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National Orchestra Service
The National Orchestra Service, Inc. (NOS), was the most important booking and management agency for territory bands across the Great Plains and other regions from the early 1930s through 1960. NOS managed black, white and integrated orchestras and was headquartered in Omaha. About National Orchestra Service specialized in booking ballroom dance orchestras known as territory bands. The company's reputation as the premier booking agent in that genre helped them dominate their industry for almost 20 years. Bands that NOS represented were typically smaller than the Glenn Miller-type orchestras, usually featuring about 12 pieces, sometimes 15; though ensemble sizes tended to wax and wane with the economy. Territory NOS handled bookings in: * Wisconsin * Minnesota * North Dakota * South Dakota * Montana * Wyoming * Nebraska * Missouri * Kansas * Oklahoma * Military bases Origins February 1930 — National Orchestra Service was founded in Omaha. Serl Frank Hutton was its fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Territory Band
Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven nights a week at venues like VFW halls, Elks Lodges, Lions Clubs, hotel ballrooms, and the like. Francis Davis, jazz critic for ''The Village Voice'', likened territory bands to "the Top 40 cover bands (of the 1970s and 1980s) of their day, typically relying on stock arrangements of other ensembles' hits." He said, "many historians give much credit to territory bands for popularizing modern ballroom dancing that began during the World War I era with the influence of Vernon and Irene Castle." Territory bands helped disseminate popular music—which included swing, jazz, sweet dance music, or any combination thereof—bringing it to remote gin mills and dance halls that were otherwise ignored by national booking agents representing ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |