At the age of three, Jeannie Dennis started on her career, singing “I’m Gonna Wrap You Up and Take You Home With Me” on the Bruce Roberts’ talent show. This was the first of countless performances for Jeannie. By the age of thirteen she was performing throughout the Tidewater, Va., area with her parents’ band, the Frances and Thomas Asble Orchestra. After graduating from Deep Creek High School, she was crowned “Miss Portsmouth” in 1954. Jeannie went on to win many pageant titles, including: “Miss Ocean View,” “Miss Pocohantas,” “Miss Armed Forces,” and “Miss Colonial Beach,” culminating in her selection as “Miss Virginia” in the “Miss Universe Contest” in 1956.
In 1960 Jeannie was invited to join the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (directed by Sam Donahue) as featured vocalist, working with Frank Sinatra Jr.. She traveled for several years with the Dorsey Band, including a harrowing jeep and helicopter journey behind enemy lines in Vietnam, before settling in Las Vegas in 1968. There she was featured vocalist in the Minsky Show 1969, and again in 1971 in Puerto Rico. During her tenure in Nevada, Jeannie was a favorite performer in virtually all of the larger hotels in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno. Jeannie’s career has taken her to over thirty countries around the world, including such exotic places as Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, the Virgin Islands and Vietnam. She was a performer in the World Jazz Festival in Tokyo and the Newport Jazz Festival.
Jeannie has appeared with a wide range of entertainers, including: Bob Hope, Michael Landon, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. She has recorded for London, RCA, 20th Century and Hindsight record companies. During her colorful career she has appeared on many television shows, including the top-rated late-night shows of Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin.
Throughout the years, Jeannie has sung with many of the finest bands. In addition to Tommy Dorsey, she has performed with Ray Anthony, Paul LaValle, Harry James and currently with the Bo Thorpe Orchestra. Jeannie is regarded by those in the industry as one of the finest big-band vocalists working today.
All her travel experiences aside, Jeannie attributes the most exciting moment in her career to a 1980 performance at Carnegie Hall. “It’s what every singer dreams of. There’s nothing better than performing as Carnegie Hall and feeling the presence of all those great performers who have shared that stage. The acoustics are excellent and the aura creates a wonderful excitement.”
Jeannie Thomas Dennis currently resides in Nashville with her husband Quitman Dennis, a noted studio musician. She tours as featured vocalist with the Bo Thorpe Orchestra, traveling throughout the United States. She has performed for several Presidents, appearing at inaugural balls for Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. She has also appeared at the United States Military Academy and countless national conventions and society functions.