In the 1930s, the crooner was king. America was in the midst of one of its most romantic musical periods, and velvety-voiced singers like Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee serenaded and seduced the country.

Anthony Heilbut is the author of several books, including "Exiled in Paradise" and "The Gospel Sound." According to Lenny Kaye, the three great pop crooners of the early 1930s constitute a trinity.

A pair of surprising and even sensational headlines in two local newspapers lead to an unexpected discovery linking Napa County to a tragic Hollywood scene. Further research into the life and untimely ...