Beryl Davis (16 March 1924 – 28 October 2011) was a vocalist who sang with British and American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

s, as well as being an occasional featured vocalist at a very young age with the

Quintette du Hot Club de France The Quintette du Hot Club de France ("The Quintet of the Hot Club of France"), often abbreviated "QdHCdF" or "QHCF", was a jazz group founded in France in 1934 by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli and active in one for ...

between 1936 and 1939. She was still performing in her 80s, into the 2000s, possibly the last surviving and performing singer of the generation of popular entertainers from the 1930s and wartime years.

Early life and family

Davis was born in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, England, to Harry Lomax Davis and Queenie Davis. Her younger sister is Lisa Davis Waltz, a teen actress in the 1950s and 1960s and later, the voice of Anita in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's ''

101 Dalmatians 101 Dalmatians may refer to: * '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1956 novel written by Dodie Smith * 101 Dalmatians (franchise), a Disney film franchise based on the novel ** '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1961 animated film based on ...

''.

Career

Aged eight, Davis began to sing for the Oscar Rabin Band, co-led by her father and saxophonist Oscar Rabin, eventually turning professional and singing with, among others, Rabin, Geraldo, and the Skyrockets Dance Orchestra. From the age of 12, accompanied by a chaperone, she also performed and recorded with

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

in Paris and on several European tours, and was the featured singer with the

during their tour of the U.K. in July–August 1939, including a performance with the Quintette for BBC Television (broadcast in August 1939), of which, unfortunately, no copy appears to survive. She became popular singing for British and Allied troops during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which time

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

discovered her in London, and she sang for the Army Air Force Orchestra. After the war, she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with her father's big band, and appeared on ''

Your Hit Parade ''Your Hit Parade'' is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year r ...

'' with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

for a year. She was part of the Four Girls singing group with

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

Rhonda Fleming Rhonda Fleming (born Marilyn Louis, August 10, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was an American film and television actress and singer. She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamor ...

Della Russell Andy Russell (born Andrés Rábago; September 16, 1919 – April 16, 1992) was an American popular music, popular vocalist, actor, and entertainer of Mexican descent, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music (genre), Latin music. He sold ...

, and

Connie Haines Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fr ...

. They recorded sixteen singles, and albums which became best sellers.

Personal life and death

She was married to William Mann Moore (aka Peter Potter), disc jockey and host of the 1950s Emmy Winning television show, '' Jukebox Jury''. They had three children, William Bell, Merry Bell, and Melinda Beryl. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

Palm Springs Walk of Stars The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes p ...

was dedicated to her. Still performing into her 80s, she was featured at several concerts/festivals in the mid-2000s with the backing of the guitarist

John Jorgenson John Richard Jorgenson (born July 6, 1956) is an American musician. Although best known for his guitar work with bands such as the Desert Rose Band and The Hellecasters, he is also proficient on the mandolin, mandocello, Dobro, pedal steel g ...

and his band, who featured her vocals on the track " Don't Worry 'Bout Me" on his 2007 CD ''Ultraspontane'', reprising her original recording with Django Reinhardt from almost 70 years earlier. On 28 October 2011, Davis died in Los Angeles from complications of

Alzheimer Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

's disease, at age 87.

Discography

* ''Beryl By Candle-Light'', (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1948) * ''Beryl Davis'', (Zodiac Records, 1976) * ''I'll Be Seeing You'', (

Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they were. After an event has occurred, people often believe ...

, 1999) * ''Alone Together'', (2000) * ''I Hear a Dream'', (2001) * ''Feel the Spirit'', (Jasmine, 2008) - compilation of tracks released for Coral and Capitol in the 1950s

References

External links

Beryl Davis
- Biographical page on Big Band Buddies

- brief biography o
Pointing North †

Beryl Davis, Discogs
- discography on www.discogs.com
Jane Russell;Peter Potter;Connie Haines;Beryl Davis
Jane Russell, Beryl Davis and Connie Haines with Peter Potter (radio show host): Photo by Allan Grant//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Beryl Davis performs "Don't Worry About Me" in London, August 1939
(audio) accompanied by

on guitar and

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...

on piano
78 RPM - Beryl Davis - Oscar Rabin Band - This Is No Laughing Matter
(audio) - 1942
Beryl Davis - The Touch Of Your Lips
- (audio) with Russ Case and His Orchestra, 1947
Beryl Davis I Hear A Dream GMB
- (audio) - 75 mins compilation of classic tracks recorded in England from 1939 to January 1947
Connie Haines - Beryl Davis - Rhonda Fleming - Jane Russell
- film clip, 1954, singing gospel music
Beryl Davis sings with the Bill Baker Big Band at Twinwoods 2003
(video)
Beryl Davis: "Don't Worry About Me" Djangofest NW 2005
- video, with

band in 2005
John Jorgenson feat. Beryl Davis - Don't Worry 'Bout Me
- video, Culver City Music Festival in 2007
Beryl Davis--Rare TV Interview
with cable TV host Skip E. Lowe (28 mins). {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Beryl 1924 births 2011 deaths Big band singers British expatriates in the United States English women singers English jazz singers Musicians from Plymouth, Devon Traditional pop music singers Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) British women jazz singers