Teddy Brown

Teddy Brown, born Abraham Himmelbrand on 25 May 1900, was an American entertainer and musician who died on 29 April 1946 at age 45. Though he began his career in the United States, Brown spent the latter portion of his life performing in Britain, where he became widely known as a xylophone virtuoso and variety entertainer.

Brown's early musical life placed him in serious orchestral settings, including a period with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, before he transitioned into popular music in the late 1910s. From 1917 to 1919, he performed xylophone and marimba with Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra, whose recordings feature his playing prominently. At one performance with that ensemble at the Brunswick Hotel in Lancaster, New York, Brown was introduced as the leading marimba soloist in the world and performed four-mallet arrangements on a Deagan Marimba-Xylophone No. 4726, backed by an eighteen-piece band. That performance made a lasting impression on xylophonist Clair Omar Musser (1901–1998), who subsequently studied the marimba with Brown's former teacher and went on to become a marimba virtuoso. Brown also served as a percussionist with Julius Lenzberg's Riverside Theatre Orchestra and recorded xylophone solos with Lenzberg's band on Edison Records in 1919 and 1920.

In 1925, Brown arrived in London with Joseph C. Smith and his Orchestra. The following year he formed his own orchestra and performed at the Café de Paris. He went on to appear at other nightclubs in both London and Paris, including the Kit Kat Club, frequently as a solo act or accompanied by piano. The custom-made Besson xylophone he used had a five-octave range, one octave beyond the standard instrument, and he also played a six-octave instrument. In 1927, the UK division of Lee de Forest's Phonofilm produced a short film of Brown performing on the instrument.

Brown's 1930 appearance in the feature-length film Elstree Calling, co-directed by Alfred Hitchcock, brought him further prominence. The musical variety film was produced as a British counterpart to Paul Whiteman's King of Jazz, released the same year, and both films included early color sequences. Brown appeared in the film multiple times, with his third appearance drawing particular attention for his technical precision, including passages played with one hand at a time, behind his back, and a continuous run of notes across the full length of the instrument while rotating his body 360 degrees. He achieved this by alternating between his right and left hands during the spin.

From 1931 onward, Brown performed on radio, in films, and on the variety stage. He appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1931 and was associated with The Crazy Gang, frequently serving as the subject of their comedy. In addition to the xylophone, Brown played other percussion instruments and the tenor saxophone, and his stage act incorporated whistling melodies while playing percussion as well as comic patter. His rapid-fire percussive style on fast-paced material was an early influence on percussionist and bandleader Spike Jones. Brown was noted for his rotund appearance, weighing close to 400 pounds, and was sometimes billed as "The Great Xylophonist," a billing that played on his physical size. He was frequently compared to Paul Whiteman, another large bandleader of the same period. Despite his stature, Brown was nimble and often danced around the xylophone during performances.

Brown's Broadway credit came in 1934, when he appeared in the play Dance With Your Gods. His film work during that same period included On the Air and København, Kalundborg og—?, both from 1934, in addition to earlier and later productions including The Indiscretions of Eve (1932), Variety Parade (1936), and Convict 99 (1938), in which he played the role of Slim Charlie.

Brown was a member of the British Grand Order of Water Rats and was named King Rat in 1946. His term was cut short when he died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Birmingham following a concert at the Wolverhampton Hippodrome.