Herman Denby, 82, beloved husband of the late Susan, devoted father of Kimberly Jones, Cynthia Denby, Dionno and Sean Denby, loving grandfather of Malaysia C. Denby, Geneva Boyd, Blake Proffitt and Brittny Holmes, great-grandfather of Siryan and Zacarias Harkness. Passed away July 14, 2013. Herman loved the music and entertainment business. He began writing songs at age 12 and later sang with the Swallows and the Ink Spots. He was honored at the Smithsonian for his musical achievements of song writing and singing. As a young man growing up in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1930's with a father who was a professional musician and a mother who was a singer, I became interested in the music entertainment field. Though I began writing songs at the age of 12, my first experience as a singer came in 1949 at the age of 17, when I sang with a group called the 'Oakaleers'. This group consisted of five guys from the neighborhood (including myself) who were friends and had a common interest in music. We would sing on street corners, at parties and anywhere else we could be heard. Upon hearing one of our rehearsals, King Records signed us to a contract. Our name was then changed to 'Swallows'. While under contract to King Records, we sang at the Royal Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, The Howard Theatre in Washington, DC and the Apollo Theatre in New York. We also toured the southern states. I left the group in 1952 to join the armed forces. The group continued to sing and record for King Record Label. I returned to singing in 1983. Since returning to the music industry, I have had various singing engagements in DC, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. In December 1990, I was honored at the Smithsonian Institute in Washingotn, DC for my musical achievements for songs I had written at the age of 12 and for the writing and singing I did while with the 'Swallows'. While singing with the "Swallows' (between 1951-1952), we recorded such songs as: *Will You Be Mine; *Dearest; Since You've Been Away; *Wishing For You; Tell Me Why; Trust Me; Please Baby Please; *Beside You; I Only Have Eyes For You; Where Do I Go From Here; Eternally; *You Walked In; *You left Me; Our Love is Dying; Nobody's Lovin' Me and several others. (* Original Scores by Herman Denby) Services Private. To send a condolence, visit www.muellerfuneralS.com 513-398-9100
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