Marilyn McLaughlin, whose stage name is Marilyn Maye, is a widely known singer from Kansas City. She was born in Wichita, Kansas, on April 10, 1928, to Kenneth and Lyla McLaughlin. Soon after, the family relocated to Topeka, where her father, a pharmacist, opened a drugstore.

With her mother's encouragement, Marilyn began singing and dancing at age three. "Mother was a very strong lady, so thank God I had talent because she was determined to make me a singer," she later said. At age nine, Marilyn won a talent contest, leading to her landing a 13-week radio program. At eleven, she performed in a children's revue program at Topeka's Jayhawk Theatre.

In 1940, Marilyn's parents divorced, and her mother relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, where Marilyn joined her. She performed on stage and on the radio during her childhood. In 1944, she was the featured singer at the Victory Varieties show on KRNT Radio in Des Moines. In 1945, she sang with Johnny Black’s dance band at Club 100.

Following her 1946 high school graduation, Marilyn became a staff vocalist for WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky. There, she performed with combos and orchestras before embarking on a solo career, establishing herself in classy nightclubs from Chicago to Miami, Omaha, and New Orleans. At age 18, she married her first husband, a dancer. The pair moved to Florida in 1947-1948, where Marilyn enjoyed a long and successful engagement at the Downtowner club in Miami, before divorcing a year later.

In 1953, Marilyn moved to Kansas City and married dance teacher Jimmie DeFore. Settled in the city, she was the featured singer in the entertainment crew of a local spot, the Pla-Mor. In June 1955, she sang with the Thurl Henry orchestra at the New Orleans Room, billed as “One of America’s Greatest Song Stylists.”

In the fall of 1955, she appeared singing with the trio of pianist Sammy Tucker at the Jewel Box, impressing the audience with her ability to sell a song. In August 1958, Marilyn opened at the Pickwick Hotel with Tucker’s trio. That year, the pianist became her third husband, and they became the favorites of Kansas City music lovers. The couple lived in Overland Park with Marilyn’s daughter, Kristie Lynn, from her second marriage.

The highest point in Marilyn Maye's career to date took place at a Modern Jazz Workshop concert on February 8, 1959, before more than 900 people at the Temple B'nai Jehudah Auditorium in Kansas City, where, accompanied by Tucker's Trio, their performance conquered the enthusiastic audience.

In 1960, they appeared at various dine-and-dance venues. In September 1961, Marilyn recorded for the newly formed local label Holly Records. Her album, “Marilyn the Most,” was dedicated to songs written by Carl Bolte Jr.

As soon as the album came out, television host and entertainer Steve Allen became interested in featuring Marilyn on the return of his popular variety show. “Steve heard the album last summer and asked his agents to try to get me for his opening show of the season,” she said. “I was on a USO tour in Europe and Africa when they tried to reach me.” Marilyn and Sammy were included in the USO show for the Mediterranean area, performing in Ankara, throughout Italy, and other countries. “After I returned, this date was set up.”

In December, Marilyn was the featured vocalist on the new Steve Allen ABC-TV network show. The program was taped several weeks earlier in Hollywood, where she sang “But Not for Me,” backed by Les Brown's band. Steve Allen, a man with nationally recognized musical ability, reportedly “flipped” when he heard Marilyn on his show, and he backed her strongly ever since.

Marilyn continued appearing regularly at the Colony Steak House in Kansas City with her husband’s trio until late 1966. They both appeared in supper clubs and theaters across the country. Sammy Tucker, an inventive piano player, scat singer, and comedian, kept the act going and arranged all of Marilyn’s numbers.

Despite her club and cabaret work, she was also active in the annual Kansas City Jazz Week. She made several national television appearances and recording sessions on both coasts. In 1965, she signed a recording contract with RCA-Victor Records, which lasted until 1970, recording five albums for the label.

With a style uniquely her own and a career spanning eight decades, Marilyn, now in her nineties, continues to appear regularly in concert and has an impressive list of fans in the entertainment world. The New York Times called her "the last of a great generation of American Songbook singers."

—Jordi Pujol (Taken from the inside liner-notes of FSRV 139)