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Skip Martin
Lloyd Vernon "Skip" Martin (May 14, 1916, in Robinson, Illinois – February 12, 1976, in Los Angeles, California) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and music arranger. Background Martin was active principally as an arranger for some of the most popular swing jazz bands of the 1930s and 1940s. He worked with Count Basie, Charlie Barnet (1939–40), Benny Goodman (1941), and Glenn Miller (1941–42); doubling as a reedist with the last three. In the Goodman orchestra he played alto sax alongside Gus Bivona and recorded with the legendary trumpeter Cootie Williams in the early 1940s as well. Later in the 1940s he worked with Les Brown (memorably the big-band chart for ''I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm''), then moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s, where he did extensive work as a staff and freelance orchestrator, studio conductor (e.g. Astaire's ''Royal Wedding'', 1951) and popular song arranger (often for Tony Martin, The Pied Pipers, the Andrews and De Castro siste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robinson, Illinois
Robinson is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,713 at the 2010 census, up from 6,822 in 2000. Geography Robinson is in the center of Crawford County at . Illinois Route 33 passes through the center of the city as Main Street, leading east to Palestine near the Indiana border and west to Newton. According to the 2010 census, Robinson has a total area of , of which (or 98.69%) is land and (or 1.31%) is water. Demographics At the 2000 census, there were 6,822 people, 2,927 households and 1,835 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,376 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.98% White, 1.16% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.73% of the population. There were 2,927 households, of which 29.1% had children unde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Wedding
''Royal Wedding'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Set in 1947 London at the time of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, the film follows an American brother-sister song and dance duo who, while performing, each fall in love–he, with a female dancer, and she, with an impoverished but well-connected nobleman. The film marked Donen's second directorial feature. It was released as ''Wedding Bells'' in the United Kingdom. ''Royal Wedding'' is one of several MGM musicals that entered the public domain because the studio failed to renew the copyright registration in the 28th year after its publication. Plot The story sees brother and sister Tom and Ellen Bowen as stars of a show ''Every Night at Seven'', a Broadway success. They are persuaded to take the show to London, capitalizing on the imminent royal wedding of Princess Eli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs. His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed, such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Dick Haymes, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon. ''Yank'' magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II. In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. In 1948, ''Music Digest'' estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, such as Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and others who met casually at the Holmby Hills home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. In the 1960s, the group featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and (before falling out with Sinatra in 1962) Peter Lawford, among others. They appeared together on stage and in films in the 1950s and 1960s, including the films ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Sergeants 3''; after Lawford's expulsion, they filmed ''Robin and the 7 Hoods'' with Bing Crosby in what was to have been Lawford's role. Sinatra, Martin, and Davis were regarded as the group's lead members after Bogart's death. 1950s The name "Rat Pack" was first used to refer to a group of friends in New Y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre
''Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre'' is a series of four 12" long playing vinyl albums recorded in Los Angeles in 1963. The four albums were sold through mail order as a box set in 1963, then released separately to retail in 1964. They were conceived and produced by Frank Sinatra. Morris Stoloff was the musical director and the A&R Director was Sonny Burke. The four discs feature the scores of four popular Broadway musicals of the time – namely '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1947), ''Kiss Me, Kate'' (1948), '' South Pacific'' (1949), and ''Guys and Dolls'' (1950) – as performed by various Reprise artists. The "Guys and Dolls" album was issued on CD in 1992 when the musical itself was enjoying a revival. All the albums were re-released in a box set on September 26, 2000. Track listing ;Disc One - ''Finian's Rainbow'' ;Disc Two - ''Kiss Me, Kate'' ;Disc three - ''South Pacific'' ;Disc four - ''Guys and Dolls'' Personnel * Frank Sinatra - vocals * Dean Martin - vocals * Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonny Burke
Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader and producer. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University, where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors. Background During the 1930s and 1940s, Burke was a big band arranger in New York City, worked with Sam Donahue's band, and during the 1940s and 1950s worked as an arranger for the Charlie Spivak and Jimmy Dorsey bands, among others. In 1955, he wrote, along with Peggy Lee, the songs to Disney's ''Lady and the Tramp''. He also wrote songs with John Elliot for Disney's ''Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom'', which won the 1953 Oscar for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).Cotter, Bill, ''The Wonderful World of Disney Television: A Complete History'', p. 549, Hyperion, 1997. He wrote the music for number of popular songs, including " Black Coffee" and "Midnight Sun", co-written with jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. The song's lyrics ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is among the List of best-selling music artists, world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150 million record sales. Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra was greatly influenced by the intimate, easy-listening vocal style of Bing Crosby and began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He found success as a solo artist after signing with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "Bobby soxer (music), bobby soxers". Sinatra released his debut album, ''The Voice of Frank Sinatra'', in 1946. When his film career stalled in the early 1950s, Sinatra turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best-known concert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith. He scored and arranged music for many films and television shows, earning an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards. He found commercial and critical success with a new generation in the 1980s, in a trio of Platinum albums with Linda Ronstadt. Early years Riddle was born in Oradell, New Jersey, the only child to survive to birth, and after, of Marie Albertine Riddle (a native of Mulhouse, France, whose father was Spanish) and Nelson Smock Riddle, who was of English-Irish and Dutch descent. His mother had suffered six miscarriages and one stillbirth in her lifetime. It was his mother's secon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somerset Records
David Leonard Miller (July 4, 1925May 24, 1985) was an American record producer and the founder of many budget album record companies. Miller is more familiar to some record buyers and collectors as the notorious Leo Muller who produced many Exploito type records. Life and career Miller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Albert and Olive Miller. Following World War II service in the United States Navy along with his brother in-law Ralph Joseph, they started recording weddings direct to disc. After briefly working at the RCA Victor record pressing plant in Camden, New Jersey, where he learned more about recording and manufacturing records, he and his brother Paul formed their first record company with their own savings and those of their father Albert, naming their company Palda Records (a portmanteau of Paul, Albert, and David) in Philadelphia, eventually buying out their father's share. Essex Records Miller became the founder of Essex Records in Philadelphia, Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Coast Jazz
West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied relatively more on composition and arrangement than on the individually improvised playing of other jazz styles. Although this style dominated, it was not the only form of jazz heard on the American West Coast. History Background Before World War II, the west coast of the U.S. hosted a bustling music scene, though its activity remained largely localized. In 1917, Jelly Roll Morton moved to California and remained in Los Angeles until 1922, when he left for Chicago. Kid Ory formed a band in Los Angeles after moving to California in 1919. In 1944, Norman Granz began staging Jazz at the Philharmonic shows at Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In 1946, Ross Russell established Dial Records in Hollywood to record Charlie Parker during his s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbara Ruick
Barbara Ruick (December 23, 1930 – March 3, 1974) was an American actress and singer. Early years Ruick was the daughter of actors Lurene Tuttle and Melville Ruick, and grew up acting out scenes with dolls, employing her mother as an audience. Ruick attended North Hollywood High School. She did little acting in high school but joined a school band at the age of 14. Ruick sang with the band at dances and benefits. Career Early in her career, Ruick sang in clubs and acted in Little Theater productions. She achieved success in radio prior to signing as a contract player with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She was heard in the original radio version of ''Dragnet''. She also recorded several songs for MGM Records. In the 1950s, Ruick starred as Kay in the first LP recording of the songs from George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's 1926 Broadway musical, '' Oh, Kay!''. This was a studio cast recording released by Columbia Records, and conducted by Lehman Engel. She landed a job ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The DeCastro Sisters
The DeCastro Sisters were an American singing group. They originally consisted of Peggy DeCastro (1921–2004), Cherie DeCastro (1922–2010) and Babette DeCastro (1925–1992). When Babette retired in 1958, a cousin, Olgita DeCastro Marino (1931–2000), replaced her and when Peggy later left the group to go solo, Babette re-joined Cherie and Olgita. Peggy eventually returned and Babette once more retired. History The DeCastro Sisters began as a Latin-flavored trio and were protegees of Carmen Miranda. They eventually became more Americanized in their performances and added comedy. The biggest hit single for the group was "Teach Me Tonight", in 1954. The song reached No. 2 in the United States, and the follow-up, "Boom Boom Boomerang", reached No. 17. The group is referenced in an episode of ''The Sopranos'', "Do Not Resuscitate", as one of the only music groups that matriarch Livia actually likes, along with Mario Lanza. The three original DeCastro Sisters — Peggy, Cherie an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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