Lawrence Joseph Elgart (March 20, 1922 – August 29, 2017) was an American jazz bandleader. With his brother Les, he recorded "
Bandstand Boogie
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
", the theme to the long-running dance show ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...
''.
Biography
Elgart was born in 1922 in
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...
, four years younger than his brother, Les, and grew up in
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 11,097, Their mother was a concert pianist; their father also played piano, though not professionally. Larry and Les both attended Pompton Lakes High School. Both brothers began playing in jazz ensembles in their teens, and while young Larry played with jazz musicians such as Charlie Spivak, Woody Herman, Red Norvo, Freddie Slack and
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...
.
In the mid-1940s, Les and Larry started up their own ensemble, hiring
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Recor ...
, Bill Finegan and Ralph Flanagan to arrange tunes for them. Their ensemble was not successful, and after a few years, they scuttled the band and sold the arrangements they had commissioned to Tommy Dorsey. Both returned to sideman positions in various orchestras.
In 1953, Larry met Charles Albertine and recorded two of his experimental compositions, "Impressions of Outer Space" and "Music for Barefoot Ballerinas". Released on 10" vinyl, these recordings became collectors' items for fans of avant-garde jazz, but they were not commercially successful. Larry and Albertine put together a more traditional ensemble and began recording them using precise microphone placements, producing what came to be known as the "Elgart Sound". This proved to be very commercially successful, and throughout the 1950s, Larry and Les enjoyed a run of successful albums and singles on the
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
label. Their initial LP, "Sophisticated Swing," released in late 1953, was credited to The Les Elgart Orchestra, because, according to Larry, Les was more interested than his brother in fronting the band.
In 1954, the Elgarts left their permanent mark on music history in recording Albertine's "Bandstand Boogie," for the legendary television show originally hosted by Bob Horn, and two years later, by
Dick Clark
Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...
. In 1956, Clark took the show from its local broadcast in Philadelphia, to ABC-TV for national distribution as "American Bandstand." He remained host for another 32 years. Variations of the original song surfaced as the show's theme in later years.
In 1955, the band became The Les and Larry Elgart Orchestra, but the brothers split in 1959, each subsequently releasing his own series of LPs. Larry signed with
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. His 1959 album, "New Sounds At the Roosevelt," was nominated that year for a Grammy Award. From 1960 to 1962, he released music on
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
. Larry and Les reunited in 1963 and recorded several more albums, ending with 1967's "Wonderful World of Today's Hits," after which they went their separate ways. Les moved to Texas and performed with The Les Elgart Orchestra until his death in 1995.
Elgart's biggest exposure came in 1982, with the smash success of a recording titled "Hooked on Swing". The instrumental was a medley of swing jazz hits - " In the Mood", "
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...
", " Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", " American Patrol", " Sing, Sing, Sing", "Don't Be That Way", " Little Brown Jug", " Opus #1", " Take the A Train", "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart" and " A String of Pearls" - that became so popular it even cracked the US Billboard Pop Singles chart (at No. 31) and Adult Contemporary chart (No. 20). This was the final hit for any artist in the year-long "medley craze," that lasted from 1981 to 1982. Billed as "Larry Elgart and His Manhattan Swing Orchestra," the LP from which the tune was taken hit No. 24 on the US charts. The follow-up, ''Hooked on Swing 2'', debuted at No. 89 on the album charts, and soon after Larry was back to the jazz touring circuit. He continued to tour internationally and record into the 2000s.
A resident of Longboat Key, Florida, Elgart died in 2017 at a hospice center in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...
* ''Impressions Of Outer Space'' ( Brunswick, 1953)
* ''Band with Strings'' (
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...
, 1954)
* ''Until The Real Thing Comes Along'' (Decca, 1954)
* ''Larry Elgart & His Orchestra'' (Decca, 1954)
* ''Barefoot Ballerina'' (Decca, 1955)
* ''Larry Elgart and His Orchestra'' (
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
, 1959)
* ''New Sounds at The Roosevelt'' (RCA Victor, 1959)
* ''Saratoga'' (RCA Victor, 1960)
* ''Easy Goin' Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1960)
* ''Sophisticated Sixties'' ( MGM, 1960)
* ''The Shape of Sounds to Come'' (MGM, 1961)
* ''Visions American Legends: A New Look And A New Sound'' (MGM, 1961)
* ''Music in Motion!'' (MGM, 1962)
* ''More Music in Motion'' (MGM, 1962)
* ''The City'' (MGM, 1963)
* ''The Larry Elgart Dance Band'' (Project 3, 1979) (reissue of ''New Sounds at the Roosevelt'')
* ''Flight of the Condor'' (RCA Victor, 1981)
* ''Hooked on Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1982)
* ''Hooked on Swing 2'' (RCA Victor, 1983)
* ''Larry Elgart and His Swing Orchestra'' (RCA Victor, 1983)
* ''Let My People Swing'' ( K-Tel, 1995) (reissue of ''New Sounds at the Roosevelt'')
* ''Live at the Ambassador'' (Quicksilver, 1998)
* ''Latin Obsession'' (
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, 2000)
* ''Bandstand Boogie'' (2003)
* ''Nashville Country Piano'' (Swampfire 1969)
* ''Nashville Country Brass'' (Swampfire 1969)
* ''Nashville Country Guitars'' (Swampfire 1969)
* ''Bridge Over Troubled Water'' (Swampfire 1970)
With
Les Elgart
Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter.
Early Years
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed t ...
* ''Sophisticated Swing'' (
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
, 1953)
* ''Prom Date'' (Columbia, 1954)
* ''Campus Hop'' (Columbia, 1954)
* ''More of Les'' (Columbia, 1955)
* ''Just One More Dance'' (Columbia, 1954)
* ''Bazoom'' (Columbia EP, 1954)
* ''The Band of the Year'' (Columbia, 1955)
* ''The Dancing Sound'' (Columbia, 1955)
* ''For Dancers Only'' (Columbia, 1955)
* ''The Elgart Touch'', (Columbia, 1955)
* '' Les Elgart & His Orchestra Present'', (Columbia EP, 1955)
* ''The Most Happy Fella'' (Columbia, 1956)
* ''For Dancers Also'' (Columbia, 1956)
* ''Les & Larry Elgart & Their Orchestra'' (Columbia, 1958)
* ''Sound Ideas'' (Columbia, 1958)
* ''Big Band Hootenany'' (Columbia, 1963)
* ''Command Performance'' (Columbia, 1964)
* ''The New Elgart Touch'' (Columbia, 1965)
* ''Elgart au Go-Go'', (Columbia, 1965)
* ''Sound of the Times'' (Columbia, 1966)
* ''Warm and Sensuous'' (Columbia, 1966)
* ''Girl Watchers'' (Columbia, 1967)
* ''Wonderful World of Today's Hits'', (Columbia, 1967)