An Old Sombrero (Lew Brown-Ray Henderson) Phil Brito with Ted Dale & Orchestra.

Musicraft label record # 531 (5962) Date 1947

Phil Brito (1915–2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was popular from the 1940s into the early 1960s. Known for his smooth voice, he performed on radio, on television, in films, and in nightclubs. 


Early career

Early days: Brito, whose birth name was Philip Colombrito, began his career singing with the dance orchestras of Jan Savitt and Lloyd Huntley.

Chart success: He had two charting records in the U.S. in 1944: "You Belong to My Heart" (#17) and "I Don't Want to Love You (Like I Do)" (#14).

Big band era: In the early 1940s, he also served as a vocalist for the Al Donahue orchestra. 

Later career and work

Recordings: Brito recorded for several labels, including Musicraft and V-Disc, and released albums of Italian-American songs.

Songwriting: He joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1960. His songwriting credits include "Mama" and "I Could Swear It Was You".

Appearances: His versatile career included appearances in films and on stage. His song, "Sooner or Later," was featured in the 1946 Disney film Song of the South. 

Legacy
Despite his passing in 2005, Brito's music can still be found on various online music platforms and on vinyl records. His career, which spanned many decades, earned him a place in the history of American popular music. 


TED DALE

Ted Dale was an American composer, arranger, and conductor who led an orchestra and worked as a musical director for radio

. He was active during the 1940s and 1950s and collaborated with many popular singers of the era. 

Radio career

In 1949, Dale became the musical director for NBC Radio's The Melody Hour, a 30-minute musical program. The show was a retitled version of the Carnation Contented Hour, a popular program from World War II. Dale served as the director until the show moved to CBS later that year, where it ran until 1951. 

Notable collaborations

Ted Dale and His Orchestra were known for backing and recording with several famous singers. 

Sarah Vaughan: Dale's orchestra recorded with the jazz legend on several tracks in the 1940s, including "Trouble Is a Man," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "The Lord's Prayer".

Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark: The orchestra famously performed on the 1949 recording of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," featuring Shore and Clark.

Buddy Clark: In addition to the duet with Shore, the orchestra backed Clark on the 1949 hit "A Dreamer's Holiday".

Vic Damone: Dale worked with Damone on albums and compilations in the late 1950s, such as Music For Going Steady and Complete Dance Party. 

Orchestral recordings

In addition to his radio and vocal accompaniment work, Ted Dale conducted for various recording projects. 

Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra: He conducted for the studio orchestra on the 1959 album The World's Ten Greatest Popular Piano Concertos, which featured pianist George Greeley.

RCA Victor Orchestra: Dale conducted for the RCA Victor Orchestra and Chorus on the 1951 album Stephen Foster In Song And Story.