Sam Browne

Sam Browne is a British guitarist and singer from the United Kingdom, associated with jazz and 1930s dance band music. He is best known as one of the most widely heard British dance band vocalists of the 1930s, with a career centred on radio, stage, records and film.

Early career and dance bands

Browne is particularly associated with Jack Hylton and with Ambrose and his Orchestra. He works regularly at venues such as the Mayfair Hotel and the Embassy Club, and he makes many recordings with Ambrose from 1930 to 1942. He also becomes well known for duet and variety performances with Elsie Carlisle.

His first recording takes place with the Jack Hylton band in 1928 on the song “That’s My Weakness Now”, issued on HMV. He then records extensively with Hylton over a period of about a year and a half, making more than 100 records, including sessions in Berlin and Milan. He returns to the Hylton studio sessions in 1938 and 1940.

Recording work

Browne first records with Bert Ambrose’s band in 1930 on “A Little Kiss Each Morning” and “Body And Soul”. After Ambrose moves to HMV, Browne records titles including “Moanin For You”, “Cryin For The Carolines”, “A Bench In The Park” and “Leven Thirty Saturday Night”. He also records “Shoo The Hoodoo Away” as a duet with Ella Logan.

His work with Ambrose takes him to places including Monte Carlo and Biarritz, alongside regular radio broadcasts from the Mayfair Hotel. He also becomes a popular partner for Elsie Carlisle in Ambrose’s performances. In total, he makes more than 2,000 recordings, with his voice often used on anonymous vocal refrains for other bands.

Style and later work

Browne is not generally regarded as a jazz singer, but he performs well on several hot dance recordings. He also records with a wide range of bands, including Alfredo on Edison, Bertini on Eclipse, Harry Bidgood on Broadcast, Harry Hudson on Edison, Lew Stone on Decca, and many others. He sings on hot recordings by Jay Wilbur, Six Swingers and other bands as well.

He is known for a confident, warm delivery and a clear, easily recognised voice. He is also considered a strong reader of music, which makes him popular with bandleaders and record buyers.

Film and radio

Browne appears in several British films, including Calling All Stars, Variety Parade and Hi Gang, as well as in numerous film shorts. During the Second World War he works with Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon on the Hi Gang radio series. After the war, he continues to tour and record.

Notable recordings

Among the recordings associated with Browne is “The Sun Has Got His Hat On” from 1932, a comic song that becomes a sizeable hit.