Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Biography

Mary Kaye

Overview

  • Born
    January 9, 1924 · Detroit, Michigan, USA
  • Died
    February 17, 2007 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (heart and respiratory failure)
  • Birth name
    Mary Ka'aihue
  • Nicknames
    • First Lady of Rock and Roll
    • The First Lady of Rock and Roll

Mini bio

  • Mary Kaye started using the term "Lounge" in her act when her music group, The Mary Kaye Trio, played at bars and clubs. The word "lounge" caught on and spread throughout Las Vegas nightclubs and eventually throughout the United States. She took the term from "Lounge Car" that was being used by railroads.
    - IMDb mini biography by: Kenneth Kwilinski

Family

  • Spouse
      Pursley, Jules(1946 - ?) (3 children)

Trademarks

  • Known for the Fender Mary Kaye Stratocaster guitar named after her.

Trivia

  • She was the first person to ever have a guitar named after her the Fender Mary Kaye Stratocaster.
  • She was a Hawaiian guitarist and singer who had her own trio; the other musicians were her older brother Norman Kaye and Frank Ross. They began playing at Las Vegas' Frontier casino-hotel in the 1950s. They recorded 13 albums, and played on four movie soundtracks.
  • She and her brother originally played in their father's band. He was known as Johnny Ukulele. Musical differences split her from the group and she formed her first trio which included husband and bass player Jules Pursley.
  • Released a dozen albums before the group broke up in 1966. Mary continued solo.
  • Mary played guitar; brother Norman was on bass; and Frank Ross was the group's comedian and sometime accordionist.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More from this person

  • View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.