Martha Tilton was a popular vocalist during the Big Band Era and is frequently associated with Benny Goodman even though she had a very successful solo career. Nicknamed "The Liltin' Miss Tilton", Martha is best known for her 1939 recording of "And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra.
Audio of "And The Angels Sing" - Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton on Vocals
Martha dropped out of high school to join Hal Grayson's band while still a teen. She later joined the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, before being hired by Benny Goodman to sing with his band in August 1937. She was with Goodman in January 1938, when the band performed their famous "Carnegie Hall Concert". In my opinion, her version of "Loch Lomond" was a major highlight of that fantastic concert performance. She continued to appear as Goodman's star vocalist until the end of 1939.
After her departure from Goodman's band, Tilton found major success as a solo artist and was one of the first artists to record for Capitol Records. Her first recording for Capitol was "Moon Dreams", composed by Johnny Mercer and Glenn Miller pianist Chummy MacGregor in 1942. .
Martha Tilton's biggest hits as a solo artist were "I'll Walk Alone", "I Should Care" and "A Stranger in Town," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" and "That's My Desire" After she left Capitol, Tilton recorded for other labels, including Coral and Tops. She never achieved the same level of success with those label but that was largely due to the changing landscape of popular music at that time.
Tilton also appeared in a handful of films over the years. She passed away in 2006 at the age of 91.
You can hear Martha Tilton's beautiful voice on many Goodman songs and solo material played right here on Swing City Radio.
Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.
