Tony Brent (born Reginald Hogan Bretagne, 26 August 1927 – 19 June 1993)
was a British
traditional pop music
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
singer, most active in the 1950s. He scored seven
Top 20
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
chart
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
in the UK over an almost six-year period, starting in December 1952.
Biography
Brent was born Reginald Hogan Bretagne
of
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...
descent and lived at Ebrahim Terrace, Spence Road,
Byculla
Byculla (ISO: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai.
Location
Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to the nor ...
,
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, India. During the 1950s Brent became a popular UK-based vocalist, having relocated there in 1947. Two years after his move, Brent entered and won in a talent show held at the Regal Theatre in
Kingston. He had sung a version of "
Some Enchanted Evening
"Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific''. It has been described as "the single biggest popular hit to come out of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show." Mast, Gerald''Can't Help Singin' ...
", and this led him on to work with
Ambrose
Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...
and
Cyril Stapleton
Cyril Stapleton (31 December 1914 – 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader.
Biography
Born Horace Cyril Stapleton in Mapperley, Nottingham, England, Stapleton began playing violin at the age of seven, and played on lo ...
's
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
Showband. His subsequent
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
hits included "
Walkin' to Missouri
"Walkin' to Missouri" is a popular song written by Bob Merrill in 1952. Sammy Kaye's version peaked at No. 11 (U.S.) in 1952. In the United Kingdom, Tony Brent's cover version reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1953.
Background
The ...
", "
Cindy, Oh Cindy
"Cindy, Oh Cindy" is a song, written by Robert Nemiroff and Burt D'Lugoff and credited to their pseudonyms, Robert Barron and Burt Long. It used as its melody a stevedore song, " Pay Me My Money Down", collected by Lydia Parrish in her 1942 book ...
" and "
Dark Moon
The term dark moon describes the last visible crescent of a waning Moon. The duration of a dark moon varies between 1.5 and 3.5 days, depending on its ecliptic latitude. In current astronomical usage, the new moon occurs in the middle of this ...
". Brent's hits were all released on the
Columbia label.
He enjoyed iconic status in South Asia, where his hits topped the music charts on
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...
.
He resumed his travels in 1961 and left the UK to live in Australia. He owned a succession of
Indian food
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herb ...
restaurants whilst maintaining his singing career. Brent died in Sydney at the age of 65 of a heart attack in June 1993. His
ashes were scattered in the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
.
Chart single discography
All entries relate to 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 ...
*"
Walkin' to Missouri
"Walkin' to Missouri" is a popular song written by Bob Merrill in 1952. Sammy Kaye's version peaked at No. 11 (U.S.) in 1952. In the United Kingdom, Tony Brent's cover version reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1953.
Background
The ...
" (1952) – no. 7
*"Make It Soon" (1953) – no. 9
*"Got You on My Mind" (1953) – no. 12
*"
Cindy, Oh Cindy
"Cindy, Oh Cindy" is a song, written by Robert Nemiroff and Burt D'Lugoff and credited to their pseudonyms, Robert Barron and Burt Long. It used as its melody a stevedore song, " Pay Me My Money Down", collected by Lydia Parrish in her 1942 book ...
" (1956) – no. 16
*"
Dark Moon
The term dark moon describes the last visible crescent of a waning Moon. The duration of a dark moon varies between 1.5 and 3.5 days, depending on its ecliptic latitude. In current astronomical usage, the new moon occurs in the middle of this ...
" (1957) – no. 17
*"The Clouds Will Soon Roll By" (1958) – no. 20
*"Girl of My Dreams" (1958) – no. 16
*"Why Should I Be Lonely?" (1959) – no. 24
See also
*
List of Anglo-Indians
References
External links
*
British Pathé footage of Brent with Mike and Bernie Winters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brent, Tony
1927 births
1993 deaths
Traditional pop music singers
20th-century British male singers
English expatriates in Australia
Columbia Records artists
English people of Indian descent