Henry King (February 8 1906 – August 8, 1974) was an American orchestra leader and pianist who achieved significant success as a recording artist, hotel bandleader, and as leader of radio orchestras. He was most popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Today he is remembered as the orchestra leader of the

Burns and Allen Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years. The duo ...

radio program.

Biography

Henry King was born in February 8 1906. He initially intended to be a classical concert pianist, having studied under

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...

for six years. Finding pop music to be more lucrative, he organized his first band in the early 1930s. The band was a society band, not a jazz band, and as the band became successful it found engagement at the most prestigious hotels. Over his career, King believed his band to have broadcast more than 5000 remotes. His theme was the

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

Frank Signorelli Frank Signorelli (May 24, 1901 – December 9, 1975) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Signorelli was born to an Italian Sicilian family in New York City, New York. Signorelli was a founding member of the Original Memphis Five in 1917, ...

composition, "A Blues Serenade". King became the band leader of the

Campbell's Tomato Juice Program "Adventures of Gracie" in 1936, his first appearance was on September 2 that year. During this time period, he resided in San Francisco but traveled to Hollywood the day of the broadcast. He married Baltimore resident Vilma Lewis in January 1937 in the very early hours of the morning, given special dispensation as their careers interfered with a marriage during normal hours. This event was incorporated into the January 20, 1937, Burns and Allen program. When Burns and Allen left CBS for NBC and a new show sponsored by

Grape Nuts Grape-Nuts is a brand of breakfast cereal made from flour, salt and dried yeast, developed in 1897 by C. W. Post, a former patient and later competitor of the 19th-century breakfast food innovator Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Post's original product ...

at the end of March 1937, King did not follow them on radio, but took on an extended appointment at the

Palmer House The Palmer House – A Hilton Hotel is a historic hotel in Chicago's Loop area. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Palmer House was the city's first hotel with elevators ...

in Chicago instead. Later in his career he modified his style to focus on Latin American-influenced music, becoming an early-adopter of rhumba and samba rhythms. In 1940 he was living in New York City on West 92nd Street. King died in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, on August 8, 1974, following a lengthy period of poor health. King was reviewed as a superior emcee, presenting acts in a low-key manner that best suited his style.

Selected discography

Filmography

*1938 – ''

Sunset Murder Case ''Sunset Murder Case'' is a 1938 American film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Sally Rand and Esther Muir. The film is also known as ''High Explosive'' in the United Kingdom. Plot summary After her policeman father is killed and n ...

'' *1942 – '' The Yanks Are Coming'' *1943 – ''

Spotlight Scandals ''Spotlight Scandals'' or ''Spotlight Revue'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by William Beaudine. It was the first of a four-picture contract comic actor Billy Gilbert signed with Monogram Pictures. Butch and Buddy, the team who ...

'' *1944 – ''Sweethearts of the U.S.A.'' *1945 – '' Out of This World''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Henry 1906 births 1974 deaths American bandleaders Victor Records artists Columbia Records artists Decca Records artists Place of birth missing