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Martha Tilton was born November 14, 1915 in Corpus Christi, Texas however, her family moved to Edna, Kansas when she was three months old. They relocated to Los Angeles, California when she was seven years old. While attending Fairfax High School she was singing on a small radio station when she was heard by an agent who signed her and began booking her with larger stations.

Dropping out of school in the eleventh grade she joined Hal Grayson’s band. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman’s radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in 1937. She continued to appear as Goodman’s star vocalist until the end of 1939 and had a No. 1 hit with the Goodman recording of And the Angels Sing.

Her major success happened from 1942 to 1949 as one of the first artists to record for Capitol Records. Her first recording for the label was Moon Dreams with Orchestra and The Mellowaires. Among her biggest hits as a solo artist were I’ll Walk Alone, I Should Care, A Stranger in Town, How Are Things in Glocca Morra, That’s My Desire, and I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder. 

After she left Capitol, she recorded for other labels, including Coral and Tops. Martha sang on Fibber McGee and Molly and starred on Campana Serenade, a program of popular music on first NBC and then CBS in 1942–1944. She would go to sing and appear on further radio and television shows into the Fifties. She also appeared in several films from 1941 to 1975 including the Benny Goodman Story. Her singing voice was used for other actresses including Barbara Stanwyck, Martha O’Driscoll, and Anne Gwynne.

On December 8, 2006 vocalist Martha Tilton, who appeared in several Soundies musical films of the 1940s, passed away of natural causes at her Brentwood home.

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