July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011
Golden-voiced interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Capitol Records’ first signing, and a cherished guest of the Elitch stage.
Discovered as a child by family friend and songwriter Johnny Mercer, Whiting became one of the first artists signed to Mercer’s newly founded Capitol Records in 1942, launching a recording career that spanned over 500 songs and nearly seven decades. Her rendition of “Moonlight in Vermont” earned a gold record, and she scored back-to-back No. 1 hits with “A Tree in the Meadow” (1948) and, alongside country star Jimmy Wakely, “Slippin’ Around” (1949) — a smash that sold 1.75 million copies and crowned her the “Queen of the Jukeboxes.”
In 1947 she was also the first artist to record Frank Loesser’s enduring standard, “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
On television and radio, Whiting co-starred with her sister Barbara in the CBS sitcom Those Whiting Girls (1955–57) and was a frequent guest on the era’s biggest variety stages, from The Ed Sullivan Show to The Tonight Show. In 1984, she starred in the television musical Taking My Turn, adapted from the acclaimed off-Broadway revue in which she had originated her role — a production that won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Lyrics/Music and earned a Drama Desk nomination for Best Musical.
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1984
Productions/Roles:
- August 1984 – Taking My Turn with Tiger Haynes
- Help us complete the record: If you have a program, ticket, photograph, or newspaper clipping documenting Margaret Whiting’s 1984 Elitch engagement, please reach out!
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree
- 13 gold records with Capitol, Dot, Verve and London Records
- President, Johnny Mercer Foundation
- Artistic Director, O’Neill Theater Center Cabaret & Performance Conference (1989–2001)
- Longtime headliner of the touring revue “4 Girls 4” with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O’Connell and Rose Marie
- On stage: Toured extensively in summer stock and regional musicals, including Gigi with the Kenley Players (1982), and originated a leading role in the off-Broadway revue Taking My Turn (Entermedia Theatre, 1983).
