George "Spike" Hamilton (January 13, 1901–March 31,1957) was a popular bandleader and songwriter who led a band based at the

Biltmore Hotel Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Among the musicians in the band were Ray Robbins,

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

, and

Leighton Noble Leighton Noble, born Faye Leighton Jepson (December 25, 1912 – March 5, 1994) was an American vocalist and bandleader active during the swing era. He was also an actor and television presenter. Noble's parents divorced when he was young, and h ...

. Born in Newport, Vermont as George William Hamilton, the son of Dr. Harry Hamilton, a dentist. His family owned a store in Newport that was founded by his mother's father in 1859. He studied violin as a child, attended local schools in Newport and graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1923. While at Dartmouth he organized a dance orchestra, later known as the Barbary Coast Orchestra. After leaving Dartmouth his orchestra played in Chicago and then in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

at the

Million Dollar Pier Playground Pier is a four-story pier located on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey that houses a luxury shopping and restaurant mall. Located at the foot of Arkansas Avenue, it is connected to Caesars casino via a second-story skybridg ...

. In the early 1930s he began recording with

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

and

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...

. His first song, "Bye Bye, Pretty Baby." was published in 1927. Other songs included "Betty Co-ed," "I'll Never Forget," "Somebody Nobody Loves," and "What Am I Supposed to Do." Hamilton appeared in the movie '' Gift of Gab'' (1934), and in the short film ''

Sunday Night at the Trocadero ''Sunday Night at the Trocadero'' is a 1937 short film directed by George Sidney. It appears as a special feature on the DVD version of the Marx Brothers' AFI Top 100 Film, ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera''. Cameos by dozens of ...

'' (1937). His first wife was Patricia O'Brien, whom he married in February 1925. In 1937 he married Ann Stevens, formerly Mrs. William Potter, with whom he had two sons, David Hamilton and actor George Hamilton. That marriage lasted until 1943. Early in 1945 he married June Howard, who was a singer in his band. In his actor son's 2008 memoir, ''Don't Mind if I Do,'' George Hamilton said that he had sexual relations with June Howard, then his stepmother, at the age of 12, and then years later when he was an adult.. Hamilton returned to New York in 1944 and in his final years worked in sales in the perfume industry. He died in his apartment in New York City on March 31, 1957. At the time of his death he was sales director of Evyan Parfums Inc. He was survived by four children and a brother. He was buried at a cemetery in Newport.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, George American bandleaders 1901 births 1957 deaths 20th-century American musicians