George Tunnell

George "Bon Bon" Tunnell (June 29, 1912[1] – May 20, 1975)[2] was an American jazz vocalist.

George Tunnell, c. 1945

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States,[3] he was one of the first African American vocalists to perform with a white band, that of Jan Savitt and his band,[4] The Top Hatters. In the early 1930s, Tunnell fronted a vocal quartet, the Three Keys.[5] They had a hit with "Fit as a Fiddle".[5] Tunnell then joined Jan Savitt's Band and recorded a number of tracks with them including "Moonlight Masquerade", "The Gypsy in My Soul", "A Kiss for Consolation", plus their two best selling numbers, "Hi-Yo Silver" and "Make Believe Island".[5] Tunnell left Savitt in 1941 and recorded solo tracks including "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Blow, Gabriel Blow" and "Most Emphatically, Yes!"[5] He joined Spirits of Rhythm jazz ensemble briefly before, in the 1950s, spending some time fronting the Tommy Reynolds Band.[5] After that time, Tunnell's career ground to a halt and he returned to live in Pennsylvania.[2]

He died in May 1975, in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, at the age of 62.[3]