Biography
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Born
18 June 1905
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Born In
Rocky Mount, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States
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Died
23 July 1985 (aged 80)
James Kern (“Kay”) Kyser (1905 – 1985) was a famous bandleader and one of the first to become a radio celebrity.
He was the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster Howell Kyser, and a cousin of Vermont C. Royster. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, his campus popularity and enthusiasm as a cheerleader caused him to be invited to join a commercial band being formed by other students. Although he started clarinet lessons, he was better as an entertaining announcer for the band than as a musician. He adopted the initial of his middle name as part of his stage name, for its alliterative effect.
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