Beloved Westfield Jazz And Campbell Soup Jingle Singer Dies At 84

WESTFIELD, NJ — Marlene VerPlanck who was a beloved jazz singer in Westfield and performed at many of the town's Sweet Sounds Downtown Jazz Festivals died on Jan. 14 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital after a brief illness.

"We are saddened by the news of Marlene VerPlanck's passing. She was a class act at many of our Sweet Sounds Downtown Jazz Festivals. Not only was she a wonderful jazz singer, she sang many famous jingles we all know! Rest in Peace Marlene," Westfield NJ - Downtown said.

Her final performances were Dec. 12 and 13 at the Greenwich Village jazz club, Mezzrow.

In a 1980 review in The New York Times, John S. Wilson suggested that Marlene VerPlanck “may be the most accomplished interpreter of popular material performing today," according to her obituary in S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home.

It was after an appearance in London, at Ronnie Scott’s in March 2017, that a reviewer for Jazz Journal International called her “the finest Canary in captivity,” her obituary stated.

VerPlanck is well known one of the most successful of the “jingle singers” of the 1960s and 70s. Hers was the voice of Campbell's Soup "M'm M'm Good" song, “Winstons Taste Good (like a cigarette should),” of Amtrak, of Michelob Beer, of Singer sewing machines and “I Love New York.”

Born in Newark, she lived in Clifton with her husband Billy VerPlanck, who became the arranger of most of the material that she would perform in concerts, clubs, and many dozens of recordings over the next 60 years. They were married until his death in 2010.

Her most recent recording, "The Mood I’m In," was ranked as one of the best releases of 2016 in the jazz magazine DownBeat.

She is survived by her sister, Barbara Marshall of Parsippany, Phil Pampinella of Clifton, nieces Janus Strazza and Kristin Depee, nephews Paul Pampinella and Steven Strazza and many fans around the world.

A memorial celebration will be held at William Paterson University later this year.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the J. “Billy” VerPlanck Scholarship Fund at William Paterson University.

(Image via S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home in Nutley: Marlene VerPlanck)

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