The Benson Orchestra of Chicago was an American

musical ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

that was popular during the 1920s. Founded by Edgar A. Benson, its members at different times included saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, drummer Gene Krupa, and pianists

Roy Bargy Roy Fredrick Bargy (July 31, 1894 – January 16, 1974) was an American composer and pianist. Biography Born in Newaygo, Michigan, he grew up in Toledo, Ohio. In 1919, he began working with Charley Straight at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in ...

and, later, Don Bestor, who served as its musical directors.

History

The orchestra was established in 1920 by Edgar Archibald Benson (1878–1946), a St. Louis-born cellist who had become an impresario responsible for managing and booking many bands in Chicago after establishing himself there around 1897. The Benson Orchestra was initially directed by pianist Roy Bargy, and recorded for Victor Records from 1921. The band soon became one of the most popular dance bands of the early 1920s, and had its base at the

Marigold Gardens The Eitel Brothers refers to a family of four brothers, Emil, Karl, Robert and Max Eitel, originating from Stuttgart in Germany who, from 1894, were hoteliers and restaurateurs in Chicago, USA. They were well known for the luxury hotel Bismarck Hot ...

, which had some notoriety as a gangster hang-out.Biography by Eugene Chadbourne at Allmusic.com
Retrieved 8 June 2013 Members of the band in its early days were Roy Bargy (piano,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, leader); Matthew Amaturo (

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, alto sax, soprano sax); Rick Adkins ( trumpet); Guy Carey ( trombone); Tom Thatcher ( tenor sax); Joe Baum ( violin); Joe Miller (

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

); William Foeste (

bass sax The bass saxophone is one of the lowest-pitched members of the saxophone family—larger and lower than the more common baritone saxophone. It was likely the first type of saxophone built by Adolphe Sax, as first observed by Berlioz in 1842. I ...

, tuba); Albert Walthall ( violin); and Arthur Layfield (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

).Liner notes, ''The Benson Orchestra of Chicago, 1920-1921'', Archeophone Records
Retrieved 8 June 2013 The tune "Na Jo", recorded in 1921, has been cited as the first recording of "

stop-time In tap dancing, jazz, and blues, stop-time is an accompaniment pattern interrupting, or stopping, the normal time and featuring regular accented attacks on the first beat of each or every other measure, alternating with silence or instrument ...

" playing; other early successes included " Ain't We Got Fun?" and "

Wabash Blues "Wabash Blues", with words by Dave Ringle and music by Fred Meinken, was the first major success for pianist, saxophonist and song composer Isham Jones (1894–1956). Recorded in 1921 by Isham Jones and his Orchestra, this million-seller stay ...

", which reportedly sold some 750,000 copies. Roy Bargy left the band in 1922 after an argument with Benson, and many of the musicians left with him. He was replaced as bandleader and pianist by Don Bestor, and new band members included saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer and, in the mid 1920s, drummer Gene Krupa. The band continued to record successfully, with hits including one of the first recordings of " Tea for Two" in 1925. That year, Bestor left, and trumpeter Fred Hamm took over as leader. Thereafter the band continued to disintegrate, although its name continued to be used on records until the end of the 1920s. Edgar Benson himself lost effective control of the Chicago dance band business in the mid- and late 1920s to rival booking agent Jules Stein.Sengstock, pp.21-22

References

External links

Library of Congress: Benson Orchestra of Chicago

Benson Orchestra of Chicago recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{Authority control Dance bands Musical groups from Chicago Victor Records artists Musical groups established in 1920 1920 establishments in Illinois