Teresa Brewer

Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs.

When Brewer was 2, her mother entered her in The Uncle August Kiddie Show on Toledo's WSPD and she was a hit with audiences.

An agent, Richie Lisella, heard her sing and took her career in hand, and soon she was signed to a contract with London Records.

In the mid-1950s she did a number of covers of rhythm and blues songs like "Pledging My Love" and "Tweedle Dee".

In the same year her hit "A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl" demonstrated in one song her ballad and rock talents.

Brewer continued releasing albums throughout the 1960s, but the British Invasion in the mid-1960s quickly eliminated most interest in older singers and her record sales dwindled.

She then kept it red for many years for her performances Brewer re-emerged as a jazz vocalist on Bob Thiele's Amsterdam label in the 1970s and 1980s, recording a number of albums including tribute albums to Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Irving Berlin.

She also recorded with such jazz greats as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Svend Asmussen, and Bobby Hackett.

Memories of Louis, also recorded for Thiele's Red Baron Records, paired her with a different well-known trumpeter on each track, including Clark Terry, Nicholas Payton, Ruby Braff, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Sweets Edison, Lew Soloff, Terence Blanchard, Yank Lawson, Red Rodney, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Brewer married William "Bill" Monahan in 1949; the couple had four daughters, Kathleen, Susan, Megan and Michelle.

For her contribution to the recording industry, Teresa Brewer has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street.

Brewer died of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neuromuscular disease, at her home in New Rochelle, New York, aged 76.

[10] Her funeral was held at New Rochelle's Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where she was a member.

[11] One of Elvis Presley's first public singing experiences in 12th grade was performing a song of Brewer's: "Till I Waltz Again with You".