Arthur W. Todd, 93; half of singing duo who had a romantic hit in 1958
Arthur William Todd, 93, half of the singing duo Art and Dotty Todd, whose version of the Wayne Shanklin song “Chanson d’Amour (Song of Love)” was a hit in 1958, died of congestive heart failure Oct. 10 at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu.
A native of Baltimore, Todd learned to play banjo and guitar as a boy.
He met his future wife, piano player Doris “Dotty” Dabb, while working at a cabaret in Providence, R.I.
They were married in 1941, and Todd served in an Army entertainment unit during World War II. After the war, they lived in Los Angeles for a time and performed in the lounge circuit throughout the state.
Their big break came in 1958 when their romantic record “Chanson d’Amour” topped the charts across the country.
They made appearances on Ed Sullivan’s television show after two long runs at the Dunes and Sands hotels in Las Vegas.
The song peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top 40 list on April 21, 1958. It remained on the list for 11 weeks.
The Todds moved to Hawaii in 1980 and, for a time, ran a supper club. She died at 87 in 2000.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
