About Ralph Flanagan
Ralph Elias Flenniken, known professionally as Ralph Flanagan, was an American big band leader, pianist, composer, and arranger for the orchestras of Hal McIntyre, Sammy Kaye, Blue Barron, Charlie Barnet, and Alvino Rey. The Ralph Flanagan band was managed by Herb Hendler, an RCA A&R man who had signed Glenn Miller to his final record contract before Miller's fatal plane crash in the English Channel during World War II. Flanagan's recording of "Slow Poke", a number 6 hit in early 1952, was the first song played on the initial edition of the Today Show on January 14, 1952.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.