The Charlie Davis Orchestra was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

band from Indiana that was active in the 1920s and 1930s. For a while the band's vocalist was

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

History

One of the most famous bands in the

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...

state at the time, the Charlie Davis Orchestra gained notoriety in the 1920s at the Indiana Theatre and the Columbia Club and made radio broadcasts on

WLW WLW (700 AM) is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as The Big One. WLW operates with around the clock. Its daytime signal provides ...

and WFBM where many of their recordings were made. The band had close connections with the Royal Peacocks, the

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 ...

orchestra, and

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

. The band went toured in the 1920s and 1930s, performing at the

Brooklyn Paramount Theatre The Brooklyn Paramount Theater is a former movie palace at 1 University Plaza at the intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in downtown Brooklyn, New York. Opened in 1928, the building has been owned by Long Island University (LIU) since 195 ...

and the New York Paramount Theatre, sharing billing with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

and

Rubinoff Rubinoff is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * David Rubinoff (1897–1986), Russian-American violinist * Ed Rubinoff (born 1935), American tennis player * Jeffrey Rubinoff Jeffrey Rubinoff (October 23, 1945January 24, 2017) w ...

. When the band played at the Paramount in New York City in 1930, the leader singer was

. With the advent of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the band and its band members found the market for small and large orchestras change overnight and could not weather the shock of fewer bookings. It disbanded in 1929. Davis wrote about the band in his memoir ''That Band from Indiana'' (1982).

Personnel

* Charlie Davis – piano, trumpet, bandleader * Ralph Hayes – trumpet * Harry Wiliford – trumpet and vocals * Charlie Fach – trombone * Phil Davis – trombone * Ray Shonfield – saxophone * Kenny Knot – piano * Jack Drummond – double bass * Ralph Lillard – drums and composer * Lewis Lowe – vocals *

– vocals

Discography

* "There's No End to My Love for You" (

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

, 1928) * "When" (Vocalion, 1928) * "The Drag" (Vocalion, 1928) * "You're a Real Sweetheart" (Vocalion, 1928) * "Just Like a Melody Out of the Sky" (Vocalion, 1928) * "You're A Real Sweetheart" (Vocalion, 1928) * "Suppose Nobody Cared" ( Brunswick, 1928) * "Mean to Me" (

Gennett 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 Hoa ...

, 1929) * " I Never Had A Chance/Rollin' Home" (1934)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlie Davis Orchestra American bandleaders American jazz bandleaders American jazz ensembles from Indiana Big bands Swing ensembles Territory bands Musical groups from Indiana Gennett Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 1929