Buddy Stewart

Buddy Stewart ( * 1922 in Derry (New Hampshire) as Albert James Byrne Jr., † February 1, 1950 in Deming (New Mexico) ) was an American jazz singer.

Life and work

Stewart's parents were dancers, so he joined at the age of eight years in a vaudeville on and sang in a number of formations, including in a duo with his future wife Martha Wayne. As a member of The Snowflakes he appeared in the early 1940s with the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Claude Thornhill.

After serving in the U.S. Army ( March 1942 and 1944) he took in 1945 with Dave Lambert and Gene Krupa Orchestra What's This on the first vocal version of Bop title. Also in the next few years he worked with Lambert; they recorded for the small label Sittin ' In With; Arranger Gerry Mulligan was there. In 1947 he sang in the orchestra of Charlie Ventura ( " Synthesis", " East of Suez ", 1947 Savoy ). As of January 1948, he appeared under his own name, including ls co-leader of a formation with Kai Winding and 1949 with Charlie Barnet's bebop orchestra. In 1948, he took on some songs as a band leader; Stewart and Lambert added with Blossom Dearie, a third voice and two blowers, Bennie Green and Allen Eager added. In February 1949, they were together with Charlie Parker's quintet on the air. Stewart came in 1950 in a car accident when he wants to visit his wife and their child in New Mexico.

After the death of Stewart, as his wife stood penniless, a benefit concert was held on March 24 at New York's Birdland; there were, inter alia, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Ventura, Stan Getz, Tony Scott, Al Cohn, Lester Young, Lennie Tristano, Harry Belafonte, JJ Johnson, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Pettiford on. His sister Beverly later married the saxophonist Stan Getz.

Swell

• Will Friedwald: Swinging Voices of America - A compendium of great voices. Hannibal, St. Andrew - Woerdern, 1992. ISBN 3-85445-075-3