Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians at Crystal Gardens – May 1926
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians! There's a name that my older readers will never forget. For decades, the sound of Guy Lombardo and his orchestra playing Auld Lang Syne was an essential part of celebrating the arrival of the New Year at midnight. I still get choked up when I hear a recording of it, as it conjures up a flood of memories.
But did you know that Guy Lombardo was born in London, Ontario? Thus he really was Canadian. And with Ontario so close to Ohio, it's not too surprising that when his orchestra first started touring in the States (in the early 1920s), they headed to Cleveland. They were so popular that they ended up with a steady gig and stayed there for several years, building up a strong, loyal following in the area.
By 1926, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians were already well-known recording stars and radio performers, in addition to being a touring musical group. So the appearance of the group in May 1926 at Crystal Gardens, the dance hall at Crystal Beach in Vermilion, was a big deal.
Here are the ads and article from the Lorain Journal leading up to the event on May 10, 1926.
May 5, 1926
May 6, 1926
May 7, 1926
May 7, 1926
May 8, 1926
May 10, 1926
Two-page spread from May 10, 1926
May 10 ,1926
May 10 1926
May 11, 1926
If you like Big Band music like me (remember, I played in one in the 1980s and 90s), then you might enjoy this YouTube video of a 1955 TV appearance of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. It's nice that the various members of the orchestra are all highlighted and get some camera time.
My across-the-street neighbor was a professional musician in the 1920s & 30s. Played Dixieland, jazz, and big-band banjo, guitar, trombone, and trumpet. He knew most of the other bands and leaders from running into them while touring. He told me Guy Lombardo was a nice guy, but always dismissed his orchestra and their warbling, sliding sound, especially at New Year's as "a$$h*le sax."
Lombardo was interesting in that he didn't vary his signature sound much over the decades - the soupy saxophones you hear in the 1955 program would have been very similar to what was heard at Crystal Gardens in the 1920s. Also - as the articles note - he had a stage show with novelties and comedy bits, which was ahead of his time. Later on, bands like Les Brown that endured after the big band era, also had well-developed routines. They didn't just play tunes.
My neighbor spoke of skits - one, in particular, where the band dressed in "Spanish Outfits" and spoke in broken English while playing mariachi-like tunes. They all ended up getting body lice from the clothing!
Good observations, Buster. You mentioned Les Brown, the big band that I was in along with my brother was somewhat of a 'cover band' of Les Brown that played a lot of his arrangements, so we did a few novelty songs of his. We played original arrangements of other bands too, such as Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey.
I imagine some of your band's charts were by Frank Comstock. He did a lot of Brown's arrangements. Among his other arrangers, at least in the 50s, were Skip Martin, Ben Homer, Van Alexander and Wes Hensel.
Thanks for the link, Buster – I'll check it out! And yes, I remember seeing the name Frank Comstock on some arrangements. It was fun playing in that band, it was like being on a Bob Hope special.
My across-the-street neighbor was a professional musician in the 1920s & 30s. Played Dixieland, jazz, and big-band banjo, guitar, trombone, and trumpet. He knew most of the other bands and leaders from running into them while touring. He told me Guy Lombardo was a nice guy, but always dismissed his orchestra and their warbling, sliding sound, especially at New Year's as "a$$h*le sax."
ReplyDeleteLombardo was interesting in that he didn't vary his signature sound much over the decades - the soupy saxophones you hear in the 1955 program would have been very similar to what was heard at Crystal Gardens in the 1920s. Also - as the articles note - he had a stage show with novelties and comedy bits, which was ahead of his time. Later on, bands like Les Brown that endured after the big band era, also had well-developed routines. They didn't just play tunes.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor spoke of skits - one, in particular, where the band dressed in "Spanish Outfits" and spoke in broken English while playing mariachi-like tunes. They all ended up getting body lice from the clothing!
DeleteGood observations, Buster. You mentioned Les Brown, the big band that I was in along with my brother was somewhat of a 'cover band' of Les Brown that played a lot of his arrangements, so we did a few novelty songs of his. We played original arrangements of other bands too, such as Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey.
DeleteThere's a fair amount of Les on my blog, Dan. This particular post has a few novelty numbers:
Deletehttps://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2023/10/les-brown-six-navy-shows-from-1953.html
I imagine some of your band's charts were by Frank Comstock. He did a lot of Brown's arrangements. Among his other arrangers, at least in the 50s, were Skip Martin, Ben Homer, Van Alexander and Wes Hensel.
Thanks for the link, Buster – I'll check it out! And yes, I remember seeing the name Frank Comstock on some arrangements. It was fun playing in that band, it was like being on a Bob Hope special.
Delete