Marlene Pampinella got her start in the 1950s performing with big bands led by Tex Beneke, Charlie Spivak, and the Dorsey brothers. She married Billy Ver Planck, a trombonist, composer and arranger, who became her musical collaborator. She recorded thousands of commercial jingles before becoming known as a jazz artist. She sang backup for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, and Mel Torme, and established herself as a soloist in her own right. She performed at clubs and on TV, specializing in the Great American Songbook, particularly works by Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Johnny Mercer.