Biography

Humphrey "Teddy" Brannon (September 27, 1916, Moultrie, Georgia - February 24, 1989, Newark, New Jersey) was an American jazz and blues pianist. Brannon began on piano at age nine. He played in dance bands in high school and worked locally in nightclubs in Newark from 1937-42. From 1942 to 1945 he was a member of Benny Carter's ensemble, after which time he freelanced on 52nd Street in New York City. In the 1950s and 1960s Brannon worked in the studios with doo wop groups and played extensively in jazz idioms, including with Don Byas, Roy Eldridge, Buddy Rich, Bennie Green, Johnny Hodges, and Illinois Jacquet. He also accompanied singers such as Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, Billie Holiday, and Babs Gonzales, the last of which was Brannon's cousin.