1. Teddy Brown first played in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but moved to the field of popular music in the late 1910s.
17 Facts About Teddy Brown
1. 2.
Between 1917 and 1919, Brown played xylophone and marimba with Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra, whose recordings prominently feature his playing.
3.
Teddy Brown was a percussionist for a time with Julius Lenzberg's Riverside Theatre Orchestra, and his later recordings were xylophone solos with Lenzberg's band on Edison Records in 1919 and 1920.
4.
Teddy Brown arrived in London in 1925, with Joseph C Smith and his Orchestra.
5.
Teddy Brown went on to play in other nightclubs both in London and Paris including the Kit Kat Club, often performing as a solo act, or playing xylophone with a piano accompaniment.
6.
In 1927, the UK division of Lee de Forest's Phonofilm made a short film of Teddy Brown playing this instrument.
7.
Teddy Brown was noted for his rotund appearance, approaching 400 pounds in weight, and was often compared to another rotund band leader of the same era, Paul Whiteman.
8.
Teddy Brown was sometimes billed as "The Great Xylophonist", emphasising his physical size.
9.
Besides the xylophone, Teddy Brown played the other percussion instruments very well, in addition to the tenor saxophone.
10.
Teddy Brown whistled melodies while playing percussion, and his act included comic patter.
11.
Teddy Brown's rapid-fire style, performing on fast-paced tunes, was an early influence on percussionist and bandleader Spike Jones, who would launch his own career a decade later.
12.
From 1931 on Teddy Brown played xylophone on the radio, in films and on the variety stage.
13.
Teddy Brown's appearance was dapper but stout, but he was nimble and often danced around the xylophone while playing.
14.
Teddy Brown appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1931.
15.
Teddy Brown was associated with The Crazy Gang, and was often the subject of their jokes.
16.
Teddy Brown was a member of the British Grand Order of Water Rats.
17.
Teddy Brown was King Rat in 1946, although his term was cut short as he died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Birmingham in 1946, at age 45, after appearing in a concert at the Wolverhampton Hippodrome.