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Terry Devon
Theresa "Terry" Devon (19 May 1922 – 5 April 2013) was a British jazz singer. She worked as a hairdresser in her father's business but switched to singing after winning a crooning competition on Radio Luxembourg. She joined the Billy Thorburn orchestra and her first record was released in 1938. She was heard weekly on the BBC Radio, BBC radio comedy programme ''Take It From Here''. Devon later became a vocalist for the Tito Burns jazz Septet, developing the skill of scat singing. Burns and Devon married in November 1948. She stopped singing professionally and helped her husband to manage notable singers. Early life Teresa Devon was born on 19 May 1922 in the East End of London. She was the only child of second generation Russian immigrants Manny and Connie Devon. Manny worked as a hairdresser in Shepherd's Bush. Although Devon won a scholarship to attend a grammar school, she left early to assist in her father's business. Career After she won a crooning competition on Radio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tito Burns
Tito Burns (born Nathan Bernstein, 7 February 1921 – 23 August 2010) was a British musician and impresario, who was active in both jazz and rock and roll. Biography Early life The son of a cabinet maker, he was the sixth and youngest child of Polish Orthodox Jewish immigrants who had settled in Bethnal Green. Burns was a self-taught accordionist from the age of 12, initially performing semi-professionally in the 1930s. From 16, he performed as a member of Don Marino Barreto and his Rumba Band, which had extended London residencies. It was as this time that he gained the "Tito" sobriquet which he retained for the rest of his life. He worked with the pianist Lou Preager and the clarinettist Carl Barriteau at the Cotton Club in Soho, with Burns doubling on piano. By 1941, he was leading a group at the Panama Club, but served in the Royal Air Force from 1942 becoming a member of the RAF Regiment Sextet the following year. He saw active service as a gunner in the Far East, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |