Beryl Davis

Beryl Davis
Davis in a publicity photo by William P. Gottlieb, 8 October 1947
Background information
Born (1924-03-16)16 March 1924
Plymouth, England
Died 28 October 2011(2011-10-28) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Vocal jazz, big band
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1942–2001
Labels Hindsight
Associated acts Oscar Rabin, Django Reinhardt, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, The Four Girls

Beryl Davis (16 March 1924 – 28 October 2011) was a vocalist who sang with British and American big bands. Her younger sister is Lisa Davis Waltz, a teen actress in the 1950s and 1960s and later, the voice of Anita in Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

Music career

Born in Plymouth, England to Harry Lomax Davis and Queenie Davis, she began to sing for the Oscar Rabin Band, co-led by her father and saxophonist Oscar Rabin,[1] at the age of eight, eventually turning professional and singing with, among others, Oscar Rabin, Geraldo, and the Sky Rockets Dance Orchestra. She became popular singing for British and Allied troops during World War II, during which time Glenn Miller discovered her in London, and she sang for the Army Air Force Orchestra. She also performed and recorded with Django Reinhardt in Paris.[2][3] 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.[4]

She was part of the Four Girls singing group with Jane Russell, Rhonda Fleming, Della Russell, and Connie Haines. They recorded sixteen singles, and albums which became best sellers.[2] She appeared both in variety shows and films.[5][6]

She was married to William Mann Moore (aka Peter Potter), disc jockey and host of the 1950s Emmy Winning television show, Jukebox Jury. They had three children, William Bell, Merry Bell, and Melinda Beryl. The marriage ended in divorce.

In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[7]

On 28 October 2011, Davis died in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer's disease, at age 87.[8] She was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.[9]

Discography

  • I'll Be Seeing You, (Hindsight, 1999)
  • Alone Together, (2000)
  • I Hear a Dream, (2001)[10]
  • Feel the Spirit, (Jasmine, 2008)[11]

References

  1. ↑ David Mulliss. "Touchoftonga.com". Touchoftonga.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  2. 1 2 "Djangofest.com". Djangofest.com. 2000-11-11. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  3. ↑ "Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  4. ↑ "Songsbysinatra.com". Songsbysinatra.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  5. ↑ IMDb.com
  6. ↑ "People.theiapolis.com". People.theiapolis.com. 2015-01-06. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  8. ↑ "Beryl Davis Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  9. ↑ Beryl Davis at Find a Grave
  10. ↑ New.us.music.yahoo.com
  11. ↑ "Jasmine-records.co.uk". Jasmine-records.co.uk. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
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