Born March 1, 1917; died of cancer, February 24, 1994, in Beverly Hills, CA.Singer, actress, and television personality. Shore was best known for an exuberant demeanor showcased by her radio, film, and television performances. Originally named Francis Rose Shore, the Tennessee native took the moniker Dinahfrom a song she sang early in her career. Shore moved to New York City in the late 1930s and her work as a radio singer eventually earned her a recordingcontract. By the mid-1950s she had recorded over 75 hit songs, including such melodies as "Blues in the Night," "I'll Walk Alone," and "Buttons and Bows." Shore began hosting her own radio program in 1943 and expanded her career to include roles in a number of films.
In 1951 Shore was hired to host a 15-minute television variety show that eventually became an hour-long show titled with variations on her name. For a time the program was sponsored by the Chevrolet division of carmaker General Motors, and Shore's signature close--the jingle "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet" and a kiss blown goodbye-- became her trademark. Her popularity during this era helped elect her four times to the list of world's most admired women in public opinion polls. The performer took a hiatus from regular television appearances in 1963, but re-entered the medium a few years later as host of Dinah, Dinah's Place, and Dinah and Friends. These various incarnations of a daytime television show, which ran either on NBC and CBS until 1984, focused less on musical variety and more on celebrity guests. Shore later moved to cable television and hosted a talk show on the Nashville Network from 1989 to 1991. During her decades in television Shore won five Emmy Awards. In addition to her show business career, the singer also authored three cookbooks and played host to the Dinah Shore Golf Classic in Palm Springs, California, for a number of years.
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