Babs Gonzales
b. Lee Brown Gonzales, 27 October 1919, Newark, New Jersey, USA, d. 23 January 1980. After working as a vocalist with a number of bands, including those led by Charlie Barnet and Lionel Hampton, Gonzales teamed up with Tadd Dameron and Rudy Williams. Their trio, Three Bips And A Bop, was successful in clubs and on record with a Gonzales composition, Oop-Pop-A-Da being sufficiently popular to encourage a later and much more successful recording by Dizzy Gillespie. One of the few vocalists to take comfortably to bebop, Gonzales was also one of the most able of scat singers. He incorporated hip and humorous monologues into his act and was active in promoting jazz. When employment was scarce, he sought work outside music and was once chauffeur to film star Errol Flynn. A frequently surreal performer, Gonzales overcame deficiencies of poor pitch and a rough-edged voice thanks to excellent timing and a good sense of harmony. In the mid-50s he worked with, and also managed, James Moody. Gonzales continued working in the '60s and '70s although he never regained his earlier popularity. He published two volumes of memoirs, in 1967 and 1975, and died in 1980.