Kay Brown had that rare gift of being talented, beautiful, and likable. She had a wholesome image that was perfect for audiences. Dolores Kay Brown was born on July 2, 1933 in Peoria, Illinois to Luther and Viola Brown. As a child, she discovered her passion for the performing arts when she enrolled in gymnastics. Her teacher recommended that she study music after hearing her sing. She moved to Hollywood as a teenager, and began singing for various radio shows. She landed a walk-on role in Driftwood (1947) as Bobby Soxer. The film was a modest success, and it allowed Kay to begin building her resume.
She recorded numerous singles including Friendly Star, Can't We Talk it Over, Oh Babe, Baby Me, and Hold on to Your Heart. A lot of her music was jazz and pop with teenagers being the target audience. As a new decade approached, she was signed by Mercury Records and was given a recurring role on Dixie Showboat. The 1950's seemed promising especially after a representative at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw her perform onstage and offered her a contract. It was like walking into a dream. Although she starred in several films, Kay is remembered for her high-profile role on The Strip (1951) where she sang A Kiss to Build a Dream On alongside Mickey Rooney. Although she wasn't a trained actress, she was convincing in her role as Edna who's attracted to Mickey' Rooney's character -a drummer who is pursued by the mafia- Stanley.
Although the film is somewhat forgotten by contemporary audiences, it was nominated for an Academy Award for A Kiss to Build a Dream On. As the popularity of musicals declined, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer canceled her contract. Kay was optimistic though, and continued auditioning for roles in films while doing recordings to stay relevant. After filming concluded, she married Maynard Ferguson. Maynard was a well-known bandleader performed with Stan Kenton for years before forming his own band. They had a turbulent marriage, and would divorce two years later. On July 15, 1952, she announced that she was joining Stan Kenton's orchestra -at the urging of her husband- as their featured vocalist. She traveled the United States of America performing at various nightclubs. She got tired though, and she didn't like the shady characters at a lot of these venues either.
Although she recorded several records with the group, she left them a year later saying that "I was not advancing my career with the band." She had fond memories of the group, saying in an interview with Escapade that "Stan was a real great guy to work for. We always called him the Great White Father. He's a sincere, hard-working perfectionist, and I learned a lot from him." She did record the critically-acclaimed Oop Shoop though shortly before parting ways with the band. She tried to revive her film career, appearing in The Cruel Tower (1956) and Riddles in Rhythm (1956) while being a frequent guest on The Bob Crosby Show and The Jack Carson Show. It's worth noting that Bob Crosby was fond of her, praising her renditions of Love Me or Leave Me Alone and Tweedly Dee.
As her career cooled, she signed with Decca Records and Metro Records. Other than the occasional gig, she wasn't offered anything further. After two additional -and failed- marriages, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she met Brent Lyon Wood. They fell in love and married on March 10, 1972. They made their home in nearby Lund, Nevada. She was active at her local church, and her hobbies included knitting and gardening.
Kay Brown passed away on January 2, 2022 at the age of 88 in Lund, Nevada. She was survived by her sister and two loving stepchildren. Kay had an exciting life that you'd only read about in fiction. Although her career in Hollywood was fascinating, it was only a brief period in her life. She was so much more than an actress and singer. She was a loyal wife, a loving stepmother, a devoted friend, and a good person.
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