Who first sang 'The Nearness of You'?

Hello,  

The song ?The Nearness of You? is mistakenly credited to Gladys
Swarthout in the 1938 Paramount film Romance in the Dark.; however in
1940 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra introduced ?The Nearness of You?
with vocals by Ray Eberle.

The Jazz Standards website provides the origin of the song ?The Nearness of You?

Title: The Nearness of You 
Music:  Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics: Ned Washington  
 
 
?In 1940 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra introduced ?The Nearness of
You? with vocals by Ray Eberle. The Bluebird label recording was a
moderate success, appearing on the pop charts at the end of June and
remaining there for eleven weeks, peaking at number five. In 1953 the
song became a charted hit again; this time Bob Manning, singing with
Monty Kelly and His Orchestra, saw his recording climb the charts to
number sixteen.?

?With regard to the song's introduction, according to Richard
Sudhalter?s Hoagy Carmichael biography Stardust Melody: The Life and
Music of Hoagy Carmichael, ?The Nearness of You? was a melody that
Carmichael dashed off for a screen adaptation of Shakespeare?s A
Midsummer Night?s Dream, featuring fifteen-year-old Mickey Rooney as
Puck. With [Ned] Washington?s lyric, it became ?The Nearness of You,?
scheduled for inclusion in the feature Romance in the Rough. The film
was never produced and the song had to wait for republication in 1940
to win its place as a standard.?

?In Sudhalter?s notes, of which there are more than 50 pages, he
comments that despite accounts to the contrary, ?The Nearness of You?
was never scheduled to be included in the 1938 Paramount film, Romance
in the Dark, starring John Boles, Gladys Swarthout and John
Barrymore.?

?Probably a result of the similar titles, Romance in the Rough versus
Romance in the Dark, the introduction of ?The Nearness of You? is
mistakenly credited to Ms. Swarthout in Romance in the Dark in at
least one reference book, numerous sheet music books, and as a result,
the error appears on hundreds of websites.?

Jazz Standards
http://jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/thenearnessofyou.htm

Ray Eberle

?Ray Eberle joined the Glenn Miller band as vocalist in 1938. ?.. he
was a popular vocalist who introduced ?The Nearness of You? in 1940
and ?Skylark? in 1942.?
Jazz Standards
http://jazzstandards.com/biographies/ray_eberle.htm


Search terms used: 
?The Nearness of You? 
Hoagy Carmichael  
Gladys Swarthout  
ROMANCE IN THE DARK
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra 
Ray Eberle.

I hope the information provided is helpful!

Best regards,
Bobbie7

Thank you.