Beryl Davis
Encyclopedia
Beryl Davis was a British
big band
singer. Her sister is Lisa Davis Waltz
, a teen actress in the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in Plymouth
, England
, she began to sing for her father's band, and became popular singing for British and Allied troops during World War II
. Glenn Miller
discovered her in London, and she sang for the Army Air Force Orchestra. She moved to Los Angeles
after the war with her father's big band, and with Frank Sinatra
for one year on Your Hit Parade
.
She was part of The Four Girls singing group, with Jane Russell
, Rhonda Fleming
, and Connie Haines
. They recorded sixteen singles
, and album
s which became best sellers. She appeared both in variety shows and films.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
singer. Her sister is Lisa Davis Waltz
Lisa Davis Waltz
Lisa Davis Waltz-White, often credited as Lisa Davis is a British- born American former child and adult actress who appeared in her first role at the age of 13 in the 1949 film The Man from Yesterday...
, a teen actress in the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, she began to sing for her father's band, and became popular singing for British and Allied troops during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
discovered her in London, and she sang for the Army Air Force Orchestra. She moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
after the war with her father's big band, and with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
for one year on Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
.
She was part of The Four Girls singing group, with Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
, Rhonda Fleming
Rhonda Fleming
Rhonda Fleming , is an American film and television actress.She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most beautiful and glamorous actresses of her day...
, and Connie Haines
Connie Haines
Connie Haines was an American singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra...
. They recorded sixteen singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, and album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s which became best sellers. She appeared both in variety shows and films.
Death
On 28 October 2011, Davis died in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer's disease, aged 87.Discography
- "I'll Be Seeing YouI'll Be Seeing You (song)"I'll Be Seeing You" is a popular song, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. Published in 1938, the song was inserted into the Broadway musical Right This Way, which closed after fifteen performances. The song is a jazz standard, and has been covered by countless musicians.The...
", December 1999, Hindsight, Catalog No: HIN 278 - "Alone Together", October 2000
- "I Hear a Dream", June 2001
- "Feel The Spirit", JASCD 479, 16 May 2008, Bar Code: 604988 04792 9
External links
- "Beryl", Big Band
- Beryl Davis of The 4 Girls
- "Beryl Davis", Discogs
- Jane Russell (2L) on Peter Potter's (L) radio show with Davis (2R) and Connie Haines (R). (Photo by Allan Grant//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)