Carmen Lombardo (July 16, 1903 – April 17, 1971) was lead saxophonist and featured vocalist for his brother
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer.
Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...
's orchestra. He was also a successful composer. In 1927, Carmen Lombardo was the vocalist of the hit record
Charmaine, performed by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
Early years
Lombardo was born in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, Canada. As a child, he took
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
lessons, and later learned to play
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
.
He had three brothers who also became musicians:
Guy,
Lebert, and
Victor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
.
Career
As a young man played in the Lombardo Brothers Concert Company with Guy on violin and another brother, Lebert, on trumpet or piano.
As the band grew, Guy became conductor, and the band developed into
The Royal Canadians
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer.
Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen Lombardo, C ...
in 1923, in which Carmen both sang and wrote music.
He frequently collaborated with American composers and his music was recorded by
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
,
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 ...
, and others. Many of his compositions have also been used in
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
films. When singing songs like "Alone at a Table for Two" he would allow his voice to tremble, and seem nearly to break into tears- he was caricatured in Warner Brothers cartoons as "Cryman" Lombardo.
In the late 1960s, actor-
raconteur
A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...
Tony Randall
Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play ''The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...
made several TV appearances on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
'' in which he sang songs written by Carmen Lombardo in a voice imitating (and somewhat exaggerating) Lombardo's style. On one appearance, Lombardo and Randall performed a duet of Lombardo's "Boo Hoo (You've Got Me Crying for You)", which was one of the songs that Randall typically included in his Lombardo routine.
Death
Lombardo died of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
in 1971, aged 67.
Compositions by Carmen Lombardo
Lombardo's popular compositions included:
*The 1928 classic "Sweethearts on Parade", which was number one for three weeks in 1929 on the U.S. pop charts of the day.
*"A Lane in Spain", a popular recording by
Jean Goldkette
John Jean Goldkette (March 18, 1893 – March 24, 1962) was a jazz pianist and bandleader.
Life
Goldkette was reportedly born on March 18, 1893 in Valenciennes, France,Russel B. Nye (1976). Music in the Twenties: The Jean Goldkette Orchestra ...
and His Orchestra in 1927.
*"Ridin' Around in the Rain", written with
Gene Austin
Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early "crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for a ...
in 1934. Popular versions were by Austin,
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 ...
and
Earl Burtnett
Earl Burtnett (February 7, 1896 – January 2, 1936) was an American bandleader, songwriter and pianist who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Life and career
Burtnett was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Pennsylvania State Col ...
.
*"
Coquette
A coquette is a flirtatious woman. It may refer to:
* ''The Coquette'' (film), a 1917 German silent comedy film
* ''Coquette'' (film), an Academy Award-winning 1929 film starring Mary Pickford
* ''Coqueta '' (1949 film), a Mexican musical film
* ' ...
",
*"Boo Hoo (You've Got Me Crying For You)", a major hit for the Guy Lombardo orchestra.
*"A Sailboat in the Moonlight" (1937) with
John Jacob Loeb John Jacob Loeb (1910 – 2 March 1970) was an American composer. He wrote music and lyrics for many popular songs, such as "Rosie the Riveter" (1942), " Seems Like Old Times" (1945), "Masquerade", "Reflections in the Water", "Sweetie Pie", "Boo Hoo ...
,
*"
Seems Like Old Times",
*"Get Out Those Old Records",
*"
Return to Me
''Return to Me'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Bonnie Hunt and starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It was filmed in Chicago and was released on April 7, 2000 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was Carroll O'Connor's fi ...
" (1957) with Danny Di Minno.
*"You're Beautiful To-Night, My Dear".
"Carmen Lombardo biography"
, songwritershalloffame.org, accessed February 15, 2010
*" Powder Your Face with Sunshine (Smile, Smile, Smile)", written with Stanley Rochinski in 1948–49.
Lombardo and John Jacob Loeb's 1942 song "There Won't Be a Shortage of Love "There Won't Be a Shortage of Love" is a 1942 popular song written by Carmen Lombardo and John Jacob Loeb. The song was written in response to the rationing of goods in the United States in the Second World War. The song was first recorded by Doll ...
" was the first song written in response to American government rationing in World War II.
He wrote five songs for the 1934 film '' Many Happy Returns'', in which the orchestra appeared.[ ]
Lombardo wrote the words and music with John Jacob Loeb for Guy Lombardo's stage productions of ''Arabian Nights'' (1954, 1955), '' Paradise Island'' (1961, 1962), and ''Mardi Gras'' (1965, 1966) at Jones Beach Marine Theater
Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater (commonly known as the Jones Beach Theater) is an outdoor amphitheatre at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh, New York. It is one of two major outdoor arenas in the New York metropolitan area, along with PN ...
, New York.
References
External links
Carmen Lombardo 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 ...
.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombardo, Carmen
1903 births
1971 deaths
Canadian jazz singers
Canadian expatriates in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Florida
Canadian people of Italian descent
Canadian jazz saxophonists
Male saxophonists
Musicians from Miami
Musicians from London, Ontario
Canadian jazz composers
20th-century Canadian male singers
20th-century American composers
20th-century saxophonists
American male jazz composers
American jazz composers
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century jazz composers