Biography
Born Thomas Charles Bruce on 16 July 1937 in Stepney, London, England, the singer died on 10 July 2006 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. A rock ’n’ roll performer of the 1960s, he possessed a voice that critics likened to an unusual mix of corncrake, steam hammer and gravel polisher. Left without parents at ten, he spent several years as a driver’s mate at Covent Garden’s fruit market in London until his neighbour, actor-turned-songwriter Barry Mason, persuaded him to cut a demo that won a 1960 contract with Norrie Paramor on Columbia Records. His debut single, the Fats Waller standard “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” climbed to number three on the UK chart, while the follow-up, another old favourite called “Broken Doll,” scraped into the Top 40 yet proved his final entry there. Frequently praised or reviled, Bruce faced repeated claims that he copied the Big Bopper; he rejected the charge, insisting he scarcely knew the late performer’s recordings. Fronting his band the Bruisers, he appeared on television shows including Wham!! and on numerous live bills often promoted by Larry Parnes. The distinctive cockney artist, who never professed actual singing ability, also cut sides for Polydor Records in 1965, RCA Records in 1966 and CBS Records in 1969 before joining rock ’n’ roll revival and 1960s nostalgia bills in later years.
Albums
