Raymond Arthur Bloch (August 3, 1902 – March 29, 1982)
Career
During the 1920s, he performed with small groups on piano and also conducted ballroom bands.
[ Later in the decade he began appearing as a pianist on radio stations.][ He began working as an arranger and composer for the Four Eton Boys in the early 1930s, and followed that as a conductor for choral groups.][ In 1939 he joined the CBS radio variety show ''Johnny Presents'' as choral director and was promoted to orchestra conductor. This was the beginning of a long and successful career in "conducting, coaching, orchestrating, and choral directing"][ on radio, television, and albums.
]
Radio
Bloch and his orchestra were featured on numerous radio variety shows of the late-1930s and 1940s. These included: ''Johnny Presents'' (1939-1946), ''The Gay Nineties Revue
''The Gay Nineties Revue'' was an American variety series that aired live on ABC Television from August 11, 1948 to mid-1949 on Wednesdays at 8pm ET. The host was songwriter Joseph E. Howard, who was reportedly age 71 at the time he hosted the ...
'' (CBS, 1939–1944), ''Let Yourself Go'' (CBS, 1944–1945), ''The Continental Celebrity Club'' (1945-1946), ''The Milton Berle Show
''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...
'' (NBC, 1948–1949), and '' The Mary Small Revue'' (1945). From 1943 to 1956 Bloch and his orchestra also performed on ''Here's to Romance'', a weekly musical variety show broadcast by the American Forces Network
The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...
. In 1951 Bloch hosted his own show, ''The Bloch Party'', a 60-minute variety show on CBS Radio featuring Judy Lynn
Judy Lynn Kelly (born Judy Lynn Voiten; April 16, 1936 – May 26, 2010), better known by her stage name Judy Lynn, was an American country music singer and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Idaho in 1955.
Life and career
Lynn was born in Boise, ...
, the Russ Emery Chorus, and the Ray Bloch Orchestra.
The orchestra was a fixture on several game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
s, including '' Take It or Leave It'' (CBS, 1940–1947). ''Quick as a Flash'' (1944–1949) – during which "clues were elaborately dramatized or were musically illustrated by Ray Bloch's orchestra"– and ''Sing It Again'' (1948–1951). Bloch also worked on ''Philip Morris Playhouse
''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214.
The program " nerally .. ...
'' (CBS, 1939–1943), and in several Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
drama presentations.[
In 1945 Bloch signed an exclusive contract with ]Signature Records
Signature Records was a jazz record company and label founded in 1939 by Bob Thiele when he was 17 years old. Its roster included Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines, Erroll Garner, and Lester Young.
At age 14, Thiele was a disc jockey for his own jazz r ...
to serve as "musical conductor for all disks by individual singers". The Ray Bloch Orchestra backed many singers, including The Five DeMarco Sisters, Kay Armen
Armenuhi Manoogian ( hy, Արմենուհի Մանուկեան); November 2, 1915 – October 3, 2011), better known by her stage name Kay Armen, was an American Armenian singer popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Her career in show business spann ...
,[ and ]Monica Lewis
Monica Lewis (born May Lewis; May 5, 1922 – June 12, 2015) was an American jazz singer and film actress. Lewis was the longtime voice of Chiquita Banana in that company's animated ad campaign, beginning in 1947.
Biography Early life
Lewis was ...
. The orchestra itself was featured on Signature Records' ''The Merry Christmas Album'' (1947), ''Best Loved Christmas Music Album'' (1947), and a 78 record with the songs "I Must Have Your Love" and "Together" (1953). Bloch wrote songs such as "When Love Has Gone", "You're Everything That's Lovely", "In the Same Old Way", "In My Little Red Book", "The Wide Open Spaces", "Sam the Vegetable Man", "Let's Make Up a Little Party", and " If You Were Mine". He often worked with W. Edward Breuder and Paul Rusincky
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
.
Television
Bloch was the arranger and orchestra conductor for ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' from the show's debut on June 20, 1948 until its final show in June 1971. He also led the orchestra for ''The Jackie Gleason Show
''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.
''Cavalcade of Stars''
Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...
''. Each week during his show, Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...
would introduce Bloch as "the flower of the music world".
When asked for a comment after The Beatles' performance on ''The Ed Sullivan show'' on 9 February 1964 Bloch said, "The only thing that’s different is the hair, as far as I can see. I give them a year."
Other activities
He was on the original board of governors of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
and also on the board of the New York Friars' Club
The Friars Club is a private club in New York City. Famous for its risqué roasts, the club's membership is composed mostly of comedians and other celebrities. Founded in 1904, it is located at 57 East 55th Street, between Park Avenue and Madi ...
.[ In the 1950s he founded Ray Bloch Productions, which continues to produce events for the entertainment and corporate industries.
]
Later years
Bloch retired to 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 ...
. He died of a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
there on March 29, 1982.[ He was buried in ]Ferncliff Cemetery
Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 280 Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States, about north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff ...
in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
.
References
Notes
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloch, Ray
American male composers
American composers
American music arrangers
1902 births
1982 deaths
People from Alsace-Lorraine
American conductors (music)
American male conductors (music)
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
German emigrants to the United States
American radio bandleaders
20th-century American male musicians