Martha Tilton
Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of "And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. Her family moved to Edna, Kansas, when she was three months old. They relocated to Los Angeles when she was seven years old. While attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, she was singing on a small radio station when she was heard by an agent who signed her and began booking her with larger stations. She then dropped out of school in the eleventh grade to join Hal Grayson's band. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman's radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in August 1937. She was with Goodman in January 1938, when the band performed at Carnegie Hall. She continued to appear as Goodman's star vocalist until the end of 1939. She had a No. 1 hit with Benny Goodman's recording of "And the Angels Sing" in 1939. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Corpus Christi (city and county seat of Nueces County, Texas, United States), Died December 8, 2006 (Brentwood (affluent neighborhood in the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 101-104 of 104 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | L 6664 | 2/21/1952 | What can I do?-1 | Curt Massey ; Martha Tilton | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 6675 | 3/5/1952 | There's a cloud in my valley of sunshine | Tiltons, The | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 6676 | 3/5/1952 | Am I in love | Tiltons, The | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 6798 | 6/2/1952 | Few and far between | Les Brown and his Band of Renown | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tilton, Martha," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102272.
Tilton, Martha. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102272.
"Tilton, Martha." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Martha Tilton
Discogs: Martha Tilton
Allmusic: Martha Tilton
IMDb: Martha Tilton
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Tilton, Martha - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78098253
Wikidata: Martha Tilton - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q276227
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/69120001
MusicBrainz: Martha Tilton - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/96ff3aa9-1b55-4fb2-8fd5-30f95bb3bc5a
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1438848 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1438848
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