Bea Wain, who began performing on the radio when she was only 6, was a vocalist of prominence, among the revered singers of the 1930's and '40s, when band leaders such as Larry Clinton, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman in the big band era captivated America with their easy-to-hum, jazz-infused performances and recordings. Bea Wain recorded songs such as "You Go to My Head," "Deep Purple," Heart and Soul," "God Bless the Child," and the war-era ballad "My Sister and I." She also made the first recording of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's "Over the Rainbow" in early 1939, though Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Studio blocked its release until "The Wizard of Oz" premiered in Hollywood at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 15, 1939, followed by the New York premiere at Loew's Capital Theatre on August 17, 1939. In a 1939 Billboard Magazine college poll, Bea Wain was named the year's most popular female band vocalist, a trump considering the competition from super-star Ella Fitzgerald. The song "Over the Rainbow" won a 1939-1940 Oscar for Best Original Song for Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. The "Wizard of Oz" won another Oscar for Herbert Stothart for Best Original Score for a motion picture.

Film

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