In 1927 he co-led the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans on a record that was popular among Chicagons and others. In 1929, after organizing some other recording sessions, Condon switched cities and instruments. He moved to New York, and began playing the guitar. In New York, he worked with both Red McKenzie's Mound City Blue Blowers and with Red Nichol's and His Five Pennies. He appeared on one record (1929) with Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom 5.

In New York (ca. 1930), fellow Chicagoan Joe Marsala had a band that played at John Popkin's Hickory House on 52nd Street in New York for nearly ten years. (The same venue that featured a young Marian McPartland on solo piano for awhile.) Condon became Marsala's guitar player, and, between sets, spent a a good deal of time at the bar drinking.

Between 1937 and 1944, he worked nightly at a famous New York Jazz club - Nick's - in New York 's Greenwich Village section. (Where this writer often caught the band.) The club was owned by Nick Rongetti. Musicians who played at Nick's often did their drinking across the street at Julius's bar (because Nick charged more for a drink than Julius did.) It may be said that Condon's "big break" came in 1938 when he led a group on some recording sessions for Milt Gabler's Commodore Label. These recording made Eddie a New York icon.

From 1944 to 1945, Condon was involved in a series of weekly broadcasts (and recordings) from New York's Town Hall (a theatehttp://www.nfo.net/usa/auditorium). In 1945, Condon and Pete Pesci - manager of Julius's Bar - came up with a plan to open a jointly owned Club and this became the first "Eddie Condon's" (on West 3rd Street - Greenwich Village area). Eddie had excellent qualifications for a nightclub operator, - he was a sociable man who could hold his liquor, and was a very fine musician with many musician friends who could come in and help out. Eddie and the other bandsmen referred to Pesci as "Ivan The Terrible" --probably because it was Pesci who controlled the purse strings. (Eddie's rest room attendant was known as "Flash Gordon" - Condon gave such monikers to all his friends.)

Condon loved what he called "our particular brand of Jazz", by which he meant 'Dixieland Jazz' with a strong rhythmic beat. His groups never used tubas or banjos and this was curious because Eddie's very first instrument was the Banjo. Sidemen that were often heard with him included Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, Gene Schroeder on piano, Big Sid "Rim Shots" Catlett on drums, as well as Muggsy Spanier or Bobby Hackett or Wild Bill Davison on trumpets.

In 1947, H.Holt Company published his biography"We Called It Music: A Generation of Jazz". In the 1950s, he recorded for the Columbia label.

In 1961, the club lost the 3rd Street lease to New York University. Condon and Pesci then relocated to the posh Hotel Sutton on East 56th. Street, where the club continued until 1967. Referring to his clubs, Condon once said that his policy was, "We don't throw anybody in, and we don't throw anybody out".

Eddie was a good organizer. His groups may be heard today on 'Commodore Records' CD called 'The Commodore Story' which includes such artists as Billie Holliday, and others. Eddie passed away at age 68, in 1973, and in that same year, The St. Martin's Press published his last book, -'The Eddie Condon Scrapbook Of Jazz'.

  [ Ray Conniff Chorus and Orch. ]
b. November 6, 1916, Attleboro, MA, USA. d. Oct. 12, 2002, Escondido, CA, USA
Overview
Ray is best recalled today as the man who popularized wordless vocal choruses integrated into a light orchestral score. Conniff's status as one of the all-time top LP sellers has been cemented by his 12 'Top Ten' LPs which have sold well over 50 million albums. Over the years, such well known New York studio-men as Bob Ralston on piano, Conrad Gozzo and Dick Cathcart on trumpets, guitarists Al Caiola, Tony Mottola, and Howard Roberts, were heard playing with Conniff led groups. Interestingly, Ray Conniff, who played trombone and wrote his own arrangements, also used arranger Bob Ballard. Gene Merlino was his vocal leader and contractor.

Ray came from a very musical home. His father played trombone in a local band, while his mother was a pianist. Conniff was still in High School when he began leading a local band. After graduation, he joined 'Dan Murphy's Musical Skippers' (in Boston), where he played trombone, did some arranging, and acted as the band's "official" Bus driver. In the mid-1930s, Swing came to America and the world, and Conniff came to New York City.

He worked with various small groups for a couple of years, but in 1937, joined Bunny Berigan as a trombonist/arranger. Two years later, he became one of the "Bobcats" with the Bob Crosby band remaining for one year before joining the Artie Shaw aggregation, which was followed by a stint with Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orchestra. About this time, Ray took a Mail Order correspondence course in arranging. But his arranging was interrupted in 1942 by WW2 when Ray joined the U.S. Army, where he worked as an arranger in Hollywood for the Armed Forced Radio Network. After his discharge, he resumed his career with some rather unproductive years in Hollywood as a studio musician and was also briefly with the Harry James band as trombonist/arranger.

But, in the late 1940s, the "rebop" craze was in full fashion, and Ray, in common with so many other good musicians basically left the busness, --disgusted by such a low level of music. During this time, he devoted himself to studying music theory and conducting. In 1951, Ray departed Hollywood and returned to New York City where Mitch Miller and Columbia Records hired him as a staff arranger for their vocal groups. He worked away at that for about 4 years.

Conniff's "big break" came when (in 1955) he had the good fortune to put together an arrangement for Don Cherry (the vocalist not the trumpeter) recording "Band Of Gold" -which promptly became a 'Top Five' hit release. Conniff followed that success with a couple of big 1956-7 'Number One' hits; Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" and "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis. He also had more 'Top Five' hits with Johnnie Ray's "Just Walking in the Rain", Frankie Laine's "Moonlight Gambler" and Marty Robbins singing "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation").

With such success behind him, Columbia agreed to let him record some instrumentals, starting with the 1956 hit "S'Wonderful", which went on to spend a year in the Top 40 album charts. Conniff now began using 'Wordless' vocals as part of his instrumentation. (This technique is commonly referred to as "Vocalise".) He would arranged parts for a vocal chorus just as he did with the instrumentalists. "'S Wonderful" might perhaps be defined as a sort of Adult 'background' instrumental music with human voices. During the rest of the late '50s, four Ray Conniff albums reached the 'Top Ten' including the gold-certified "'S Marvelous" and "Concert in Rhythm".

In the ensuing 20 years, Ray went on to arrange and to record dozens of tunes for Columbia, in what became his trademark style; - using an orchestra that often included such unlikely instrumentation as Harp; Ukulele; Tuba; Piccolo; Organ and (very often) latin percussion - in conjunction with the wordless -"vocalise" - chorus. (That chorus could range anywhere from 5 to 25 singers --usually half men and half women, who did on occasion sing some lyrics too).

In the mid-1960s, Conniff's style was again adversely impacted by the rise of Rock and Roll. Still, in the late 60s, he introduced some Bert Bacharach and Hal David songs into his repertoire, and stars such as The Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, The Fifth Dimension and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross have all benefited from his arrangements.

Many feel that much of Conniff's work came to define the "Muzak-y" or "Elevator" music feel of the 1960-70s, but this may not be an accurate assessment of his work. Ray Conniff is currently (mid-2000) in semi-retirement. What is patently clear is that his many hit albums have brought much happiness to millions of listeners.

  Don Costa
b. June 10, 1925, Boston, MA, USA. d. Jan. 19, 1983, New York, NY, USA.
Overview
Costa is probably best remembered for his vocal arrangements for the singing team of Edyie Gorme and Steve Lawrence. Less known is the fact that he and Bucky Pizzarelli played the dual guitars on "Ghost Riders In The Sky", -bandleader Vaughn Monroe's big hit record. Costa started his career playing in the theaters of his home town of Boston. He worked the 'studios' when he moved to New York. His big break came when he was asked to provide a vocal score for the Gorme and Lawrence Coral Records releases. When that team moved over to ABC-Paramount, Costa went with them, becoming a house arranger and ABC's top A&R man. It was in the latter capacity that Costa helped the career of a young Canadian singer, Paul Anka.

In 1959, Costa again moved when Gorme and hubby Lawrence went over to the new United Artists label. At UA, he began to release some albums under his own name. His Million selling release of "Never On Sunday" was probably the most successful of all the covers of that theme song from the picture of the same name, starring Greek actress Melina Mercouri, and American Jules Dassin. There are some great Billy Byers quotes regarding Don Costa. Due to Costa's 'dense' arrangements, Byer's referred to him as "the Puccini of pop" while noting that Costa's arrangements were "seething with melody." Other's have pointed out Costa's unique use of the chorus on his "Echoing Voices and Trombones" release.

In the early 1960s, Costa formed Don Costa Productions. He developed such acts as Trini Lopez and Little Anthony and the Imperials. Something else happened too. Frank Sinatra lured him away from Lawrene and Gorme. He became Sinatra's main arranger. Costa had a keen mind for what 'worked' commercially. One of the songs that he worked up for Sinatra was "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (Meanest, Baddest Man in Town)". Costa stayed with Sinatra until the early 1980's, when Costa became ill with Heart Disease.

Among Costa's other credits are several film scores, including "Madigan" and "Rough Night in Jerico". About one year before his death, he released the single "Out Here on My Own" on which his 10-year-old daughter, Nikka, sang. It sold over 3 million copies. Costa was working on a follow-up when he died.

Among his Recordings are:
101 Strings Play Million Seller Hits of 1966, Alshire S-5050
101 Strings, Swingin' Things, Alshire S-5055
Echoing Voices and Trombones, United Artists WWS 8501
Hits! Hits! Hits!, Columbia CL2041
Hollywood Premiere, Columbia CL1880
I Walk the Line, United Artists
Music to Break a Sub-lease, ABC-Paramount ABC-212
Never On Sunday, United Artists
The Golden Touch, United Artists DCL 3802
The Sound of the Million Sellers, United Artists WWS 8513
Theme from "The Unforgiven," United Artists

  [ Francis Craig Orch. ]
b. Sept.10, 1900 Dickson, TN, USA. d. 1966 Sewamee. TN, USA.
Theme, early-on: "Red Rose"
Theme, later-on: "Near You" (his own composition).
Recording Affiliations: Decca; Columbia; Bullet, and MGM
Overview
Craig started first band during the mid-1920's, in Nashville, TN., and, playing at the Hermitage in Nashville,TE for many years, his band was a radio fixture without ever having a hit record. Throughout the South and Midwest, he was a very popular bandleader. Over time, his sidemen included such musicians as Powell Adams; Cecil Bailey; Ken Binford; Malcolm Crain; Phil Harris; Herb Hill; James Melton; Ray McNeary; Clarence Morrison; Newton Richards; Kenny Sargent; and George Thomas. A fine pianist himself, Francis fronted a band which featured good dance music and good vocalists such as Kenny Sargent and James Melton, who had worked with the band in the late 1920's.

In 1947, Craig finally attained national prominence when his own song "Near You" (with lyric by Kermit Goelle) became a huge hit (No.1 on the charts for 17 weeks). He followed that up the next year with "I Beg Your Pardon" which did almost as well (No.3 on the charts). Both records featured Bob Lamm's vocals and Craig's piano lead. (Bullet Records)

Other songs that Craig composed are: "Tennesee Tango"; "A Broken Heart Must Cry"; "Foolin'", and "Do Me A Favor". Remaining active in the music business into the 1960's, Craig died in 1966 at the age of 66.

  [ Jack Crawford Orch. ]
Theme Early-On: "Larger"
Theme Later-On: "Dance 'til Three"
Tag Line: The Clown Prince of Jazz
Recording Affiliation: Gennett and Victor.
Overview
Here's an autographed photo (Source: Joe Sanders Collection of the Kansas City Public Library) of Jack Crawford, that reads " Jack Crawford The old Clown Prince "extends his right hand to the old left hander in sincere admiration". Not only did Jack Crawford look like Paul Whiteman, he tried everything he could think of to be associated with the Whiteman success. Even Crawford's tagline (The Clown Prince of Jazz) was simular to Whiteman's (The King of Jazz). However, the Crawford style was unique! He was a showman and dubbed the "clown" due to his funny songs and vaudiville like acting in front of the band. Crawford worked in the larger ballrooms almost from the formation of the Band in 1927 (in the midwest). Before the end of the band's first year, Crawford was on radio, and playing in a coast to coast tour. The band had a string of sellout performances just before World War II. After the war, he formed combos and worked mainly for cocktail lounges and supper clubs.

Jack started his first band in the late 20's, in the Mid-West. Sidemen included Bob Huffl; Jerry Miller; Ted Willis; Joe Snyder; Carroll Willis; Harry Sosnick; Joe Bucher; Earl Center; Paul McKnight and Manny Stein.

While Crawford's tag line of "The Clown Prince of Jazz" was given to him because of his antics in front of the band, nonetheless, in addition to being a comedian, he was an accomplished musician playing all the saxophones. He was one of the few exponents of the C Melody Sax, an instrument usually disdained by professionals.

From his start as a leader in the late twenties, Crawford became a big Midwest favorite by the mid-30's, with a band which usually did not exceed ten musicians and a vocalist. Consistent air time from Midwest locations built his reputatuuion sufficiently to permit his agency (Fredericks Brothers) to set up tours which took him coast-to-coast. During the World War II years (ca. 1942) he dropped the big band and formed a cocktail lounge combo of four musicians.

He once commented on his size saying that his theme song "Larger" was not based on his weight, "after all, we know I am not the largest band leader, Tiny Hill has got to be 2 or three pounds more than my weight!". Indeed the Clown Prince of Jazz!

  [ Crescent City Joymakers ]
A New Orleans Orch. that was playing in the late teens to 20's. The leader was Percy Humphrey, Trumpet. Born: 13 Jan. 1905. Died: 21 July, 1995. His brothers were also musicians. Willie Humphrey (clarinet) lived from 1900 to 1994, while Earl Humphrey (trombone) lived from 1902 to 1971.
In addition to the Crescent City Joymankers, Percy Humphrey also had an orchestra called the "Eureka Brass Band". In his declining years, Percy played at the Preservation Hall and Palm Court Cafe in New Orleans, LA.

  [ Bob Crosby and the Bobcats ]
b. Aug. 23, 1913, Spokane, WA, USA. d. March 9, 1993
Theme Song: "Summertime"
The band was formed after Ben Pollack's band was stranded in New York City when Ben Pollack decided he wanted out.

After going their separate ways, they re- assembled in NYC in 1934 with Ben Pollack's right hand man, Gil Rodin (sax) as leader.

Bob, Bing Crosby's younger brother, was chosen as the 'front man' for the Bobcats. The Orchestra was a corporation owned by Gil Rodin (1st chair sax), Rockwell-O'Keefe Booking Agency and Bob Crosby. It was Corky O'Keefe who suggested Bob Crosby when Gil Rodin decided that he wasn't cut out to be a front man. But, it was Gil who still "called the shots" from his sax chair.
Mainly a large Dixieland band, and a very good one.

They played as the Red Nichols Band for the "Kellogg's College" radio show and also as "Clark Randall and his Orch." Randall was the stage name of their wealthy Alabamian male singer, Frank Tennil.

Band originally included Ray Beauduc, drums and Bob Haggart, bass. Also, Yank Lawson, Trumpet; Nappy Lamaire, guit ar; Eddie Miller, sax; and Deane Kincaide, sax and arranger. Here's a great picture of Paul Whiteman and Bob Crosby , showing pianist Bob Zurke, (who later had a band of his own) and a few fellow musicians. L-R: Bob Zurke, Bob Haggart, Eddie Miller, Ray Bauduc, Paul Whiteman and Bob Crosby.

At times, the band had Billy Butterfield (trumpet), Charlie Spivak, trumpet; Ward Silloway ('bone) and Jess Stacy on piano. Followed by Joe Sullivan followed by Bob Zurke. In due course, the band acquired Helen Ward (BG's singer) and Johnny Mercer. Folllowed by Zeke Zarchy; Sonny Dunham; Shorty Sherock; Billy Graham; Sterling Boze; Bob Peck; Eddie Wade; Mugsy Spanier; Jimmy Mundy; Paul Weston; Ray Coniff; Henry Mancini; Nelson Riddle and Paul Weston. And singers such as: the Bob-o-Links; Doris Day; Gloria DeHaven and Kay Starr.

Ray Beauduc (drums) and Bob Haggart (bass) produced a hit song all by themselves - "Big Noise from Winetka".

  [ Xavier Cugat Orch. ]
b. Jan. 1, 1900, Girona, Catalonia, Spain, d. Oct. 27, 1990, Barcelona, Spain. (heart failure)
Tagline: "The Rhumba King"
Theme Song: "My Shawl"
Vocalists: Abbe Lane, one of "Cugies" 4 wives. "Charo" was #4, Carmen and Lorraine were numbers 1 and 2. His other vocalists included Lena Romay, La Chata, and Miguelito Valdes.
Overview
Cugat's family moved to Havana, Cuba when he was still a young child (3 years old). A local instrument maker gave him a violin and Cugat proceeded to learn music. He was an apt pupil and, at just age 12, he became first violinist with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana. He continued his violin studies in Berlin, Germany, later playing in various orchestras. One source (Encyclopedia Britannica) reports that it was famed opera singer Enrico Caruso, who brought Cugat to America. Both men were very good friends, -- and both were very good caricaturists, as one can readily see from this picture of Cugat Sketching, using his Violin as a rest. Here is an excerpt from an album's liner notes.

      "It is highly appropriate that RCA Camden should bring another Cugat album
      to music lovers, since it was an RCA recording artist, the late Enrico Caruso,
      who first brought Xavier Cugat to this country. Caruso heard the young Spanish
      violinist fiddling in Barcelona and hired him to participate in a concert tour
      of the United States. In addition to music, Caruso shared with his young friend
      a clever aptitude for drawing, between concerts the world-famous tenor and the
      practically unknown violinist would entertain each other by doing caricatures
      of various celebrities.
                   -- Liner notes: Leonard Raphael (RCA-Camden LP "Latin For Lovers")

In the U. S. Cugat first became Caruso's accompanist, but soon afterwards was playing - as a sideman - with such bands as Vincent Lopez and Phil Harris. He also worked as a cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times Newspaper during daytime hours. At some point between 1915 and 1918, Cugat moved to New York city, where he played with a band called "The Gigolos", a Tango dance orchestra.

In the mid-1920s, he formed the 'Latin American Band' and played at many of the local Los Angeles clubs finally getting his big break in 1928 when he secured a booking into the prestigious Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA. In the late 1920s, he formed another Tango band that enjoyed some success in early 'Short' musical films ('one reelers'), and by the early 1930s, his group began appearing in full-length feature films.

In the early 1930's, Cugat's orchestra help to start a Rhumba boom with their hit version of "El Manicero", and he became known as "The Rhumba King". Cugat was then booked to open New York's then new Waldorf Astoria Hotel and the band became the hotel's resident group. All through the 1940s, Cugat Orchestra was extremely popular - he was virtually the 'house orchestra' at New York's prestigious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. His band was immensely popular with the 'Society' guests, and, without a doubt, the best known, and the best loved Latin-American Orchestra of the 1940's. The band was also featured in a number of Hollywood films. For most of the next thirty years, Cugat shuttled between New York and Hollywood, alternating hotel and radio dates with movie appearances. In 1940, his recording of the song "Perfidia", with singer Miguelito Valdes, became a huge hit. There was a 'Latin' craze during this time, and Cugat followed the trend making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each were in fashion. In 1966, he married salsa dancer "Charro". It can safely be said that Cugat was largely responsible for the introduction of Latin music during the Big Bands era, both in the U.S. and the World. He retired in 1971 after suffering a Stroke.

Little remembered now is the fact that Cugat was a superb Caricaturist - whose drawings of celebrities were published in the Los Angeles Times newspaper, and syndicated by King Features, and often appeared in magazines and papers, as well as some art exhibitions. Cugat once said "I would rather play "Chiquita Banana" (an Ad Jingle) and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve." Over his career, Cugat was seen in 28 films (always as himself with only 3 or 4 exceptions). He composed music for 7 films, including: In Gay Madrid (1930); White Zombie (1932) (uncredited); The Man From Monterey (1933) (uncredited); The Americano (1955) (song "El Americano"); Tempo di villeggiatura (1956) (songs); Donatella (1956), Das Feuerschiff (1962) and he was the uncredited lyricist for the film Holiday in Mexico (1946). Another of "Cugies" Monster' hits waw the song "Perfidia".

  [ Bernie Cummins Orch. ]
March 14, 1900, Akron, OH, USA. d: Sept. 22, 1986, Palm Beach, FL, USA
Theme Song: "Dark Eyes"
Here's a photo of a young Bernie Cummins, - one of the few former boxers ever to lead a big band. And here's another photo of Cummins and vocalist Dorothy Crane. Mr Leonard Schwartz has sent along this interesting photo of the Bernie Cummins Orchestra. Although he did play drums, Cummin's had the looks and mannerisms that put the band on the map as early as 1919.

The band recorded frequently for such labels as Gennett, Brunswick, Columbia, Victor, Vocalion, Bluebird and Decca. The band was also well noted for their live performances. Among the most important engagements were the Biltmore Hotel in New York, the Hotel New Yorker and the Aragon, Trianon, Blackstone and Edgewater Beach Hotel all in Chicago.

Bernies' kid brother, Walter made quite a name for himself as the bands singer. Over the years the band also featured Belle Mann, Dorothy Crane and the Sophisticates, and Scottee Marsh. Scottee was the sister of Felix Mayerhofer, a fine trombonist with many bands. Her husband was Carl Erca, who played 1st trumpet in the band. In later years Scottee worked with Tommy Dorsey, and Scottee and Carl both worked in the Orrin Tucker band for five years. (--mlp)

The style and excitement of the music made each performance memorable, in fact a stay at the St. Francis in San Francisco is still recalled in Bay Area lore.

  "Medley", (557 kb) a medley played by Bernie Cummins Orch. starting with "Minnie The Mermaid" and including "Living In the Sunlight, Loving in the Moonlight", "Everybody Loves My Girl", and 3 or 4 others that I do not recognize.

As business slowed in the late 1950's, Cummins took his band to Las Vegas where he remained until his retirement in 1959.

In 1984, the Cummin's 1923 recording of "Minnie the Mermaid" was used as the theme for a ABC Radio Network Saturday morning cartoon, a sign of the staying power that allowed the Cummin's band to remain popular for some 40 years.
Above notes via Mr. Dan DelFiorentino

  [ Ben Cutler Orch.]
One of the more musical 'Posh' club and Society orchestras. (I think that Ben made headlines once, when he drove his car into New York City's East River. A gent named Seymour Fiddle p layed accordion; piano and fiddle with the orch. His 'girl' singer was Virginia Hayes who occasionally played the piano.

  Conway's Band
Currently no information on this bandleader.
The band was very well recorded from about 1900 through the early 1920s. It was usually simply identified as "Conway's Band", but occasionally as 'Conway and His Orchestra', and very rarely as 'Patrick Conway Band'. This photograph of Patrick Conway, dates from about 1916. Patrick Conway's band is often identified with the early "Military Bands", which included (among others) the Arthur Pryor, Charles A. Prince, and John Phillip Sousa bands. Conway's band is also known to have appeared on the Chatauqua Vaudeville circuit. On April 25, 1909, a sailor serving on the U. S. Navy's USS Tennessee, sent a postcard home advising that he "Heard Patrick Conway's Band at Idora park in Oakland (California) last night."

Here's an excerpt from a Willow Grove Park Concert Program, June 3rd, 1923:
"Patrick Conway and versatility seem to be synonymous...From the profundities and subtleties of a classic, from the fragile and delicately woven pattern of a ballad, from the bizarre brilliance of an Orientalism, one may hear him change to the vigorous and rhythmical shallowness of a popular song. And from each he manages to extract the exact meaning from its depths...His organization is as sensitive to his baton as a photographic plate to the light...One feels instinctively the assurance of a leader, knows instinctively what is coming will be good and as near perfect as human effort can make it."
"Captain Conway is now at the head of the Band Department at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, in Ithaca, NY, and is proving a great success in his new work."
"Captain Conway's concerts are a constant source of delight to real music lovers who frequent Willow Grove Park."

A leader of "Brass Bands", Conway nevertheless recorded a great many Popular tunes of the day, -probably well over a hundred.

  [ Charlie Creath Orch. ]
b. Dec. 30, 1890, Ironton, MO, USA, d. Oct. 23, 1951, Chicago, IL, USA.
Currently no information available.
Here's a photo of Charlie's Jazz-O-Maniacs. that was active during the Mid-1920s. And, listen to the Jazz-O-Maniacs playing Way Down In Lover's Lane. Between 1916 to 1940, Creath mainly worked on the Mississippi riverboats traveling between St. Louis, MO, and New Orleans, LA. Happily, during 1924-'27, the band was recorded. From ca. 1940, Charlie was resident in Chicago, IL, where he both led his own group, as well as often working in other bands. He remained in Chicago until his demise in 1951.

At times, the Creath band had such other sidemen as Creath (tp, leader), Leonard Davis, Leonard Cherry or Bob Shoffner (tp); Grant Cooper, Charlie Lawson (tb); William Blue, Horace Eubanks (cl); William Rollins (c-melody ts and as); Jimmy Powell (cl, sax); Sammy Long (as, ts); Cranston Hamilton or Margie Creath (p); Joseph Pete Patterson (bjo); Pops Foster (b); Will Woods, Alexander Lewis, Floyd Campbell, and Zuttty Singleton (d) (who later married Margie Creath, Charlie's sister).

  [ Hal Curtis Orch.]
Here is a photo of the Hal Curtis Orchestra, (the legend on the music stands simply says "Hal Curtis") and a publicity photo of bandleader Hal Curtis. The legend at the bottom of the Hal Curtis photo gives his address as 521 Rank Street, Sewickly, PA, Tel: 412-741-7267. T. E. Castrodale manager, 709 Penn Avenue, Pgh (short for: Pittsburgh), PA Tel: 412-471-6204

In private correspondence, Ms. Kathleen Brennan, Hal Curtis' granddaugher, has recalled that:
   "Henry Mancini started in this orchestra at the age of 16. Bobby Vinton
   also started his career with my grandfathers orchestra. Among the venues
   where the band played include: The Melody Mill Ballroom, Chicago; Aragon
   Ballroom, Cleveland; Centennial Gardens, Sylvania Hills, Ohio; Rainbow Club,
   Ambridge, PA; Monterey Club, Ambridge, PA, Carlton Club, Ambridge, PA. "

   "The orchestra often followed Lawrence Welk's Orchestra when on tour, and I
   have a few advertisements dating back to 1938 regarding the orchestra."

Curtis led a predominantly "territory" band that traveled the Midwest. It is not presently known if they ever recorded. It should also be noted that Hal Curtis, was pianist Ralph Sutton's brother-in-law.

In private correspondence, Mr. Chris Hughes, whose wife is the daughter of singer Helen Carr (b. 1922, Salt Lake City, Utah. -ed.) has advised that his wife has said:

       "I can not give you an accurate birth date for my mother Helen, but she sang with
   Hal Curtis from the mid-1940's to the mid-1950's. She had her own weekly
   radio show at 14 years of age in the mid to late 1930's in New Castle, PA.
   She may have sung under the the name of Helen Carr?? She once told me she
   auditioned for Sammy Kaye and was accepted, but decided against touring with
   him, choosing to stay local because she had a young child at home. It was
   just after this that he became well known. She did not, to my knowledge,
   sing with any other orchestras and I was told that she refused other
   offers for the same reason. She is in her 80's, now. (2007 -- ed.)"

In the mid-1950s, Carr recorded for the Bethlehem label, and in the late 1950s, she recorded for Atlantic with King Curtis, Al Casey and the Cumming Sisters (sides that were never released).

CAUTION: Please do not confuse with the Helen Carr who sang, and recorded, one album "Dolphins of Hollywood", with 'Baron Mingus And His Rhythm': Tommy Alexander, tpt.; Herb Caro, ts; Bob Lowry, tbn; Don Trenner, pno; Mingus, bass, scat vcl.; Johnny Berger, dr; Helen Carr, vcl;. Recorded in Los Angeles, late February-early March, 1949. (At the time, Carr was married to Don Trenner). This Helen Carr: Age 36 or 38, died in 1960. With the exception of the one song cut with Charles Mingus in 1946 and two with King Curtis later in the 1950s, her two Bethlehem albums has the complete output of the talented but short-lived singer who died in 1960 at age 36.
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Ms. Kathleen Brennen, Hal Curtis' granddaughter, for her courtesy in allowing us to reproduce the photo of her grandfather and the orchestra. We also thank Chris Hughes, whose wife is the daughter of singer Helen Carr, who sang with the Hal Curtis orchestra.