Tommy Bruce (16 July 1937 – 10 July 2006) was an English

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

singer who had most of his success in the early 1960s. His

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Ain't Misbehavin'" was a number 3 hit in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1960.

Life and career

He was born Thomas Charles Joseph Bruce, in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...

, London. Both his parents died when he was a child and he grew up in an orphanage, later working as a van driver in

Covent Garden Market Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site ...

before undertaking

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in Hannover, Germany. Returning to London in 1959, and working again as a market porter, he became a friend of his neighbour, songwriter Barry Mason. Mason suggested he record a version of the song " Ain't Misbehavin'", written by Fats Waller, in a style similar to "

Chantilly Lace Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly,"Chantilly" ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century. The famous silk laces were introduced in the 18th cent ...

", a recent hit single by

the Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include " Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of w ...

. Produced by

Norrie Paramor Norman William Paramor (15 May 1914 – 9 September 1979), known professionally as Norrie Paramor, was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff R ...

and released on Columbia Records, Bruce's recording rose to number 3 in the

in 1960. He had no musical training, and described his own "sandpaper and gravel" singing voice with a strong London accent as "diabolical". Backed by the Bruisers, a group of Birmingham musicians, he toured the UK on large variety bills with

Billy Fury Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...

and others and they made a number of television appearances. However, his subsequent record releases were less successful, only "Broken Doll" and "Babette" making the Top 50. Another 1960 single, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" received airplay and was later used on the BBC's Pinky and Perky. From 1963, he became a regular performer on the ITV variety show ''

Stars and Garters ''Stars and Garters'' was a British television variety show produced by Associated Television, ATV from 1963 until 1965, set in a fictional public house. Hosted by comedian Ray Martine, regulars included singers Kathy Kirby, Vince Hill, Tommy Bruc ...

'', becoming involved in comedy routines as well as singing. Bruce sang "Two Left Feet" for the opening credits of the 1963 film of the same name. He also was the voice of 'Gormless', the 'Speak your Weight' machine, in the 1964 film, One Way Pendulum (film). Although he recorded further songs for a number of labels between 1965 and 1969, he largely made a living in cabaret, much of it in Spain and Malta, and also made appearances on the 1960s nostalgia circuit. Tommy Bruce was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Heritage Foundation Arts & Entertainment Trust in March 2006. He died from cancer at home four months later, on 10 July 2006, six days before his 69th birthday. Bruce's manager Dave Lodge, who had published a biography ''Have Gravel Will Travel'' that year, described Bruce as "the most unique entertainer of his generation".

Chart discography

References

Notes Bibliography

External links

Tommy Bruce home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Tommy English pop singers English male singers 1937 births 2006 deaths Deaths from prostate cancer 20th-century English singers 20th-century British male singers Deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom

Life and career

Chart discography

Further reading

References

External links