Thursday 16 July 2020

Johnny Brandon born 16 July 1925


Johnny Brandon (16 July 1925 – 26 July 2017) was an English singer and songwriter, popular during the 1950s, as well as a critically praised Off-Broadway composer.

Born John Brandon in Stoke Newington, London, England . he was determined at a very young age to get into showbiz. He started as a tap dancer doing “corny little dance routines.” Brandon moved into 
more advanced dancing under the guidance of his mentor Buddy Bradley. With Bradley’s help and advice he was soon starring in many British theater productions. On the opening night of “Strike a New Note” Brandon received his military calling up papers.

After his tour of duty, which included partaking in the invasion of Normandy, Brandon was transferred to the entertainment division leading to a position as a DJ for the British Forces Network. Upon his return to England, Brandon used his bit of fame from the BFN and his new military contacts and friends to lead to roles in shows and various positions as a writer. In no time Brandon was a full-fledged songwriter. By chance he was urged to record a demo for one of the songs he 
wrote and soon he was getting notability and radio play as a performer. His songs were unique and marketable not only for the lyrics but for his blues and jazz influenced voice and delivery as well.

Still a young man, Brandon became a hit, especially amongst teenage girls. After a show one night, one of his young fans said “Johnny, you don’t sing - you zing,” and so his nickname “The King of Zing” was born. He recorded for a number of labels and for the Gramercy Record Co. he used the name Ricardo Martinelli. His perennial backing group was known as The Phantoms. His early hits included "Tomorrow" and "Don't Worry". He also recorded versions of "Slow Poke" (re-titled as "Slow Coach") and "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine".


                               

Brandon worked with some of the biggest names in show business, including Vera Lynn, Adelaide Hall, Jessie Matthews, Morecambe and Wise and Barbara Windsor in London.By the mid-1950s Brandon was wildly successful in Britain, but he possessed a strong desire to move to the United States. He was 
strongly influenced by American music and American culture. Brandon and his life-long 
partner Robert Richardson packed up and moved to the United States risking the fame he had worked so hard to earn in England.

Brandon soon realized that his fame did not easily transfer across the Atlantic. He was often mis-billed in the U.S. as “The Elvis of the UK,” a title that he found not only incorrect, but also cringe-inducing. With performing being difficult, Brandon turned his attention back to song writing and production.

Much in the same way Brandon seemed to stumble into performing by suggestion, he soon found himself writing musical lyrics and scores. He was pitched the idea of making an updated musical version of Cinderella. This idea at first seemed odd, but in no time Brandon found himself inspired and so his first 
musical, "Cindy,"was created. “Cindy” is a fun, lighthearted take on the classic Cinderella story which opened at the Gate Theater (starring Thelma Oliver and Sylvia Mann) and proved very successful running Off-Broadway for two years. There is currently discussion of staging a new production of Cindy, featuring a few newly penned Brandon songs, in the future.

Brandon continued to write musicals and in 1970 wrote the musical of which he is most proud, “Billy Noname.” It is the story of a successful black man who looks back at his life and the influence of the black empowerment movements on his life. In 1979, he was jointly nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for his work 
on Eubie!. Brandon is also known for his involvement in the musicals Ain't Doin' Nothin' But Singin' My Song (1982) and Oh, Diahne! (1997).

Consistent through all of Brandon’s work was his underlying message of equality and love. Openly gay, Brandon was strongly dedicated to encouraging openness about and acceptance of all people regardless of religion, race, sex and sexual orientation.

Brandon remained active in showbiz over the years through continued song and musical writing, producing and occasionally performing. He also volunteered at the Dewitt Rehabilitation and 
Nursing Center on the Upper East Side hosting sing-a-longs and other activities. He published a semi-annual magazine called the Dewitt Bugle, which covered events at and of interest to Dewitt residents. He released his first solo album, Then and Now, in 2005 and in 2008 his autobiography “One More Step” was published.

To Brandon, New York City, and Greenwich Village in particular, had been a life-long passion. Brandon spent his entire fifty-plus years in the U.S in the Village area. he died in July 2017 at the age of 92.

(Edited from The Villager & Wikipedia)

1 comment:

boppinbob said...

For “Johnny Brandon – Then And Now” go here;

https://www.upload.ee/files/12015945/Johnny_Brandon_1.rar.html

1. Captain Kidd (1951)
2. Slow Coach (1952)
3. Nothing
4. Painting The Clouds With Sunshine
5. What Good Is A Gal
6. One For The Wonder
7. The Glow Worm (1953)
8. Heartless
9. Dreamer's Highway
10. Merci Beaucoup
11. Sing Me Something Soft And Sentimental (1954)
12. Tomorrow
13. High As A Mountain
14. 2-4-6-8
15. Warning
16. Don't Worry (1955)
17.Strike It Lucky
18. Anyone Can Be A Millionaire
19. Love And Kisses
20. Home
21. I'm Burning My Bridges Behind Me Now (Recorded in 2004)
22. Funky People
23. One Day At A Time
24. If It's Love, Don't Knock It
25. White Brother / One More Step

In the early 1950s pre-rock 'n roll days in Britain, multi-talented "King of Zing" Johnny Brandon was the British heart-throb with countless radio, television and personal appearances across the country. In spite of recording scores of singles for virtually all the major British labels there has never been a Johnny Brandon solo album until now. So, here on this CD, Sepia presents 21 Johnny Brandon re-mastered tracks from the 1950s and 4 brand new recordings from today.

Also here’s a home compilation of Brandon’s tracks not on above album. Taken from various sources so quality may vary.

https://www.upload.ee/files/12015951/Johnny_Brandon_2.rar.html


1. I’ll Be hanging Around (1953)
2. Oodles Of Noodles
3. Do You Love me (1956)
4. Glendora
5. I Didn’t Know
6. Lonely Lips
7. Rock A Bye baby
8. Shim Sham Shuffle
9. Mister Songbird
10. Hey Pretty Baby (1957)
11. Rainbow Kisses
12. Winnie She Wait For me
13. New Born Baby (1958)
14. Santa Claus jr. (1959)