Albert Allick Bowlly was born in Mozambique on January 7th, 1899. His Lebanese mother and Greek father met on board a ship bound for Australia and destiny. The couple were married in Perth Cathedral and soon departed to Southern Africa where Al's formative years took on a veneer of cosmopolitan edge. Al possessed the talents of an 'out of this world' singer and instrumentalist, delighting in a semi-professional entertainer status. He was the United Kingdom's answer to Russ Columbo, Rudy Valee and most enduringly, Bing Crosby on this side of the pond, America. Al's most important affiliation was with Ray Noble's orchestra. Early on in his career, Al was spotted by Edgar Adeler, one of South Africa's top bandleaders. Al was given the …show more content…
Eventually, a circuitous route through Rhodesia, East Africa, the Far East and the Indian sub-continent, would find him that much closer to England. During this period of time, Al and Adeler parted ways and finally re-united in the jazz capital of Europe, Berlin during 1927. Al's stay in Berlin, which lasted about one year, was a pivotal stage in his career. It was here that his first vocal records were made. He recorded as a soloist and with jazz bands, some of which were led by John Abriani and Arthur Briggs. The fever to continue onward to London remained Al's, as yet, unquenched …show more content…
The Savoy Hotel bandleader, Fred Elizalde, needed a singer for his band and Len remembered Al. It is reported, through a series of communications between the two friends, Al sent his recording of 'Muddy Water' to Elizalde. The bandleader was so greatly impressed that he immediately sent Al his fare and he was off to London....eventually. The year that followed his arrival was dismal. However, the 1930s brought a re-birth to Al's career. Al pursued free-lance recording work with a wide variety of bands on a wide variety of record labels. During 1931 and 1932, it is reported that he made hundreds of records. As the decade of the 1930s came to a close, Al received two career changing 'breaks'. Al began recording with Ray Noble's of the Noble's HMV house band, also known as The New Mayfair Dance Orchestra. In the ensuing years, Al had sung on the greater majority of Ray Noble's records including memorable and classic performances such as "The Very Thought Of You", "Goodnight, Sweetheart" and "Love is The Sweetest Thing". The second boon for Al arrived when he signed up with Roy Fox and his new recording band for Decca. Soon, Al and the band found themselves in Piccadilly known as The Monseigneur Restaurant. Both the restaurant and its band were a near over night success. Thereafter, steady radio followed and the records on Decca continued. Al Bowlly was coming into
Ray Charles was born on Sept. 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, and grew up in Greenville, Florida. At the young age of five, he began losing his sight, and became completely blind by the time he was seven. However, this did not hinder Ray Charles at all, as he continued to persevere in developing his musical talents. One of the most unique aspects of Ray Charles was his unparalleled ability to crossover different genres of music. He mixed together genres such as blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, pop, and even country. With this integration, he created smash hits such as “I Got a Woman,” “Hit the Road Jack,” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” When a listener listens close enough to one of Charles’ songs, aspects of the various styles he incorporated can be heard not only through the way the lyrics are
Elvis’s next important feat occurred in September of 1955, when Presley released his first Number One country record. This record was his personnel take on Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train” and “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” At this point in time, Colonel Parker became very involved in Presley’s career, even though Neal was his original manager. The recording company RCA purchased Presley’s contract from Sun for $35,000, a price that was unfathomable for the time period. Colonel Parker had many connections that helped Elvis and really jumpstarted his professional career. One of his connections was Hill and Range, a music publisher that purchased Sam Phillips’ Hi-Lo Music for fifteen thousand dollars, which was still a crazy amount of money during that time. In the midst of this, Presley was given a $5,000 advance. With the advance, he bought his mother a new pink Cadillac to repay her for always ensuring that he was loved and taken care
Glaser took care of the business end of things, leaving Armstrong free to concentrate on his music. He also hired the Luis Russell Orchestra as Louis' backup band with Russell as the musical director. This was like going home for Armstrong, because Russell's Orchestra was made up of
"He lived and he loved the songs that he wrote and the songs that he sang. He’s a man of great courage. He’s kind. He’s gentle and he has God-given talents. He chose a career he was hoping he could make a difference in. That career made a difference in
Chester Alan Arthur was born on October 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vermont. Arthur and his seven siblings lived in the United States and Canada during their childhood.
Coltrane joined the Earl Bostic band in 1952. Bostic knew a great deal about the saxophone, and Coltrane benefited from his knowledge (21). He learned about fingering techniques and also Bostic's sound which differed from most saxophonists of that time (22).
Mallie and Jerry Robinson, Jackie’s parents, gave life to Jackie Robinson on January 31, 1919. He was born in Cairo, Georgia, and was raised in Pasadena, California. Jackie was on of the best athletes in his state. Jackie was not just an amazing baseball player but he was also good
This was a hard move for Armstrong because he did not want to leave his hometown of New Orleans, but he knew it was a move he needed to make(Tirro). He made his first ever recording with Oliver’s band in 1923 under the Gennett Label. Though, in 1924, Armstrong was given the opportunity to move to New York City. He did not want to make the move, but his wife convinced him it was best for his career, and he went. In New York, Armstrong was the third cornet in Fletcher Henderson’s band(“Louis Daniel Armstrong”). While performing in Henderson’s band, Armstrong made many more recordings, and was lucky enough to work with some famous jazz singers and instrumentalists; Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, and Sidney Bechet. But Armstrong became unhappy with the band because he was given few opportunities to solo and was rarely allowed to sing, which forced him away from Henderson’s band(Cogswell 18). Though he was only in New York for a year, this trip helped his talent become more nationally recognized. He built confidence, learned about showmanship, and improved his ability to read music(“Louis Daniel Armstrong”). Everybody in New York fell in love with him because not only was he a great musician, but his humor brought so much more to the performance(Shipton 26). He then returned to Chicago where he was given a spot in his wife’s band as the first chair cornet, his first time in
Compare and Contrast Outline Elvis Presley – - Born in Tupelo, MI - Was criticized that he “imitated black artists” and that’s how he rose to fame - Appealed to young, white America - Blues influence - Country and R&B - Was basically doing the same this as Chuck Berry but since he was white it was okay Chuck Berry – - Born in St. Louis, MO - Father of two - Formed a vocal quartet while in prison in 1944 - After release, performed in bars and parties for both whites and blacks - First paid nightclub performance was in 1952 - Racial oppression was a major obstacle for Berry - “Little Queenie” – pretend musicians in the video - Country mixed with R&B - Created rock guitar licks and riffs Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry’s influence on rock and
Although there are many famous Arkansans, Findly Norris Goff is the one who seemed most interesting to me. Abner is his TV/radio name, and what everybody knew him as. Abner had a partner, they called him Lum. These partners were the radio//TV hit. Findly Norris Goff led a very interesting life.
In 1923, at the age of 14, Benny Goodman left school to play with local bands, including Bill Grimm’s riverboat orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke. There is an interesting anecdote about Benny’s first meeting with Bix. One day, Benny received an emergency call from Grimm, asking him to fill in for Grimm’s clarinetist, who was ill. Benny arrived early in the day at the dock where the boat on which he was to perform was moored. Benny stepped onto the bandstand and immediately heard a shout to “get off there, kid! Stop that fooling around!” (Benny Goodman, 1979) Benny turned to see a fellow about four or five years older, holding a trumpet and staring disdainfully at Benny. That fellow, Bix Beiderbecke, did not want to hear any explanations from this young kid in knickers. However, Bill Grimm arrived before any trouble could start and introduced the boys. The young men hit it off and much fun and great music stemmed from that first session together.
The appeal of the instrument was immense and soon after its integration into pop music, the mighty saxophone began to diminish in popularity and by the 1960’s had been replaced in entirety by the electric guitar. Jordan can take partial credit for the popularization of the instrument, but he ultimately must take credit for bringing his signature instrument to its end. After the breakup of the Tympany Five and the end of his tenure with Decca records, Jordan never again experienced the sort of success he experienced during the 1940’s. For the remainder of his life, Jordan attempted to reignite his popularity through brief stints with various other record labels, but they were met with little to no success.
When Alda was seven years old, he contracted polio. To combat the disease, his parents administered a painful treatment regimen developed by Sister Elizabeth Kenny, consisting of applying hot woolen blankets to his limbs and stretching his muscles.[8] Alda attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York.[9] In 1956, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Fordham College of Fordham University in the Bronx, where he was a student staff member of its FM radio station, WFUV. Alda's half-brother, Antony Alda, born that year (1956), also became an actor.
Ray Charles is a famous musician and was sometimes called “the father of soul”. He did something fascinating in order to be called “the father of soul” which is combining different genres in order to make soul. Ray Charles was born on september 23, 1930. Ray Charles also, played many instruments including piano, saxophone, and clarinet. He was a great musician in the 1950’s.
“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.” (Azquotes.com) Those were one of Ray Charles’s most famous quotes. Ray Charles was the best rhythm and blues musician of all times. His love for music started at a young age and took him far in his future years. Above is a great musician he suffered great losses on his road to success. Ray Charles has faced many problems that a regular person couldn’t cope with but he never lost faith.