Background
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cain was the daughter of an office furniture salesman who also managed a community theater.
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Jackie Cain
Edit ProfileCareer
Douglas Martin of The New York Times described them as "the most famous vocal duo in jazz history". She was the sister-in-law of singer Irene Kral (d 1978). Cain first became interested in music through listening to the radio and performing in the chorus at her elementary school.
While in high school she performed in an a cappella chorus during the school day and began performing on a children's radio show and with a band organized by a local music store in Milwaukee.
At the age of 17, Cain accepted her first full-time job in music as a singer with Jay Burkhart’s band. The two went on to record nearly 40 albums for multiple record labels including Columbia Records and Verve Records, among other labels.
Cain died in Montclair, New Jersey, in September 2014 of complications from a stroke she had in 2010.
Membership
In 1947, at the age of 19, she was introduced to Roy Kral by Bob Anderson, a fellow member of the Burkhart band.
