Thursday, May 12, 2016

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Beryl Davis

Artist:Beryl Davis w/Django Reinhardt
Song:Don't Worry 'Bout Me
Album:I Hear A Dream





Beryl Davis was a British singer who toured Europe with several bands during WWII. After the war, she moved to the US and performed for decades. She was born Mar. 16, 1924 in Plymouth, England. Her father was bandleader Harry Davis and she started out singing in his band as a teen. At age 15, she toured France with guitar legend Django Reinhardt and recorded two songs with him. Don't Worry 'Bout Me was written by Rube Bloom and Ted Koehler and it was a hit for Hal Kemp in 1939. Reinhardt recorded it featuring Beryl on vocals on Aug. 25, 1939. Though he usually played violin, on this recording Stephane Grappelli played piano. Other musicians were Eugene Vees on guitar and Emmanuel Soudieux on bass. During WWII, Beryl sang with several bands. Glenn Miller discovered her in 1944 and she appeared on his final show before his death. Bob Hope brought Beryl to the US in 1947 and she appeared on the Your Hit Parade radio show with Frank Sinatra. Then she married William Mann Moore who was the creator and host of the TV game show Jukebox Jury. They had three children. In the 50s, Beryl was a member of The Four Girls with Jane Russell, Connie Haines and Rhonda Fleming. They had some minor hits and they toured through the 60s. By this time, Beryl had divorced Moore and she lived with former Glenn Miller drummer Buck Stapleton. He promoted cruise ship tours so she performed on those for years. She was featured in a Glenn Miller tribute tour for many years. She didn't record much but you can get some of her recordings with Reinhardt and other bands on this comp. Beryl Davis died due to Alzheimer's on Oct. 28, 2011 at age 87. Here's a video of Don't Worry 'Bout Me by Beryl Davis with Django Reinhardt.

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