Kay Brown

 

Dolores Kay Brown was born on July 2, 1933 in Peoria, Illinois to Luther and Viola Brown. As a child, she discovered her passion for the performing arts when she enrolled in gymnastics. Her teacher recommended that she study music after hearing her sing. She moved to Hollywood as a teenager, and began singing for various radio shows. She landed a walk-on role in Driftwood (1947) as Bobby Soxer. The film was a modest success, and it allowed Kay to begin building her resume. In 1950, the 16_year-old high school songstress was inked to a Mercury recording pact by Harry Geller, artist-repertoire chief. Geller inked a pact with George Jay, Miss Brown's manager.

She issued 9 singles on Mercury in 1950 and  1951. In 1952, she joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra for a very short time (6 months). She said "I was not advancing her career by singing with the band.". Stan Kenton didn't like her voice and she was featured on only one side of his Capitol recordings (Lonesome Train). After three singles on Crown Records and one on Sunset Records, her career cooled, she signed with Decca Records (1956) and MGM/Metro Records (1958). Other than the occasional gig, she wasn’t offered anything further. After two additional -and failed- marriages, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she met Brent Lyon Wood. They fell in love and married on March 10, 1972. They made their home in nearby Lund, Nevada. She was active at her local church, and her hobbies included knitting and gardening.

 

 tracklist

1 - A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz- Mercury 5427
2 - Teasin' - Mercury 5427
3 - Thanks For The Buggy Ride - Mercury 5430
4 - Cotton Candy And A Toy Balloon - Mercury 5430
5 - Can't We Talk It Over - Mercury 5479
6 - Friendly Star - Mercury 5479
7 - Oh Babe - Mercury 5538
8 - Baby Me - Mercury 5538
9 - Little Rock Getaway - Mercury 5600
10 - My Love And My Mule - Mercury 5600
11 - Bird N' Butterflies - Mercury 5696
12 - Flash In The Pan - Mercury 5696
13 - Cheatin' On Me - Mercury 5710
14 - A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Mercury 5710
15 - And So I Waited Around - Mercury 5819
16 - Homing Pigeon - Mercury 5819
17 - Roses All The Way - Mercury 5863
18 - Wow - Mercury 5863
19 - Lonesome Train - Capitol 2250
20 - Oop-Shoop- Crown 127
21 - Love Me - Crown 127
22 - Song And Dance - Crown 148
23 - The Teen-Age Hop – Decca 29932
 

Kay Brown