the creator and host of The Breakfast Club, which ran for more than 30 years.-Early career:...
radio program,
The Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast Club was a long-run morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio originating in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by Don McNeill, the radio program ran from June 23, 1933 through December 27, 1968...
. On the record, Trace's band musicians backed her, but were given billing as "The New Yorkers." It was first released by
National RecordsNational Records was a record label that was started in New York by Albert Green in 1945 and lasted till early 1951.Big Joe Turner was signed at the outset and remained until 1947. Billy Eckstine was also a big seller for the label as were The Ravens...
, a New York-based company mostly specializing in rhythm & blues records, as catalog number 9103, and when National's owner, Al Green, decided it was too big a seller for National to handle, it was later distributed by
Mercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
, whose co-owner was Al Green's son,
Irving GreenIrving Green was an American record industry executive, and co-founder and president of Mercury Records.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was instrumental in promoting African-American artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and the Platters.In 1945, he founded Mercury Records, in Chicago,...
. The record became one of the best-selling records on an independent label of all time, charting at #1 for 12 weeks, and altogether on the
Billboard chartsThe Billboard charts are music sales, airplay and digital ranking reports distributed to the general public by Billboard magazine. Billboard is considered the foremost authority worldwide in these song sales, airplay, digital reports, or music charts.On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published...
for over four months.
As is often the case in early music business stories, Eileen - in an interview in 2005 - indicated she never received a penny in royalties from either National or Mercury for her record's success, although by contract she was supposed to receive 5% of each sale.
After the success of this record, she became a night club and stage performer, appearing at all the important clubs in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and many others. She continued to record for both National and Mercury, making "Honey, Won't You Honeymoon with Me?" (catalog number 9109) and "May I Take Two Giant Steps?" (catalog number 9112) for National and "You Brought a New Kind of Love" (catalog number 5410) for Mercury.
Later she moved over to
Coral RecordsCoral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
, and charted with some cover versions of songs that were bigger hits for other artists, such as "Cry," "
Sway"Sway" is the English version of "¿Quién será?", a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. In 1954 the English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel and recorded by Dean Martin...
," and others. She also appeared in motion pictures and television, working the restaurant and night club circuit well into the 1970s.
Eileen Barton died at her West Hollywood home from
ovarian cancerOvarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from different parts of the ovary.The most common form of ovarian cancer arises from the outer lining of the ovary.. However, recent evidence shows cells that line the Fallopian tube also to be prone to develop into the same kind of cancer as seen in...
. She had no children and was not married at the time of her passing. Barton was 81 years old at the time of her death.
External links