Imogene Lynn, a talented vocalist of the swing era, began her illustrious career in 1940 with Emerson Gill's Bamboo Gardens Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio. Following two years with the orchestra, she went on to perform with various society bands before joining drummer Ray McKinley's ensemble as the featured vocalist. During this time, she also became the first wife of Mahlon Clark, a saxophonist and clarinetist, and one of the band's key sidemen.
After a brief stint with Freddie Slack's big band, Imogene joined Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, where she made her famous RCA recording of "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive". Her tenure with Shaw lasted for two years, during which time she also recorded hits like "Let's Take the Long Way Home", "On the Atcheson, Topeka and the Santa Fe", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Together", and "Gotta Be This Or That". Additionally, she accompanied the band on its wartime tours of military bases, theaters, and dance halls.
Following her departure from Shaw's band in 1945, Imogene had a stint with saxophonist/arranger Dave Matthews' orchestra on the West Coast. She later replaced Virginia Rees as the lead female vocalist in the Merrymacs vocal quartet. In 1949, she became a member of The Starlighters, replacing Pauline Byrne.
Imogene eventually pursued a solo career, remaining in Hollywood, where she was featured in films on and off camera. She lent her voice to several of Tex Avery's animated shorts at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and dubbed for non-singing stars like Mona Freeman, Loretta Young, and Vera Miles. In between, she made commercials for Dial Soap, appeared on television in The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, and provided backup vocals for notable artists like Nat 'King' Cole, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra.
Imogene spent the last seventeen years of her life in Lancaster, California, where she passed away in February 2003 at the age of eighty.
