Marilyn Maye McLaughlin (born April 10, 1928) is an American singer, musical theater actress and masterclass educator.

Producer Joe René brought Maye Broadway show tunes to record prior to them appearing in musicals.

This led to Maye gaining a new audience in her late seventies and a renewed interest in her concert appearances.

"Mother was a very strong lady, so thank God I had talent, because she was determined to make me a singer," she told Theatre Mania in 2007.

Since she was underage, prompting Maye's mother kept a book where to record the false ages of her daughter to remember to tell it to agents.

[8] Following her 1946 high school graduation, Maye became a staff vocalist for WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky.

[13] He was also brought to the attention of her debut album, which impressed him enough[5] to book her for several appearances on The Steve Allen Show.

Titled Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye, the album was released in August 1965 and featured liner notes from Steve Allen.

[15] It was given a positive review from Billboard magazine, who named it a "Pop Special Merit" pick in its weekly list of albums.

[16] Maye was then heard at a New York City nightclub by Ed McMahon of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

It was recorded at The Living Room in New York City and featured accompaniment from Maye's husband's quartet.

[21] After recording "I Love You Today" for an upcoming musical, producer Joe René was inspired to bring Maye more show tune material.

Taken from the Broadway musical How Now, Dow Jones,[3] Maye's version of "Step to the Rear" reached number two on the adult contemporary chart in 1968.

[27] She also performed at political functions, including Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray and US Senator Bob Dole.

"I performed the part of Pistache and loved singing 'C'est Magnifique' each night," she told Playbill magazine.

[42] Writer of the show Jerry Herman penned the album's lines notes, calling Maye an "extraordinary combination of acting and singing talent".

[43] Author Will Friedwald praised the disc, commenting that "she takes Brother Ray's signatures and refits them for herself while retaining the essence of the original.

[45][46] In 2006 at age 78, Maye gained notable attention after performing at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Mabel Mercer Foundation.

[18][47] With encouragement from Billy Stritch and her lawyer, Maye went on to perform at New York's Metropolitan Room where she reportedly "blew the roof off".

"Now in her mid-70s, combines Broadway brass and jazz scooby-do with such a natural feel for both that they become twin styles that you can hardly tell apart," wrote Stephen Holden of The New York Times.

[48] At age 80, she returned in 2008 to the Metropolitan room with a new stage show of Cabaret music called "Love on the Rocks".

[49] Maye continued to draw concert work in other places such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[50] Sioux City, Iowa[51] and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

[54][55] Approaching the age of 90, Maye was featured in a 2018 episode of CBS Sunday Morning, with a profile by Mo Rocca.

Maye discussed the loss of concert work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how she continued to perform outdoors when indoor nationwide shutdowns occurred.

"Maye is a master of the American songbook and for two solid hours, she had the crowd eating from the palm of her hand," wrote Ryan Leeds of the Manhattan Digest.

[56] "For this writer who has, for some time, marveled at the breadth of her talent and endurance, she is The Unstoppable Marilyn Maye," wrote Stephen Mosher of BroadwayWorld.

[62][63] "To attend one of her shows is to be at an exalted master class of 'how it’s done'," wrote Marilyn Lester of the publication Night Life Exchange.

[63] Maye's jazz musical style is shown through her live performances which often include scat singing and vocal swinging.

[63][64] Bruce Ferrier of The Desert Sun called Maye one of the last "scat-singing" jazz artists and compared her to Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Anita O'Day.

[64] Ricky Pope of BroadwayWorld said, "The fact that she managed to scat sing in 'NY State of Mind' is a testament to her great artistry.