Phyllis Branch was an American jazz and calypso singer.
Early life and education Phyllis Branch was born in 1920. She lived in Brooklyn, where she studied at a trade school while taking private vocal lessons. In 1943, she enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 1945, she was discharged.
Musical career After having been discharged from the army in 1945, she chose the career of a professional singer.
In early October 1948, she was noted in Billboards review of the Savannah Club, New York, as having a "throaty voice" which was, however, "too vibrato" for her "Babalu" song and a week later was reported to have signed an "exclusive three-year contract" with National Records.
Around 1952, she signed up with a newly-formed Tuxedo record label. Later in the decade, Billboard reviewed some of her single records, judging her performances as "capable", "acceptable" (Tuxedo 882, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" / "Think of Me in Your Spare Time"), "distinctive", "interesting", "mature" (Tuxedo 905, "Experience Unnecessary" / "Do You Remember"). In 1957, the magazine praised her recording of "Calypso Fever" (Tuxedo 919, "Babalu") for its "wild gimmicked quality", concluding that the "smarty made side [...] should get play" and rating its commercial potential as 72 on a scale of 1 to 100. No chart action was reported, though.
She died of cancer at the age of 48 or, according to another source, in her early 50s.
Discography Studio albums''' Towards the end of her life, she released her first and only LP album, This Is Phylissimo'' on the label Tropical Recording.
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