Connie Haines

Connie Haines (20 January 1921 – 22 September 2008) was an American singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra.

Born as Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais in Savannah, Georgia, Haines began performing at age 4, and by age 9 had a regular radio show performing as Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air. After a number of regional successes and winning the Major Bowes contest, she was hired by Harry James, who asked her to change her name. She later joined Tommy Dorsey, and Haines credited Dorsey with developing her style further. Haines performed in a number of films, including Duchess of Idaho. She later did a television show with Frankie Laine.

She was married and divorced twice. Her first marriage was to World War II flying ace Robert DeHaven in 1945. That marriage produced a son (Robert Jr.) and a daughter (Kimberly). Her subsequent marriage to popular bandleader Del Courtney (1910–2006) lasted from 1966 to 1972.

Connie Haines died of myasthenia gravis on Sept. 22, 2008. She was 87. Amazingly, her mother, Mildred JaMais of Clearwater, Fla., survived her at 109 ! JaMais later died in January 2010, just short of her 111th birthday!

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