Born Reginald Bretagne on 13 August 1926 in Bombay, India, the singer who performed as Tony Brent passed away on 19 June 1993 in Sydney, Australia. After relocating to Britain on Boxing Day 1947, he became a familiar voice on the UK variety circuit throughout the 1950s. A victory in a 1949 talent contest at the Kingston Regal Theatre, where he performed ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, opened doors to engagements alongside Ambrose and with Cyril Stapleton’s BBC Showband. Persistent publicity from both his agent and his label falsely claimed an American origin and prior appearances with Tex Beneke, the former Glenn Miller sideman; neither assertion was true. His first chart placement arrived in 1952 via a cover of Sammy Kaye’s late hit ‘Walkin’ To Missouri’, after which he combined extensive touring with regular television spots. Additional entries that reached the listings before the decade closed comprised ‘Make It Soon’, ‘Got You On My Mind’, ‘Cindy, Oh Cindy’, ‘Dark Moon’, ‘The Clouds Will Soon Roll By’, ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ and ‘Why Should I Be Lonely?’. He also partnered with Billie Anthony for a recording of the similarly named ‘I Get So Lonely’. Two collections of standards appeared under the titles Off Stage and Tony Takes Five, while his EPs included Time For Tony and Tony Calls The Tune. The arrival of beat groups in the 1960s diminished demand for his style, prompting a move into club work. Later he resumed international travel, settling in Australia, where a heart attack claimed his life in 1993.
