Toni

From the time she was only 12 years old (born in 1937), vocalist Toni Harper had already recorded novelty sides for Columbia Records, cut a platinum record, performed at Carnegie Hall, shared the stage with Cab Calloway, and appeared on TV with Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Milton Berle, and Ed Sullivan. Her career later graduated into maturity with an unexpected recording date from Norman Granz with The Oscar Peterson Trio, the result of which was 'Toni' (Verve Records), the LP presented here. She later moved to RCA Victor where she recoded two further albums, but then, surprisingly, quit the business in 1966 when she was just 29 years old.