Teddy Walters
Quick Facts
Biography
Teddy Walters (20 August 1920 - 19 April 1958) was an American musician singer, guitarist, and composer in the swing era. His singing is stylistically based on that of Dick Haymes'. In his career, he was involved in 53 recording sessions between 1942 and 1947.
Early life
Teddy Walters was born as Walter Theodore Viniello on August 20, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Danny Alvin, was a drummer.
Walters began his music career as a guitarist in the bands of Ray Noble and Raymond Scott. In May 1942, he joined Charlie Ventura's Orchestra, and shortly after, in October, he joined the drummer Gene Krupa and His Orchestra and recorded That Drummer's Band under Columbia records. This was period directly after Krupa left the Benny Goodman Orchestra and formed his own big band that included tenor saxophonist Charlie Ventura, and used arrangements from a young baritone saxophonist named Gerry Mulligan.
When Krupa's orchestra was disbanded in early 1943, Walters recorded with Billie Holiday. In the following years, he worked with many acclaimed jazz musicians including Les Brown (1943), Tommy Dorsey, the Cozy Cole All Stars (1944), Eddie Heywood/Billie Holiday ("How Am I to Know?", 1944) and Sonny Greer.
When Tommy Dorsey realized Walters could sing as well and sounded very much like Frank Sinatra, he featured him as a male vocalist, causing a sensation. Dorsey offered Walters a five-year contract but insisted on a cut of all future earnings should Walters decide to go solo. Instead, Walters made a few more small combo recordings with Sonny Greer and Cozy Cole, then joined Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra on guitar and vocals in June 1944, again to great public acclaim. With Jimmy Dorsey, Walters was heard on such tracks as "This I Love Above All", "Twilight Time" or "Moon On My Pillow" (Decca 1944).
In October 1945, Walters did enter on a solo career as a vocalist, signing first with ARA, then with Musicraft. In 1946, accompanied by the Manny Klein Orchestra, he performed several singles under his own name, mostly romantic ballads such as "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)" and "You I Love" (ARA); "Adventure" (Musicraft); and "Only Heaven Knows", "You Can Call It Madness" and "Why Don't We Say We're Sorry" (with Sonny Burke Orchestra). His cover of "Laughing on the Outside," which was originally published by composer Bernie Wayne and lyricist Ben Raleigh, reached the Top Ten, but his later works didn't yield much success. In 1946, he was a member of The Mel-Tones vocal group, with Mel Tormé with Artie Shaw.
By the late 1940s/early 1950s, Walters' career had faded and he returned to Philadelphia where he retired and died a few years later, on 19 April 1958, of cirrhosis.