[ Tommy Reynolds Orch. ]
né: Anthony Renaldo (info. from Whitey Thomas)
Theme Song: "Pipe Dreams"
Overview
Here's a photograph (courtesy Mr. Peter Doyle) of the Tommy Reynolds, who is best remembered today as a producer of radio shows (musicals) in Los Angeles, CA, and in New York City. Tommy formed his first orchestra in 1938. His orchestras though loud and very enthusiastic never garnered great public acclaim.

Some of the band members in 1938 and part of '39 were, Tino Isgro, tenor saxophone, Whitey Thomas, trumpet, Tony Picciotto, trumpet, Benny West, and Bobby Boon. Tino Isgro went on to play with Johnny Long (and can be seen in the film 'Hit The Ice'), also with Glen Gray, Teddy Powell, Dick Rogers, and in 1945, with Jimmy Dorsey. (Many more after Dorsey.) At the start of 1939, Whitey Thomas went with Isham Jones. He later joined the Glenn Miller Air Force Band. Whitey now (1998) lives in Mossy Rock, Washington.
The above information on Tommy Reynolds was graciously supplied in private coorespondence by Ms. Tina Isgro Thompson. It was her father Tino Isgro who was with the band from 1938 to 1940.

   [ Joe Ricardel Orch. ]
Presently no information available.
Played society music for New York's upper strata. He played fiddle, sang and wrote songs. His great claim to fame was his composition "The Frim Fram Sauce", which was a hit record for 'Slim and Slam' -Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart (bass fiddle).

   [ Buddy Rich Orch. ]
Theme Song: "Rain on the Roof"
né: Bernard Rich. Drums, Tap Dancer, Vocals.
B: June 30, 1917, New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. D: April 2, 1987, USA.
Overview
Buddy's Parents were a vaudeville act (Wilson and Rich) and Buddy was already on stage by the time he was 18 months old. By age 4, he was drumming and tap dancing on Broadway, in his parents vaudeville act. By age 6, he was a solo artist, and even toured to Australia. At just age 11, he formed his first band, and within a few years was sitting in with other groups in the New York City Clubs. In 1937, Joe Marsala hired him for the band, and Buddy's fame as a drummer grew from there. He found work in the Harry James; Bunny Berigan; Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw bands before WWII

After his wartime military service, he returned to the Tommy Dorsey band. In the late 1940's, he formed a big band that was short-lived. He then worked for Les Brown, and also toured with the 'Jazz At The Philharmonic' show (JATP).

In the early 1950's, he recorded for Norman Granz with a briefly reformed orchestra. In the later 1950's, he suffered a heart attack, and thereafter appeared as a vocalist with his own and other small groups.

In the early 1960's, he re-joined Harry James. In 1966, he formed a new big band that stayed somewhat active for 12 years, after which he worked mostly with small groups. He did form another big band, briefly, in the 1980s until his death in 1987.

Some of his late bands did have elements of Rock, but they never became fusion bands. (Buddy detested Rock.) Sad to relate, he treated his young musicians in a very shabby way, often screaming insults at them. The 'charts' were primarily to showcase Buddy's talents, and not that of the bandsmen or music. Never-the-less, the clarity and brilliance of his percussion were legendary.

Buddy's short temper was also notorious. For example, during his tenure with the Tommy Dorsey band, he often clashed with vocalist Frank Sinatra, who also possessed a 'short fuse'.

His illnesses did not stop Buddy from working. After, one illness, he returned and played with just one hand, the other being in a sling. Finally, however, he was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor. Before one of his operations, a nurse asked if he had any allergies, Buddy replied "only Country Music." Buddy was 70 years old when he died.

Brief Chronology:
=================
1921 Appeared in B'way show "Pinwheel". Buddy was 4 yrs. old.
1923 Traveled to Australia, working as a 'single' act. Age 6. His parents 'managed' the act.
1928 Took his own band on tour. Buddy was 11 years old.
1938 Joe Marsala (working at the Hickory House in New York City) hires Buddy (age 21).
1938 With the Bunny Berigan Orch.
1939 With the Artie Shaw Orch.
1939-42 With the Tommy Dorsey Orch.
1942 With Benny Carter Band.
1942-1944 With the US Marines, in WW2.
1944-1946 Rejoined the Tommy Dorsey Band
1946 Buddy formed the first of his big bands.
1947 Toured with the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" show.
1951 Part of the "Big Four" band. (w. Chubby Jackson & Ch. Ventura)
'53-'54 With the Harry James orch.
'54-'55 With the Dorsey Band.
1957 With Harry James Orch., touring Europe.
'58-'59 Buddy Rich Quintet.
'59-'60 Inactive due to Heart Attack.
Resumed playing on and off, after 1960.

Quote From Milt Bernhart -
"Good words about Buddy Rich are indisputable. BUT - as a horn blower who sometimes found big-band drummers overpowering when they weren't supposed to be, I have reservations."

"Buddy was born in a trunk (so to speak) and his main aim in life was to get attention. He was an expert in that field, wasn't he? And in a noise-making contest between drums and wind instruments (unamplified) who's gonna win? Buddy intended to win and he always did. I just feel that for pure taste on that set of pots and pans, Dave Tough, Jo Jones, Gus Johnson and others of that ilk were the masters."

"Buddy hated ballads because he had to take it easy, and he didn't like that. He had supreme technique, nobody comes close, but there's more to making music than supreme technique. That's my opinion."

"Also, I'll admit I'm also down on him because he treated his players rather shoddily most of the time. Sure, he was a taskmaster, but his words and actions went beyond that. They were cruel words and actions. As a former sideman, I can't excuse him for that." -- Milt Bernhart

   [ Fred Rich Orch ]
b. Jan. 31, 1898 Warsaw, Poland. d. Sept. 8, 1956, California
Pianist/composer Fred Rich led a big band in the 1920's. He toured Europe in 1925 to '26 and again in 1927 to '28. Rich enjoyed a long residency in New York City's prestigious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, after which he began leading studio bands which from time to time featured many jazz musicians, who would in time become famous or leaders themselves. Among them were such names as: the Dorsey Brothers, Joe Venuti, Bunny Berigan, Benny Goodman, and Tony Parenti. In the early thirties, (1931), Elmer Feldkamp was one of his vocalists.

He was music director for various radio stations In the late 1930's. In 1942, he moved on to a staff position with United Artists Studios in Hollywood, where he was to remain for the remainder of his career. Badly injured when, in 1945, he fell. As a result of the fall, he suffered partial paralysis but continued his studio duties throughout the remainder of the 1940's and into the 50's.

Fred was 58 years old when he died after suffering a long illness.

   [ Johnny Richards Orch ]
b: Nov. 2, 1911 Toluca, Querétaro state, Mexico
d: Oct. 7, 1968, New York, NY, USA (Cancer)
né: Juan Cascales
Theme: "Young At Heart"
Instruments: Piano, Violin, Trumpet
Johnny's family moved to Schenectady, New York when he was in his teens. His mother, a concert pianist who had studied under Paderewski, first taught him to play both piano and violin. In 1922, at age 10, he was already onstage playing in a vaudeville act, and subsequently played saxophone in theatre band. In 1932, after graduating from college he moved to London and began composing movie scores for Gaumont British films. In 1934 he moved to California and was hired by Paramount Pictures, where he worked as Victor Young's assistent, and at the same time studied composition with classical composer Arnold Schoenberg.

While in Hollywood, he occasionally led his own small group -under his birthname - Johnny Cascales Orchestra. In this band were Charlie LaVere on piano, "Spike" Jones on drums, and Bonnie Lake, on vocals. Bonnie later went on to composing, as well as singing. She was the youngest of three daughters, The 'middle' daughter was Harriette, who became a world famous Hollywood and Television star under the name of Ann Sothern. The eldest sister, Marian, became a writer who became well known to American newspaper readers as the voice of 'Dear Abby'. (Marian also co-composed at least one song with Bonnie - "Red Nose", subsequently recorded by Louis Armstrong.) "Spike" Jones would later lead his own world-famous "Spike Jones and His City Slickers" orchestra..

Johnny led his first big band from 1940 to 1945, playing tenor sax, clarinet and trumpet (no recordings are known). Among the men in his orchestras were:
In the early 1944 band:
      Johnny Richards (leader)
      Jimmy Roma, Tony DiNardi, 'Chubby' Kuster, Mel Arnett (trumpets)
      Frank Manousi, Lionel Sesma, Bob Pratt (trombones)
      Chet LeRoy (sax, vocals)
      John Slawson (tenor sax)
      A.Cesario, Ed Adiello (saxes)
      Ray Rossi (piano)
      Sibby Brock (bass)
      Billy Shuart (drums, vocals)
      Dottie Reid (vocals)

The men in his New York, March 13, 1945 recordings included the same as above, but with
      'Ziggy' Kelly, replacing Roma
      Bill Morris, replacing Kuster
      B.Birringer (tp) replacing Arnett
      C.McCormish (tb) replacing Pratt
      J.Shaver (sax) replacing LeRoy

ca. Winter 1944/45:
      Johnny Richards comp, arr, ts-1
      Jimmy Roma, Tony DiNardi, Chubby Kuster, Mel Arnett tp
      Bobby Pratt, Lionel Sesma, Frank Mancusi tb
      Chet LeRoy, John Shawson, Ed Adiello, A.Cesario sax
      Ray Rossi p
      Sibby Brock b
      Billy Shuart dr,voc
      Dottie Reid voc
      Pat Russo voc

Start of 1946 in Los Angeles,CA:
      Johnny Richards (cond,arr)
      Dizzy Gillespie (tp)
      Al Haig (p)
      Ray Brown (b)
      Roy Haynes (?) (dr)
      unknown frh,fl, woodwinds, harp, strings

Johnny then disbanded and settled in Los Angeles where he worked as arranger for Boyd Raeburn, Charlie Barnet, and Dizzy Gillespie, (1946-'52). Among his arrangement with Raeburn were 'Man With A Horn', Prelude To The Dawn', 'How High The Moon' and 'Soft And Warm'. During the early 1950's he led studio musicians on albums recorded by Helen Merrill and Sarah Vaughn and did some arranging for Dizzy Gillespie and Ben Webster.

In 1952 he began a five year association as arranger for Stan Kenton. His most well-known work during this period was 'Cuban Fire' (Capitol T-731, rec. 1956) which consists of a six part suite Richards composed and arranged. Richards left Kenton to form his second big band which he led from 1956 to 1960. This band made LP's for Bethlehem, Capitol and Coral. The most noteworthy were Wide Range (Capitol T-855, rec. 1956) and Experiments In Sound (Capitol T-981, rec. 1958). A CD of 'live' material was released by Jazz Hour (JH-1010).

During 1958-'60, he formed another band that occasionally played at New York's Birdland cafe. In 1961 he rejoined Stan Kenton and was arranger for the LP 'West Side Story' (Capitol ST-1609, rec. 1961). This LP features former bandleader Sam Donahue on tenor sax in one of his few recordings as member of the Kenton band. Richards left Kenton in 1964 to form his last band. This band made two albums for Roulette. One was an attempt to duplicate the success of 'West Side Story' ('My Fair Lady', Roulette SR-52114, rec. 1964). Poor health forced him to give up the band in 1967.

Johnny Richards occasionally wrote popular songs and is co-composer of his theme, 'Young At Heart', which was a big hit record for Frank Sinatra.

   [ Nelson Riddle Orch. ]
b. June 1, 1921, Oradell, NJ, USA. d. Oct. 6, 1985, USA.
Overview
While still in his teens, Nelson first studied the piano and then the trombone. Bt the late 1930's, he had played with a number of bands, including Jerry Wald; Tommy Dorsey; Bob Crosby, and Charlie Spivak.

In the 1940's, Nelson, then working for NBC, was lured away by Capitol Records, a company just then (1942) formed by Johnny Mercer, Glen Wallach and Buddy DeSylva. (Billy May was another talented arranger also hired as Musical Director.) Nelson arranged and directed for the stable of stars then under Capitol contract, including: Judy Garland; Johnny Ray; Ella Fitzgerald; Peggy Lee; Frank Sinatra, and Nat "King" Cole.

The mid to late 1950's found him doing Television and Film scoring, including the shows "The Untouchables", and "Route 66" for which he wrote the theme song. Among the films on which he worked are: The Pajama Game (1957); St Louis Blues (1958), and A Hole In The Head (1959). His work on the 1974 film, 'The Great Gatsby' won him an OSCAR award. Shortly afterwards, Nelson went into semi-retirement, but happily made a comeback in the 1980's when he recorded three albums for vocalist Linda Ronstadt.

Nelson was just 64 years old when he died in 1985.

   [ Riley and Farley Onyx Club Boys ]
Overview
This was a band that never took itself seriously. Mostly they just played novelty tunes. In 1935, during an engagement at the 'Onyx Club' on New York's famed 52nd Street, Mike Riley and Eddie Farley, together with Red Hodgson, wrote a tune called "The Music Goes Round and Round". They had a band (6 pieces) in the 1930's which was unknown (except to Onyx Club (52nd St. NYC) patrons). But when they introduced the song, they became nationally famous.
  "The Music Goes Round and Round", (486 kb): The Riley-Farly Orchestra, , with vocal refrain. This recording was the No. 1 Billboard hit for Jan 24, 1936

"The Riley-Farley Onyx Club Boys recorded under such names as Ted Russell's Orchestra; The Top Hatters and they recorded with Red McKenzie as The Rhythm Kings . The Rhythm Kings was founded by McKenzie. BUT, one should be careful here. The Top Hatters were NOT the Jan Savitt Top Hatters, and the Red McKenzie Rhythm Kings were NOT the New Orlean's Rhythm Kings."

In the early 20's and 30's, if one group of musicians heard another group whose style they admired, they would often adopt some part of the name. In all likelihood, Red was a great admirer of the original New Orleans Rhythm KIngs, a group that he had heard many times in Chicago (and probably St. Louis, too). Similarly, Riley and Farley may have admired Jan Savitt's Top Hatters and took part of the name for themselves. Another such that comes to mind is the Husk O'Hare's Wolverines. The Austin High School gang, (Teschmacher; Jimmy and Dick McPartland, Bud Freeman and Jim Lannigan) were so impressed when listening to Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines, that they 'borrowed' part of the name.

The "Music Goes 'Round and 'Round' was the only hit that the Riley-Farley orch ever had. But, it was a huge hit, and no doubt the royalties helped them along for many years.

   [ Joe Rines Orch. ]
b. Oct. 1. 1902, Boston, MA, USA. d. Mid-Dec. 1986, USA.
Here's a photograph (courtesy Mr. Peter Doyle) of Joe Rines, who grew up in Boston, and, in 1921, first performed on Radio Station 1XE (later WGI). He was the violinist in a group called "Bernie and his Bunch," but soon gained enough experience to start his own band. His orchestra played at restaurants, clubs and hotels all over the city, and it wasn't long before he was a regular on radio stations WNAC and WBZ. He first called his band 'Noah and the Arkadians', but as was the custom in those days, the name of the band changed with the sponsor-- for example, when he did an NBC network show in 1929, it was 'Joe Rines and the Triadors' (sponsored by Triad, a brand of tubes for radios). In New York, NBC began calling on Joe fairly often throughout the 1930s. He arranged sessions, and even produced a few of NBC's shows, as well as having his own program on the network. For a while in the early 1940s, he was Musical Director for the Yankee Network, and he still did some performances in Boston, where he remained very popular. (Interestingly, his nephew, Robert Rines, also wanted to be a musician, but ended up being an inventor and a respected scholar at M.I.T.) As a recording artist and bandleader, Joe Rines and his orchestra can be heard mainly on Victor and Brunswick, but there was another side of him that was somewhat controversial-- using the pseudonym "John Ryan," he made a number of off-colour "party records" on the Varsity label. (A discography of these can be found at http://www.hensteeth.com/r_blue.html#RYAN.) Joe moved to Los Angeles and became an advertising executive in the late 1940s, writing popular sponsor jingles for such products as Ajax cleanser and Halo shampoo. On February 16, 1959, he married Portland Hoffa, widow of famed comedian Fred Allen. (Coincidentally, both of them had lost their spouses in 1956, and friends were glad they found happiness with each other.) Joe remained involved in advertising and in the music industry till he retired. He died in mid December 1986.
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Ms. Donna Halper, of Emerson College, for this entry on Joe Rines.

   [ Rita Rio and Her All Girl Orch. ]
b: 15 November 1914, Miami, FL, USA. d: 20 June 1989, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
née: Rita Novella
This vivacious leading lady was most active in U.S. films of the 1940's and early 50's. As was common in those days, she worked under a variety of different names. Early in her career she worked under the names of Una Velon and Rita Shaw. In her films, she was most often credited as Dona Drake. In the early 1930s, as Rita Rio, she had been the bandleader of an all-girl orchestra and girls singing group, "The Girl Friends". One reader, (Mr. C. Bentz of Brookfield, WI, USA) has noted that a very young actor, Alan Ladd, appeared with the Rita Rio Orchestra in one of her film 'shorts'. "Ladd did a fairly good job of dancing and singing." Let's watch Rita, the Mistresses of Rhythm and Alan Ladd singing.

  VIDEO: "When I Look At You"   Rita Rio and Her Mistresses of Rhythm. A young Alan Ladd singing before becoming a screen star.

Rita was 75 when she died of pneumonia and respiratory failure.

   [ "Luckey" Roberts Orch. ]
b. August 7, 1887, Philadelphia, PA. d. Feb. 5, 1968, New York, NY.
né: Charles Luckeyeth "Luckey" Roberts
(Piano.) Shortly after his birth, the family settled in New York City, and Luckey appeared on the New York stage at just age 3, acting in play 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. Between 1913 to 1923, this early Ragtime soloist also composed some Rags, perhaps the most famous of which are "Junk Man Rag", and "Pork and Beans Rag". It is little recalled now, but before and after WW1, Luckey wrote music for 14 musical comedies on the New York stage. All during the 1920s, Luckey led a band that was extremely popular with the millionaires of 'high society' and that played in such places as Newport, RI, Palm Beach, FL and New York. He then became an owner of a Harlem Bar named The Rendezvous (on St. Nicholas Ave) while still remaining quite musically active. In 1939, he appeared in a Carnegie Hall concert, and in a 1941 Town Hall Concert.. All during the '40s, he did some composing and two of his best known tunes were "Massachusetts" and Glenn Miller's 1941 hit release "Moonlight Cocktail" (which Luckey originally called "Ripples of The Nile"). As a pianist, he had considerable influence on the techniques of such other men as James P. Johnson and Duke Ellington. He even helped the Duke of Windsor choose his 'Jazz' record collection. But, regretfully, Luckey left very few recordings of his own for posterity.

   [ Dick Robertson Orch ]
An early thirties dance band. Dick was a singing bandleader. The band was active at about the same time as Ozzie Nelson, Phil Harris, and Orrin Tucker.

Some of the men with whom Dick worked over his liftime include the Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Carter bands.

   [ Ray Robbins & His Orch. ]
né: Ray Jurgens
b: Jan. 1, 1912 Gardenia, CA, USA. Currently lives in Lake Tajoe, CA , USA. (1998)
Instrument: trumpet
Theme: "I'll Take An Option On You" (Capitol Records 861)
Ray studied trumpet while in high school and later studied with Harold Mitchell who was lead trumpet for the MGM studio orchestra. He was also an accomplished singer.

During his senior year at Gardenia high school, he formed a dance band that played at local events. He was also member of a combo that played in movie theaters, -a practice that was common during the days of silent movies. After graduating High School, he moved to Los Angeles and joined a local band. When that broke up he got his first professional job with the George Hamilton Orchestra (1934). Other members of the Hamilton band at this time were Spike Jones (d) and Leighton Noble (p-voc). He toured with the band, finally leaving it in Chicago when Hamilton returned to Los Angeles. While with Hamilton he married Juanita Breece, whom he had known in high school.

Robbins eventually returned to California and found a job with the Russ Plumber Orchestra, then working at the Rendezvous Ballroom. Members of this band included Stan Kenton (p), Vido Musso (ts), Spike Jones (d) and Lumpy Brannon (bs). (Lumpy Brannon went on to became famous as "Mr Greenjeans" on the Captain Kangaroo TV show.] Ray left the band when Everett Hoagland took over its leadership and briefly worked with the Garwood Van band.

Stan Kenton got Ray a job as trumpeter-vocalist with Gus Arnheim who was embarking on an east coast tour. Arnheim disbanded the band when they returned to Los Angeles and Robbins once more joined George Hamilton. In 1939, tiring of constantly touring, he left Hamilton and spent a few months with with the Joe Reichmann orchestra; leaving to join the Dick Jurgens (no relation) Orchestra.

As Dick's sister, Gloria, was singing with the band, it was decided that Ray should change his name and from that time on he was professionally known was Ray Robbins. While with Jurgens he sang solo and as a member of The Three D's which also included another of Jurgens' girl singers, Dorothy Brandon. Ray left Jurgens for a short time when actress Susan Haywood, who had seen him singing with the band in New Orleans, got him a booking at Ciro's in Hollywood. She had broached the idea of his also working in movies, but when nothing came of it he rejoined Dick Jurgens in Chicago. When Jurgens was drafted during WWII, he arranged to keep his band intact and Ray Robbins was given the job as its leader. He toured with the band for over a year until leaving in 1943.

Back in Los Angeles Robbins worked a second time with Joe Reichmann and then with Al Donahue until finally forming his own band (1945). In 1946 Stan Kenton arranged for Robbins to get a recording contract with Capitol for which the band made their only records, -six titles in all.

In the early 1950's, when televison started to become popular Lawrence Welk began a program shown on local stations and as a result the Aragon Ballroom, which had been home to the Welk band, needed another band to alternate with Welk. Robbins got the job and stayed at the Aragon until 1962 (about 10 years) when it was torn down. He then disbanded and went into private business.

Ray Robbins currently lives in Lake Tahoe. His wife, Juanita, died in 1994. They had been married 60 years.
The above information on Ray Robbins is courtesy of Joseph E. Bennett - who loves the Hotel Bands, and writes about them frequently. (File via Mr. R. Lenhart.)

   [ Johnny Ringer and His Orch. ]
Currently no information available.
Bandleader Bob January has sent along this photo of a Johnny Ringer and His Orch., publicity release.

   [ Riviera Palace Orch. ]
A pseudonym for the California Ramblers, on the Perfectaphone label.