Teddi King

No matter how impressive any aspect of Teddi King's career might have been, it is still hard not to be overwhelmed by the mystique of her first-ever live performance as a singing mermaid in a production of Peter Pan. It was the Tributary Theatre of Boston with which she branched off into performing following graduation from high school. Crowned the winner of a singing competition held under the auspices of Dinah Shore, King docked into a touring revue whose responsibilities included cheering up the military in the lull between the Second World War and the Korean conflict. According to accounts, the vocalist was studious in this period, working on both classical singing technique and jazz piano playing. She performed with several bands, Nat Pierce providing King with a recording debut in conjunction with the Motif label. Beginning in the summer of 1952, King toured and recorded with pianist George Shearing, matching the latter's exquisite accuracy with a sense of pitch well beyond the realm of the average pop vocalist.