Martha Tilton
| Martha Tilton | |
|---|---|
Tilton on the cover of the April 1946 issue of music magazine Radio Mirror
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Martha Ellen Tilton |
| Also known as | The Liltin' Miss Tilton |
| Born |
November 14, 1915 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2006 (aged 91) Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
Swing Jazz Traditional pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1930s–1990s |
| Labels | Capitol, Coral, Tops |
| Associated acts | Three Hits and a Miss, Benny Goodman |
| Website | marthatilton |
Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of "And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman.
Tilton was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her family moved to Edna, Kansas, when she was three months old. They relocated to Los Angeles when she was seven years old. While attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, she was singing on a small radio station when she was heard by an agent who signed her and began booking her with larger stations.
She then dropped out of school in the eleventh grade to join Hal Grayson's band. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman's radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in August 1937. She was with Goodman in January 1938, when the band gave the first jazz performance at Carnegie Hall. She continued to appear as Goodman's star vocalist until the end of 1939.
Tilton had a major success from 1942-49 as one of the first artists to record for Capitol Records. Her first recording for Capitol was "Moon Dreams", Capitol 138, with Orchestra and The Mellowaires, composed by Johnny Mercer and Glenn Miller pianist Chummy MacGregor in 1942. "Moon Dreams" would be recorded by Glenn Miller in 1944 and by Miles Davis in 1950.
Among her biggest hits as a solo artist were "I'll Walk Alone", a wartime ballad which rose to #4 on the charts in 1944; "I Should Care" and "A Stranger in Town," which both peaked at #10 in 1945; and three in 1947: "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" from Finian's Rainbow, which climbed to #8; "That's My Desire", which hit #10; and "I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder", which reached #9. After she left Capitol, Tilton recorded for other labels, including Coral and Tops. Among her later albums was We Sing the Old Songs (1957, Tops), a mix of older songs and recent standards with baritone Curt Massey, who later became well known as the composer (with Paul Henning) and singer of the theme song for the CBS-TV series Petticoat Junction.
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