Roy Kral Dies

Roy Kral, half of the singing duo known as Jackie and Roy, died Fri., Aug. 2 at his home in Montclair, N.J. He was 80.

Born in Cicero, Ill. on Oct. 10, 1921, Kral began studying piano as a young boy. After serving as an arranger for the Army Band during World War II, Kral moved to Chicago and joined a band called the George Davis Quartet. In 1947, Kral met Jackie Cain, an aspiring jazz singer who had just graduated high school, when Cain was invited to sing with the Davis group. Two years later the two were married.

From 1948-49, Jackie and Roy worked with saxophonist Charlie Ventura’s band, Bop for the People. With this group Kral scored his first hit in 1948, arranging and scat-singing on the 1919 pop song “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.”

In the early ’50s Kral and his wife had a television show in Chicago and the duo became a successful nightclub act during the late ’50s and ’60s, performing in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Kral also wrote music for several commercials during the ’60s, which featured he and Cain performing their unique blend of pop and jazz. Jackie and Roy recorded albums for Brunswick, Storyville, ABC-Paramount, Columbia, Audiophile, Discovery, Fantasy, Verve, CTI, and Concord.

Kral is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Originally Published August 7, 2002