Tommy Bruce
Tommy Bruce (16 July 1937 – 10 July 2006) was an English rock and roll singer who had most of his success in the early 1960s. His cover version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" was a Top Ten hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1960.
Life and career
He was born Thomas Charles Bruce, in Stepney, London. Both his parents died when he was a child and he grew up in an orphanage, later working as a van driver in Covent Garden Market[1] before undertaking National Service in Belgium.
Returning to London in 1959, and working again as a market porter, he became a friend of his neighbour, songwriter Barry Mason.[1] Mason suggested he record a version of the song "Ain't Misbehavin'", written by Fats Waller, in a style similar to "Chantilly Lace", a recent hit single by the Big Bopper. Produced by Norrie Paramor and released on Columbia Records, Bruce's recording rose to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1960. He had no musical training, and described his own "sandpaper and gravel" singing voice with a strong London accent as "diabolical".[2][3]
Backed by the Bruisers, a group of Birmingham musicians, he toured the UK on large variety bills with Billy Fury and others and they made a number of television appearances. However, his subsequent record releases were less successful, only "Broken Doll" and "Babette" making the Top 50. From 1963, he became a regular performer on the ITV variety show Stars and Garters, becoming involved in comedy routines as well as singing. Although he recorded further songs for a number of labels between 1965 and 1969,[1] he largely made a living in cabaret, much of it in Spain and Malta, and also made appearances on the 1960s nostalgia circuit.[2][3]
Tommy Bruce sang "Two Left Feet" to the opening credits of the 1963 film of the same name.[4]
In 2006 he died in Watford of stomach cancer, at the age of 68.[2]
Chart discography
| Year | Title | Record label | UK Singles Chart[5] | Billed as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Columbia | 3 | Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers |
| 1960 | "Broken Doll" | Columbia | 36 | Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers |
| 1962 | "Babette" | Columbia | 50 | Tommy Bruce |
Further reading
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References
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Larkin (1997), p. 80.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Bibliography
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External links
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