Bandboy (also expressed as band boy) is a bygone term for a job similar to for what now is known as a "

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

." They set up, tear down, and maintain equipment, and music. They help out backstage with tasks such as making sure that towels, drinks, and ice are available. Unlike a roadie, the bandboy was more like a personal assistant, or ''

au pair An au pair (; plural: au pairs) is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a mon ...

'', or butler/dresser for the leader — making sure suits were dry cleaned, shoes shined, and the like. On foreign tours a local bandboy would translate, find places to eat, change money, buy train tickets, and perform similar tasks. Often the bandboy would disseminate information for the leader, hand out itineraries, room lists, and set lists. The role of bandboy was different with every band and had different duties than the more senior road manager, who dealt with promoters, booking agents, contracts, payroll, and catering. When times got tough financially, road managers or band members themselves often performed bandboy duties.

Notable bandboy alumni

Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Ultravox, Bon ...

* Popsie Randolph, Benny Goodman * George A. "Bullets" Durgom (1915–1992),

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

* Morris I. (Moishe) Diamond (born 1921),

: 1940–1942 * Nifty Vickerson, Frank Sinatra * Henry Snodgrass,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Lat ...

, Machito's

Afro-Cubans Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...

: 1947
Fred Charap

* Jimmy Thomason (born 1919),

Cliff Bruner Clifton Lafayette Bruner (April 25, 1915 – August 25, 2000) was a fiddler and bandleader of the Western Swing era of the 1930s and 1940s. Bruner's music combined elements of traditional string band music, improvisation, blues, folk, and popula ...

* Coke Escovedo,

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

* Ken Fujiwara,

, Japan tour: 1980s * Bob "Little Gate" Walker,

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

* Bernard Arthurneal (Bernie) Mackey (1909–1980),

* Edward F. Gabel (1924–2014),

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

(left Kenton as bandboy to work for

Earle Spencer Robert Earle Spencer (born 26 June 1925 Welborn, Kansas – 19 September 1973 Fillmore, Utah) was an American trombonist and leader of a progressive swing big band bearing his name — Earle Spencer and His Orchestra. He formed the band in 1946 ...

as manager in 1947)

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= ''Name Dropper or "People I've Schlepped With"'', by Morris I. Diamond, BearManor Media (publisher) (2011); {{ISBN, 1593936532; {{ISBN, 9781593936532 Beverly Hill Records biography of Morris I. Diamond
/ref> "Vet Gained Friends, Lost Hearing in War"
(bio), by Denise Goolsby, ''

The Desert Sun ''The Desert Sun'' is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California. History ''The Desert Sun'' is owned by Gannett publications since 1988 and acquired the Indio ''Daily News'' in 1 ...

,'' December 7, 2010 "Biography of Willie Bobo"
by James Nadal, '' www.allmusic.com,''

Rovi Corporation TiVo Corporation, formerly known as the Rovi Corporation and Macrovision Solutions Corporation, was an American technology company. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company is primarily involved in licensing its intellectual property ...

''The jazz of the Southwest: an Oral History of Western Swing'', by Jean Ann Boyd,

University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books and journals in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texan ...

(1998), pg. 58; {{ISBN, 0292708599; {{ISBN, 9780292708594; {{ISBN, 0292708602; {{ISBN, 9780292708600 "Horizontal Slide 2"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903070614/http://www.fredstudio.info/en/home-horizontal-slide/horizontal-slide-4/ , date=2014-09-03 , ''website of Fred Charap'' ''Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz'', by Robert Dupius (born 1926), Louisiana State University Press (1933), pg. 177; {{OCLC, 22662815 {{ISBN, 0807116483 {{ISBN, 9780807116487 "Bunny Berigan – Mr. Trumpet: The Golden Boy Moves,"
by Michael Paul Zirpolo, Jr. (born 1950), '' IAJRC Journal'', June 1, 2010; {{ISSN, 0098-9487 ''Mr. Trumpet: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumph of Bunny Berigan'', by Michael Paul Zirpolo, Jr. (born 1950), Scarecrow Press (1911) {{ISBN, 0810881527 {{ISBN, 978-0810881525 "As Written," '' Billboard'', pg. 19, col. 1, March 22, 1947 Occupations in music Musical terminology Jazz terminology

Notable bandboy alumni

See also

References