Carl Fenton was a pseudonym of
Walter G. Haenschen, American bandleader, composer, and radio musician.
Name origin
The Carl Fenton Orchestra (AKA "Carl Fenton’s Orchestra") was a title given to
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916.
History
From 1916
Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing produ ...
studio bands through the 1920s. The name was invented by Brunswick music director Walter Gustave "Gus" Haenschen shortly after taking the position for their brand-new American division. Later, the name was taken by violinist Ruby (Rubin) Greenberg.
Haenschen, whose own name was considered ill-suited for commercial recordings, haphazardly chose the name "Fenton" after the town of
Fenton, Missouri, near his hometown of
St Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...
. He attended
Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
. He told an interviewer "How do you find a name? Just pull it out of a hat." The first name "Carl" was likely selected by Brunswick's office staff.
Early recordings
The earliest songs recorded by Carl Fenton's Orchestra were ''Karavan'' and ''Romance'', from October 1919. Brunswick Records released many "Carl Fenton" records, with various line-ups of musicians. The band was typically led by Haenschen in the studio, but was led by studio musician/conductor Rubin "Ruby" Greenberg during their occasional concerts.
Orchestra change
Around the time that Haenschen left Brunswick Records in mid-1927, Greenberg purchased the rights to the Carl Fenton name. From 1928 to 1930, Greenberg was musical director for
Gennett Records
Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and H ...
, where he recorded as "Carl Fenton’s New Yorkers". Under the direction of Greenberg, the Carl Fenton Orchestra then moved to radio, where they co-starred with a young
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 ...
from 1931 to 1932 on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
network (on tour the orchestra was named "Cremo Orchestra" after sponsor Cremo Cigars).
In 1932, Greenberg had his name legally changed to Carl Fenton. He continued to work as a music director for radio and theaters till his death in January, 1942.
Sources
''Carl Fenton''''Gus Haenschen''
References
External links
W. Gus. Haenschen recordingsat 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 ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Carl
American bandleaders
American radio personalities
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Gennett Records artists
Musicians from St. Louis
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing