ED AMES
If, when you think of Ed Ames you think only of Mingo on
the Daniel Boone TV series or the tomahawk throw on the
Johnny Carson show...think again.

Let me share with you the talents of this wonderful, singer,
actor, entertainer and gentleman.
Recently on a 2007 PBS special called My Music: The Fifties, Mr. Ames wowed the audience with his
performance.  And I know he wowed the audience because I was in the front row.  

On the program he spoke of his career,  

"I've been very blessed to have had an exciting career. I had a lot of hit records and did a lot of concerts. But it
all began long ago. It was actually before my time. but I started singing with my big brothers back in Boston,
Massachusetts.  We had a lot of hit records, my brothers were Gene, and Vic and Joe..."

















My thesaurus under "sing" says chant, warble, carol, vocalize, trill, pipe up.  Let me add croon and swoon, and
swing and you've got the Ames Brothers who are all of the above. With Ed's lead baritone, he and Gene, and
Vic, and Joe were one of the most popular singing groups of the 40's and 50's. Their sound was unique, like
Glenn Miller and his mix of brass and woodwinds, the Ames Brothers were a mix of three smooth baritones,
Ed, Vic, and Gene, and Big Brother Joe, with his rich, deep, bass voice.

"Smooth like the Ames Brothers...."  Debbie Reynolds said it best.

Listen to some of their songs, which in my house are all hits.  
Mingo-Daniel Boone circa 1965
Ed Ames, 2006 at the Daniel
Boone DVD Release party.
Ed Ames, 2007, PBS special, My Music: The 50's
The Ames Brothers,  Joe, Vic, Gene, and Ed
circa the 1950's
Ed Ames was born Edmund Dantes Urick on July 9, 1927 in Malden, Massachusetts. His parents, David and Sonja Urick,
were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine. Mr. Ames was the youngest of five brothers and four sisters. Their household
was poor, but very rich in family. His mother made sure all her children learned to read and his early memories were of classical
literature and Shakespeare. Contemporary music and opera filled their home as well.  I am not going to go into a long bio of him
here. If you would like to read a short, but informative bio of Ed Ames go to www.enotes.com - Ames, Ed   

Mr. Ames was and still is an athlete and scholar attending the famous Boston Latin School as a young man and as recently as
1975 studying at UCLA and receiving his degree with highest honors in Theater and Cinema Arts while, I might add maintaining
his singing and acting career.  He is always learning as is evident in this quote:

"There are so many things I'm interested in, that I never get bored.  Learning is a lifelong process, no one ever completes it, no
one ever should."

The more I read and learn about Mr. Ed Ames, I realize just how multi-faceted this man is.   I hope to share with you some of
the facets of Ed Ames I have found and I am enjoying.  I plan to do this through some music clips and pictures.  Any factual
material about his career can be found in the bio link above.  Besides, hearing and seeing him is the most fun, don't you agree?   
Try To Remember, My Cup Runneth Over, Who Will Answer?.....I think
my favorite to hear him sing is Without A Song.
Listen and see what you think.
Gene, Vic, Ed, and Joe, the Ames Boys had hit songs all through the1940's and 50's. Their last song to hit the
charts was in 1960, China Doll. At that same time Ed decided he wanted to study acting so he left the group and
did just that. For two years he put his singing career on the back burner. Mr. Ames studied acting at the Herbert
Berghof School of Acting.

He got roles on Broadway in The Crucible, The Fantasticks, Carnival, and as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest with Kirk Douglas . His performance as the Native American in that play was seen by casting
 directors in Hollywood. Twentieth Century Fox and Fess Parker were looking for someone who could portray
an Oxford-educated, half Cherokee, half English sidekick to Mr. Parker's, Daniel Boone.  

And so Ed Ames created and gave us one of our favorite of his characters, Mingo.  He played Mingo for the first
four seasons of the NBC series, Daniel Boone, co-starring with his still good friend, Fess Parker. Mingo did have
a few occasions to sing on the series.  I thought I would share a few instances with you.  

Listen to Ed Ames as Mingo, sing.  
When the lyric of a song touches you, it is special. But when the performer of that lyric can sing you a smile or a tear by you
just listening to their voice, it is magic. Likewise when words of a story or a play touches you, it is special. And when the
actor or actress who delivers those words, and acts out those emotions can make you laugh with them or cry with them,
once more it is magic.

Ed Ames is magic, on stage and, screen, in song and life. A career that spans over sixty years and more, he is vibrant,
dramatic, sentimental, romantic, touching, honest...a gentle man and a gentleman.

Inside one man he is so many. He is David and Sonja's youngest. He is Gene and Vic and Joe. He is Dad and Grand Dad, I
believe and husband and friend. He is Chief Bromden, Tevye, Charlie Anderson, Don Quixote, Emile de Becque, Paul
Berthalet, Billy Bigelow, King Arthur, more I am sure I have missed. He is Lee Coyle, Johnny Shannon, Abel Hollister, Mr.
Smith, Sheriff Ed Thompson, Ferrovius, Vaselie Peshkov. He is My Cup Runneth Over, to Try To Remember, to Who Built
the Ark, to Raggmop, to God Bless America. He is an outlaw on a stagecoach, an alcoholic sheriff who has lost his reason
to care, a Russian mafia boss whose sons are his reason to care, and he is Mingo, our Mingo, the honest, caring Cherokee
who he portrayed with so much respect that he received a letter from the Arizona Indian Association saying, "you have done
more for the Indian by your excellent characterization than all the missionaries, government officials and book authors,
combined." He is tall, dark, and handsome with a smile and dimples that can melt the icebergs.

I thought for a long time on what I wanted to say here about Mr. Ames. When Daniel Boone was on in the 60's I was in Jr.
High School, playing Girl's Basketball and listening to the Beatles. I watched the show and I liked Mingo, but I never got any
farther than that. Thank goodness for the release of the DVD's because I re-discovered Mingo and I discovered Ed Ames.
It only took forty years, but he has cast his magic spell on me. I cannot imagine my life now without his music, the Ames
Brothers music and his acting talents. He has sparked in me a reason to write stories, listen to his songs and just enjoy
learning more about this wonderful man. I wish I could write a lyric he would sing or a poem he would recite.
I hope to meet him one day, shake his hand and tell him thank you.  

Just my own thoughts on this wonderful man....Susie Coffman
"Acting is a representation of life, " Mr. Ames is quoted as saying.  "So is singing and I approach a song as I would a
short, dramatic scene."  That is so evident in any song he undertakes.  After four seasons on the Daniel Boone show
his own solo singing career blossomed, beginning with his RCA recording of "Try To Remember" from the Broadway
show, The Fantasticks.   In a short bio they report he has sold more than twenty million records for RCA.  His
biggest hits were "My Cup Runneth Over", Who Will Answer?"  "Apologize," and "When the Snow Is On the Roses."

But for me any song that Ed Ames sings is a hit.  You can hear in his voice, the drama, the romance, the joy, the
sadness, the love and you can hear the lyrics.  A songwriter's dream, he puts feeling into words and music.  

Listen to Ed Ames sing as Ed Ames.       
1968
1969
Disclaimer: Any of the comments, photos, or bits of songs
have been included here solely for the enjoyment of fans and
not for monetary profit. The rights to the characters initially
created for the Daniel Boone series belong to 20th Century
Fox and Fess Parker. The same for any other characters from
television series or songs performed by Ed Ames.

No copyright violation is intended.
Yes, Ed Ames portrayed Mingo, Daniel's trusted Cherokee friend on the NBC television series, Daniel
Boone, starring Fess Parker, and Mr. Ames.  And yes he did throw that tomahawk on the Johnny Carson
Tonight show that will go down in the record books as the longest laugh from an audience ever, on live
television. But Mr. Ames did much more television than those two memorable examples,showing his talents
as a dramatic actor and popular singer.

Let me share some of his acting performances on series television
and his singing performances on many variety shows.   

Sights and Sounds of Ed Ames on Screen
Be sure and support your local Public
Broadcasting Station. Find yours at:
www.pbs.org/
Ed Ames Off Stage

In this, my little tribute to Mr. Ed Ames,I chose not to talk about his family. I believe he is private in that part of
his life and I respect that. I know he is happily married and living in California these days. To know he is happy
is enough for me. But I would like to share some of his off stage interests and accomplishments; things that are
important to him, but you may not have heard of because he is not one to "toot his own horn" so to speak.
I mention here two groups I am a member of, both of which share my admiration for Mr. Ames. One group I already
mentioned in the Sights and Sounds of Ed Ames as Mingo section of my Ed Ames pages. That group is the
MingoWomen blog site. Any woman is welcome to join at MingoWomen.com.  The second is the Ed Ames Yahoo  
group for all those who enjoy Mr. Ames' many talents. One can join at   Ed_Ames@yahoogroups.com
In March of 2008, two of my friends, Suzy H. and Cynthia C., had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ames at Fess Parker's
restaurant. Afterwards, both of them, members of the above groups, asked us if we would like to share our thoughts
and feelings on what Mr. Ames means to each of us, how we came to admire him, how we found him, what he has
given us. Recently, they very nicely put all of our stories and memories, which were in the forms of letters, and poems,
and drawings into one album.  Over the holidays they sent it on to someone who said they would give it to Mr. Ames.  
Our one united wish that in reading it he knows how much he has given to so many.
And that he is still very much respected, admired, and loved.
It is called, "Testimonials:  From Us to You"  
A Special Album
Two Special Groups
Take a look.
You will need
Adobe Reader
to look at it.
Download
Adobe Reader
A Testimonial......

Something given as an expression of
Gratitude.

A written Statement Testifying as to a
Person's Abilities
Mr. Ames
Mr. Ed Ames, the actor and Mr. Ed Ames the singer, put them together and you end up with a magical evening
of story and song on the stages of theaters all across the nation.  Mr. Ames starred in many of the most popular
Broadway shows, Camelot, Man of La Mancha, Shenandoah, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, to name a
few. And he packed the houses night after night after night.

Let me share with you some of the sights and sounds of those performances.   

Sights and Sounds of Ed Ames On the Stage
The Kenley Players billed themselves as "America's most exciting summer theater."   The creation of
producer John Kenley, they became "Ohio's lifeline to the American Musical, bringing the great shows of the
era to the stages of Dayton, Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland, Akron, and Warren."   Mr. Kenley was one of the
first to have great film and TV actors of the time to star in his productions.

In the 1970's and 80's Mr. Ames was one of the popular television celebrities that John Kenley chose to star
in several of his summer stage productions.  But Mr. Ames brought much more than his television popularity
to these roles.  He brought his true musical talent along with a dramatic actor's feel for each character he
portrayed, Charlie Anderson in Shenandoah, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Don Quixote in Man of La
Mancha, King Arthur in Camelot, and Emile De Becque in South Pacific.  

A Very Special Photo Gallery From the Kenley Players Of Ohio

Photos taken by Ott Gangl, now retired photographer for the Akron Beacon Journal.
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2010
2004
A Recent Concert Event
February 10, 2011
McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California
Ed Ames in Swing, Swing, Swing, A Concert.

I was there! Click here and see.  
Ed Ames Today

Even though the concert tours and stage shows are over, rodeos and county fairs. And his acting roles are in reruns or on DVD's,
still retirement has not entered the picture for Mr. Ed Ames.  
And we, his many admirers, are always on the lookout for any mention of him in the news or any new photos.  He still sings on occasion,to
the delight of those who are lucky enough to be in the audience and takes part in documentaries on subjects that are of interest to him.

On this page I will try to post current news and photos of Mr. Ames that have been made available to the public.
So, Mr. Ames,

Until the day when I can actually
shake your hand and thank you in person,

these special pages that I have created,
celebrating your career and what you have given to so many,
is my personal applause and ovation for you.


I think my friend, Paula, from Jacksonville,
says it best for all of us,

'More I Cannot Wish You' than the treasures you have given me.

Peace.

Sincerely,

Susie Coffman
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That day finally came.
February 10, 2001 McCallum Theatre
Palm Desert, CA
Click here to see my experience
meeting Mr. Ames.