Ed Rambeau was born in Hazleton in 1942, and he was always a singer. At Hazleton High School, he wrote and played the lead in his school play. When he met Bud Rehak, he found a manager and a pianist to accompany him in his musical pursuits.

With Rehak, Rambeau performed at record hops, and those appearances caught the attention of Plymouth-based disc jockey Jim Ward, who had connections at Swan Records in Philadelphia. Through Ward, Rambeau got an audition at Swan, where he sang for a trio of record executives.

“I sang a medley of like 26 songs,” Rambeau recalled. “And [Artists and Repertoire Director] Frank Slay turned to the other three guys and said, ‘He’s great, but what do we do with a mayo Johnny Mathis?’”

The executives did find something to do with Rambeau. They put him on tape

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