Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer, May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs.

 

She first became involved with public performing at age two on Uncle August's local radio show. At age five she started appearing on Major Bowes New York Amateur Hour radio show and also touring the eastern US with one of his troupes until age twelve. During teenage she was again performing on local radio on the Pic And Pat Show. Moving to New York in early 1948 with her aunt she performed in night clubs. In November 1949 she married Bill Monahan of New York at age 18.

That year she started recording for London Records in New York, the first single being When The Train Came In. It was her third solo single that became her first big hit - Music! Music! Music! in early 1950. The Ed Sullivan Show (Toast Of The Town) and others started featuring her regularly, and she filmed six television musical shorts for the Snader telescription series.

1953 brought her only movie role in the western musical Those Redheads From Seattle, on the basis of being voted America's most popular female singer. There were many big hits throughout the 1950s on the Coral label, until 1961 when music changed. She kept recording on the Philips label and others, and performing in major night clubs from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

 

In 1972 she married a second time to Bob Thiele, an established New York record producer, who kept her on wax until the 1990s when he died. They produced jazz, rock, and general pop music. She died in 2007 of a neurological illness. She has left a legacy of many video and audio recordings.