One of the first vocalists to break free from the big bands and become a star in her own right, Dinah Shore first emerged on some of Xavier Cugat’s early 1940s singles. From 1940-57 she had an astounding run of some 80 chart hits, and made a number of films. In 1951, Shore began making several television spectaculars. Later, she became host on a highly rated daytime talk show, a role she maintained into the 80s.