7/4 Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 October 17, 2007 1950s Singer Teresa Brewer Dies at 76 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:29 p.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- Singer Teresa Brewer, who topped the charts in the 1950s with such hits as ''Till I Waltz Again with You'' and performed with jazz legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington, died Wednesday. She was 76. Brewer died at her home in New Rochelle of a neuromuscular disease, family spokesman Bill Munroe said. Her four daughters were at her bedside. Brewer had scores of hits in the 1950s and a burgeoning film career but pared down her public life to raise her children. She re-emerged a decade later to perform with jazz greats Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis. ''She was just a wonderful, lovely lady,'' said Munroe, a longtime family friend. ''Her career was always a hobby with her; her family always came first. She always considered her legacy not to be the gold records and the TV appearances, but her loving family.'' Brewer had close to 40 songs that topped the charts, Munroe said, including ''Dancin' with Someone,'' ''Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall,'' ''Ricochet'' and ''Let Me Go Lover.'' Throughout her decades-long career, Brewer performed on TV with Mel Torme, sang with Tony Bennett and guest-hosted several variety shows, including ''The Ed Sullivan Show.'' She was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1931, and her mother took her to her first audition at age 2 -- for a radio show called ''Uncle August's Kiddie Show.'' Brewer sang ''Take Me Out to The Ball Game'' and performed for pay consisting of cupcakes and cookies from the show's sponsor. Brewer continued appearing on radio shows off and on until high school, when she quit and moved to New York. There, she started performing in a string of talent shows, which eventually led to a recording career. By 1952 she had her first hit, the single ''Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now,'' on Coral Records, and her first child. In 1953, ''Till I Waltz Again With You'' sold more than 1.4 million copies. That year she also won a poll conducted by Paramount Pictures to select the country's most popular female singer to cast in the studio's 3-D Technicolor movie, ''Those Redheads from Seattle.'' She landed one of the title roles, and reviews were rave. Paramount offered her a seven-year contract, but she declined, choosing instead to stay in New Rochelle. Brewer continued to record and make TV appearances, but she had four girls by then and spent most of her time raising them, Munroe said. Her popularity waned until the 1970s, when she became reacquainted with jazz producer Bob Thiele and began recording jazz standards with jazz greats. The two eventually married after she and her first husband divorced. Funeral arrangements weren't complete, Munroe said. Brewer's survivors include her four daughters, four grandsons and five great-grandchildren. Thiele died in 1996. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 (edited) Wasn't "Music, Music, Music" her first hit? I seem to recall buying it in Copenhagen (on the London label) before 1952, but I may be wrong. Bob Thiele introduced me to her at a party following Woody Herman's great anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall. She loved Bessie Smith's recordings and eventually did a tribute album for which they used my book as part of the promotion. Apart from that, I found Ms. Brewer to be a very warm, unaffected person. Sorry to hear that she had been ill. Just checked and I remembered correctly, "Music, Music, Music" was her biggest hit and it came out in 1950. Edited October 18, 2007 by Christiern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieB Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 i remember ms. brewer very well from the '50s. met her and her first husband in boston. she was adorable and very sweet. had a very strong voice and sang with great ease as i remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 RIP. I seem to recall that she made at least one record for Flying Dutchman. I'd like to hear it. As I was reading the obit, I was wondering when Music, Music, Music would be mentioned. It was the only song of hers that made an impression on me. I was quite young in her heyday, the pre-rock & roll 50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Put another nickel in...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 RIP. I seem to recall that she made at least one record for Flying Dutchman. I'd like to hear it. As I was reading the obit, I was wondering when Music, Music, Music would be mentioned. It was the only song of hers that made an impression on me. I was quite young in her heyday, the pre-rock & roll 50s. She recorded several jazz-oriented albums for Flying Dutchman including 'The Songs of Bessie Smith' with the Count Basie orchestra and 'It Don't Mean A Thing ...' with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Nothing to be ashamed of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I never knew she was married to Bob Thiele. RIP. It's nice to read the comments about how warm and kind she was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Sad news. She even recorded an LP titled 'Theresa Brewer In London' which had the cockney/music hall piano and vocal duo 'Oily Rags' (aka Chas and Dave) on it. An unlikely combination, if ever there was one. I guess the connection must have been through Bob Thiele, who also recorded Oily Rags with Oliver Nelson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swinging Swede Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Just checked and I remembered correctly, "Music, Music, Music" was her biggest hit and it came out in 1950. That's what I thought too. How could the article miss that? The video of it once was on YouTube, but seems to have been removed. Here it is on another video site: Teresa Brewer - Music! Music! Music! (1950) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Barton Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 My condolences to her family and friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 It's nice to read the comments about how warm...she was. Yeah, that's all over now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 a really big memorable voice. i am saddened to hear of her passing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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