[ Orville Knapp Orch ]
b. Jan. 1, 1904 Kansas City, MO, USA. d. July 16, 1936 Beverly, MA, USA.
Played: saxophone
Tag line: "A New style In Melody"
Theme: "Indigo"
Here's an autographed photo (from the 'Joe Sanders Collection' of the 'Kansas City Library') of Orville Knapp, that reads: "To papa Joe (Coon-Sanders Orch. --ed) One Swell Guy - Orville Knapp" Orville was the second born of four children to Samuel and Ida Knapp. He was named after Orville Wright, who had made the first airplane flight two weeks before Orville's birth.

The Knapp family had no musical background. Orville and his sister Pauline became interested in music and theater while elementary school. While attending Central High School Knapp taught himself to play the saxophone. After graduating, he moved to New York with Pauline where they appeared as a dancing act in vaudeville. He is said to have played with both the Leo Reisman and Vincent Lopez orchestra, while living in New York. He occasionally travelled and a 1923 photograph shows him with the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks band in Kansas City.

In 1933, Orville went to Hollywood to visit Pauline who had previously moved there to begin a film career. Pauline Evelyn Knapp made a series of film shorts in New York and had been signed to a movie contract by Warner Brothers who changed her name to Evelyn Knapp. Her best known movies are 'Sinner's Holiday' with James Cagney and the serial 'Perils Of Pauline'. While in California, Orville worked with a jazz combo at the Cafe de Paree before forming his big band. It debuted at the Silver Palm Room of Santa Monica's Grand Hotel on May 30, 1934. The vocalists were 18 year old Virginia Verrill and Don Raymond.

The band was signed to a recording contract and made their first records for Decca in August 1934. Virginia Verrell left when they started touring because her mother refused to allow her to travel with the band. In November 1934, after opening at Los Angeles' Beverly-Wilshire Hotel, Knapp made several personnel changes, hiring pianist-arranger Charles Floyd and singer Edith Caldwell from the Ted Black Orchestra. Ray Hendricks joined as male vocalist but left after only one month. He was followed by Dave Marshall and Norman Ruvell. A permanent male vocalist was not found until Leighton Noble was hired from the George Hamilton Orchestra in August 1935. At the time Noble was hired Knapp also was auditioning for a pianist and drummer and turned down Stan Kenton and Spike Jones.

In October 1935 the band started touring, reaching New York to open at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Feruary 28, 1936. It was a successul engagement and subsequent shows were broadcast over WOR radio. While in New York the band recorded their final eight songs for Brunswick and Knapp was married to Gloria Grafton, who had starred in the Broadway musical Jumbo.

In June the Waldorf booking ended and the band moved to Boston's Ritz-Carlton Hotel for a short engagement which was to be followed by a series of one-nighters before returning to New York. While the band moved from New York to Boston, Knapp, who loved to fly, bought a biplane and while practicing emergency landings at the East Boston Airport in Beverly, Massacusetts he was involved in a fatal accident. A judgment error on his part caused the plane to stall and the resulting crash propelled his body from the rear seat through the bulkhead crushing his body against the forward instrument panel. He died instantly.

Although short-lived the Orville Knapp band made a total of 17 records, 13 for Decca and the remaining 4 for Brunswick. Air-checks made by the band reveal his theme song was 'Indigo' and not 'Accent On Youth' as has been written elsewhere.

The band returned to New York where Leighton Noble became the temporary leader. In August it opened at Pittsburgh's William Penn Hotel. MCA, the bands booking agency, and Gloria Knapp decided that George Olsen, a successful bandleader during the 1920's, should take over the band. Olsen first led the band, in September 1936, at Cincinnati's Gibson Hotel where it was billed as the 'Orville Knapp Orchestra And The Music Of Tomorrow'. Leighton Noble, Edith Caldwell and Charles Floyd left in May 1937 when Noble and Floyd formed their own band which operated under Noble's name. Edith Caldwll, who was now married to Floyd, became the female vocalist. The Knapp band broke up by the summer of 1938.

This entry, on Orville Knapp, extracted from an article by Mr. Joseph E. Bennett, and forward by Mr. Robin Lenhart.

   [ Benny Krueger & His Orch. ]
b. June 17, 1899, Newark, NJ, USA, d. April 29, 1967
Instruments: Leader/vocal/alto sax.
Benny's history goes way back. He had originally recorded for the Gennett label, then with Brunswick, followed by RCA Victor. *(Please also see: Gus Haenschen Orch., for some very interesting information. It is also interesting to note that the management at RCA Victor felt deeply that a jazz band should have a sax player, - and Benny was their choice. Victor insisted the Original Dixieland Jazz Band add him to their band. Did you know that prior to this, a sax had virtually never been used in a jazz band. Krueger was heard with the ODJB between 1917 to 1923.

Benny was a member of the "Original Dixieland Jazz Band" (ODJB) when they were in New York, and recorded their hit "Palesteena" (Conrad - Robinson tune), VIC-18717 - Dec. 4, 1920. (Personel: Nick LaRocca, cornet; Eddie Edwards, trombone; Larry Shields, clarinet; Tony Sbarbaro, Drums; Benny Krueger, alto sax; J. Russel Robinson, piano. One can get a good "feel" of what the music sounded like by listening to these tunes:

  "Palesteena", (554 kb), A 1920's recording in which Benny Krueger's Sax is well heard.
  "I'm Cuckoo Over You", (489 kb): 1921. The Benny Krueger Orchestra . (Brunswick. Rec'd: Nov. 1921)
  "I've Got My Habits On", (828 kb), in 1922 Krueger's band
  "Lovin' Sam", (471 kb). in 1923 Krueger's band

In the 1930s, Krueger's orchestra backed singer Rudy Vallee on his radio show, and shortly afterwards also backed up Bing Crosby on his radio show.. During his career, Benny went on to work with such men as:
Bing Crosby; Larry Shields; Nick LaRocca; Tony Sbarbaro; Henry Ragas; Tommy Dorsey; Eddie Lang; Woody Herman; J. Russel Robinson; Saxie Mansfield; Hank Stern; George Thow; Bill Rank; Larry Gomar; Jimmy Dorsey; Eddie Edwards; Will Bradley, and Bunny Berigan, among many others.

   [ Gene Krupa Orch. ]
b. Jan 15, 1909, Chicago, IL, USA. d. Oct 16, 1973, Yonkers, NY, USA.
Theme Songs:
First: "Drum Boogie"
Early On -1938: "Apurksody" (Krupa spelled backward plus the last syllable of 'rhapsody')
Later On: "Starburst"
Eugene Krupa, Drums.
Overview
Here's a photo of Gene, sitting at the drum set that he helped to standardize for all the big bands of the era.
Gene came out of the Chicago milieu of the 1920's, along with Benny Goodman, Eddie Condon, Red McKenzie, and others. He was a member of the original Goodman trio in 1935 (BG's clarinet, Teddy Wilson's Piano, and Gene on Drums. A little later, Lionel Hampton would be added on the vibraphone.) He left BG in 1938 and formed his own bigband, with "Drum Boogie" as his very first theme song.

When his mother failed to get him to study for priesthood, most of the family encouraged him to study music, which he did, formally, with several teachers, - mainly Roy C. Knapp. Early on, he was influenced by listening to such New Orleans jazz drummers as Tubby Hall; Baby Dodds, and Zutty Singleton. While still a teenager, he began playing in dance bands, including the Benson Orchestra; Al Gale; Joe Kayser, and others.

Gene cut his very first record in 1927 with a band formed by Eddie Condon, but fronted by Red McKenzie. The date is remembered today because Gene is reputed to be the first drummer to use a bass drum AND tom-toms. (The recording engineers were afraid that the drum resonances would lift the recording stylus from the wax disc.)

In 1929, the two Chicagoans, Eddie Condon and Gene Krupa, moved to New York City. With tough going during the depression years, Krupa often played in theater pit bands led by Red Nichols, alongside such other sidemen as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. In the early 1930's he worked in the bands of Mal Hallett; Buddy Rogers, and Russ Columbo.

In 1934, he joined Benny Goodman's new orchestra. Somewhat instrumental in forming the band's distinctive sound, he was often found enthusiatically encouraging the other sidemen to do their best work. When the Goodman orchestra became a huge success in August 1935, Krupa's fame was to follow. There was a certain empathy between Krupa and Goodman. Benny brought out the very best in Gene, and Gene's rhythm work lifted the Goodman orchestra to a higher level. Later in his career, Krupa often spoke of his delight in playing with Benny Goodman.

Krupa is probably the man who, during the swing era, made the drum a popular 'solo' instrument. His work on "Sing Sing Sing" may be the best example of this. Also, from ca. 1937, it was Gene Krupa and Dave Tough who played dominant roles in stabilizing the "standard" drum set of bass drum, snare drum, tom-tom; floor tom; high hat, and two to four suspended cymbals.

A great showman, always grimacing, smiling, etc., combined with his really good feeling for jazz 'timing' made him a truly desirable sideman. His style was actually quite simple when compared to other drummers of the day. It consisted mainly of a steady, heavy bass drum on every beat; a driving 2/4 high hat rhythm, and accented, syncopated tom-toms. However, his frequent alteration of the rhythm that was set by the leader did not ingratiate him with Benny.

Not long after the famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert, Krupa and Goodman had a public quarrel, and Krupa left the Goodman band. Gene then formed his own first big band. Joe Roche, a fan of Krupa's band at that time, has noted that Krupa opened on April 16th in the Marine Ballroom on Atlantic City's Steel Pier. A Billie Holiday imitator, named Jerry Kruger, handled the vocals (there was no Irene Daye in the picture as yet). His 1938 band, with Irene Daye and Leo Watson doing the vocals, consisted of:
Saxes: Bob Snyder, Sam Donohue, Mascagni Ruffo, Sam Musiker - Trumpets: Nick Prospero, C. Frankhauser, Tom Goslin - Trombones: Toby Tyler, Bruce Squires, Dalton Rizzotto - Drums: Gene - Quitar: Ray Biondo - Bass: Horace Rollins - Piano: Milton Raskin
Gene had two vocalists with very similar names. The most well known and recalled with his band was: Anita O'Day (Oct. 18, 1919). But before Anita, he had another lady named Irene Daye (Jan. 17, 1918 - Nov. 1, 1971). Earlier, both Irene and Gene had worked together in the Mal Hallett Orch.. At another time, Tom Berry was the vocalist. Listen now to the Gene Krupa Orchestra playing "Dreams are a Dime a Dozen", with the Gene Krupa Orchestra, Tom Berry vocal.

In 1941, trumpeter Roy Eldrige and vocalist Anita O'Day joined, and the band's popularity jumped. The success proved short-lived however, because Krupa was jailed in the aftermath of a San Francisco drug-bust. Found guilty, he was given a 1 to 6 years sentence, and released on bail for an appeal.

Let's go back to 1942, and watch this "Panoram Soundie"
  VIDEO: "Let Me Off Uptown"   with Gene Krupa on drums, Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge on trumpet, and Anita O'Day vocal.

He returned to New York, and re-joined the Goodman orchestra, then touring U.S.Army bases on the east coast. Krupa opted to stay behind when Goodman took the band on an extended national tour, fearing the public would react badly toward him, and, by extension, to Goodman's band. He joined the Tommy Dorsey orchestra for an engagement at New York's Paramount Theater. Krupa received a tumultuous welcome when he came on stage, and this proved to be an emotional milestone in his rehabilitation. Then. when his sentence was overturned on appeal, - a judge ruled that the charges against him had been filed improperly - Krupa left Dorsey and formed a new band.

The band had a somewhat rocky start. Gene didn't quite know just where he should be. Sometimes, he would front the band and wave a baton, while at other times he was at the drummer's throne. His early relations with the band were also a little disturbed. His pianist Bob Kitsis, has written "It (Krupa's band) was a much less disciplined group than Tommy's (Dorsey) or Artie's (Shaw). Gene was kind of disruptive, really, and got annoyed with the guys quite easily; he was the star, and he never hesitated to tell us that, and that he didn't need any of us. He might have been effective as a personality for the public - that's what he cared about, mostly, but not really as a Leader."

Eventually though, the band did begin to straighten out. Gene has written that during the break at a one night ballroom gig, the owner approached him and told him that it wasn't necessary for every single tune to have a drum solo. It was an eye opening moment for Gene. While Krupa kept his band going throughout the 1940's, and even adapted somewhat to BOP style when he used charts by Gerry Mulligan, and such sidemen as Don Fagerquist; Charlie Ventura and Red Rodney. But, the big band era had closed and in 1951 Krupa disbanded. After that, he kept busy playing with a small group (usally a quartet); touring with the JATP, and even operating a drum school with fellow drummer William "Cozy" Cole.

The 1960's often found him at re-unions of the Goodman quartet, along with Lionel Hampton and Teddy Wilson, but his health started to fail. He did recover from his heart trouble, but doctors later diagnosed him with Leukemia. In the 1970's, he limited his work to New York City, and his performances with the Goodman quartet were almost always preceded by a blood transfusion.

The jazz age is defined by both up-tempo "jump" tunes and slow, romantic ballads. Swing drummers developed a wire-brush "sizzle" sound that involved "patting" and 'stirring soup' on the snare drum with the brushes. Some of Gene's own orchestra work has good examples of this technique. Stylistically, he was a heavy handed version of Chick Webb. Krupa often publically acknowledged Chick as being his greatest influence. He never did have the subtlety and swinging sound of Webb, or other contemporaries such as Jo Jones, although he did come close during his 1943 stint with Goodman. (Benny Goodman always seemed to bring out the very best in Gene.) The fans adored his spectacular playing style. Perhaps, among drummers, only Big Sid Catlett was more flamboyant. In this writer's opinion, Krupa's finest work was with the Goodman quartet where his brush work had great skill, subtlety, and verve.

Sidenote re Krupa and Drugs:
During all of the 1940's, the public's awareness of drug addiction in the music community started to grow. Gene Krupa was the first to be arrested in 1943, for posession of marijuana. In 1947, Billie Holiday was arrested for Heroin possession and drug addiction. Charlie Parker was hospitalized at Camarillo, also in 1947, and for the same reason, heroin addiction. But Krupa's conviction was probably not warranted. The great guitarist and close friend of Krupa, Steve Jordan, in his book 'My Life In Jazz', states (loosely quoted) "Krupa was in his hotel room with a Band Boy when some of the sidemen called from the lobby and told him that two policemen had come in and asked for his room number. Krupa gave the Band boy a package of Marijuana and told him to get rid of it. The boy ran down the hall, hoping to throw it out a window, but the police saw him when they got off the elevator, and took the package. Asked where he got it, the boy said Krupa gave it to him". Jordan has said that Krupa may have used some marijuana 'recreationally' from time to time, but he was certainly not a drug addict. Jordan further states that Krupa was a religious (Roman Catholic) person and well beloved by all who knew him. Gene was 64 years old when he died of Leukemia.

   [ Kay Kyser and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge ]
b: Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA, in 1897 or maybe 1906.
d: July 23, 1985, North Carolina, USA.
né: James Kern Kyser
Theme song: "Thinking of You"
Band Tagline: The Music That Makes You Want To Dance
Here's a photo of Kay Kyser, who was first introduced to the music business while at the Univ. of No. Carolina's Law School. When Hal Kemp, who lead the schools very popular Carolina Club Orchestra, graduated in 1926, he approached Kay, then the very popular leader of the cheering section, and pressed him into service as a replacement conductor. One writer reports that Kay was so scared that his friend Johnny Mercer had to front the band.

When school resumed in the fall of 1927, Kyser advertised for people to join the band, and the first to join was saxophonist Sol "Sully" Mason who became, and remained, the bands second-in-command. Kay called him "Sassy Scully" because his youthful high energy, scat singing, and musical demeanor. (Sully died in Nov. 1970.) George Duning was the band's arranger, and remained so for the orchestra's entire lifetime. It was with this school band that kay developed his idea for the "College of Musical Knowledge". The band would play snippets of a song, and the audience was asked to name the song. The winner would get some little prize.

Kay graduated in 1928 and talked the Victor Talking Machine Company into pressing a record of the band for distribution in the area, enabling him to promote the group as "Kay Kyser and his Victor Recording Orchestra." In 1930 Kay got an engagement in New York City where the New York Times proclaimed him a "genius of jazz."

The band traveled around the country and in 1932 Kyser was offered a 15-minute spot on the radio. In order to squeeze in as much music as possible, Kay implemented the "singing song title" idea eliminating the need for spoken announcements between selections. (A concept used by Blue Barron's Orch., as well.)

In 1934, Hal Kemp again had Kay fill as his replacement at the prestigious Blackhawk in Chicago, which also included valuable radio time. Kemp had followed the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks into the Blackhawk, and Kyser followed Kemp.

In Chicago, the band began to really take off. Kyser tried a number of different ideas on the Radio broadcasts, including some new 'novelty' gimmicks. He drew upon his college days to develop the musical quiz show format ("Kay Kyser's Kampus Klass") which later became the Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and was carried on NBC a few years later. Kyser also became the only band leader to have a starring career in the movies, starting in 1939, and making seven films in five years.

He had a decent trumpeter named Merwyn Bogue, lated named "Ish Kabibble" (from an old Yiddish song titled "Ish Ga Bibble" --loose translation: "I Should Worry?") who would sing novelty type songs. Sully Mason and Harry Babbitt were his two other male singers. The female vocalist was a girl name Ginny Simms. Ginny had started her career singing for Tommy Gerun's Band under the name of Virginia Simms. In the Tom Gerun band, Ginny sang with a handsome tenor sax man named Al Morris, who later gave up the sax, stuck to singing and changed his name to Tony Martin.

There were rumors that Ginny wanted to marry Kay, but he wsn't ready to do so. When he was ready, Ginny no longer cared. In the mid-40's, Kay fell in love with the band's then girl vocalist, the very beautiful Georgia Carroll. In 1944, they were married without publicity in Nevada. The marriage was successful and they had 3 children.

Guitarist and composer Roc Hillman also served in the band. He had previously played with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, then stayed with Jimmy Dorsey when the brothers split up. When Roc joined the Army during WWII, he was replaced by "Boof" Turner, but reclaimed the guitar chair with Kyser's orchestra after his Armed Forces discharge.

Roc also composed some hit tunes including "My Devotion" (co-composed with Johnny Napton), "A Gal In Nogales" (co-composed with Johnny Napton), and "Cumana" (co-composed with Barclay Allen and Harold Spina), as well as 30 or 40 other tunes,

In 1942, when America officially entered World War II, Kay Kyser had become the country's top-grossing band leader having had nearly 50 records on the charts, and ten records in the top ten. The "Ol' Perfesser" was riding high.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kyser spent all his free time working for the war effort. He helped start the Hollywood Canteen where movie stars served food, talked and entertained the troopshttp://www.nfo.net/usa/ Kay sold war bonds on the radio and wherever he went, and his band played for the troops whenever they could. In private correspondence, Randy Willis has sent us a photo taken by his father, Julian Willis, then serving in the US Army, showing the Kyser Orchestra putting on a USO Show for the troups. The young lady is unidentified, - probably one of the many young Hollywood starlets that toured for the USO shows. Mr Willis also sent this photoof Kyser, Ish Ka Bibble (Merwyn Bogue), and two starlets taken at the same show. (The "starlet" immediately next to Kyser may be the band's vocalist Ginny Simms. But, since her head is turned, we can't be sure. (She's the right height, and hair color, and probably is Ginny.) And finally, this nice photo of Kyser Clowning for the troops. The many young Hollywood starlets who toured with the USO shows, did some singing and dancing, but basically they were there to show the servicemen just what they were fighting for. The tours were usually quite difficult, and the young ladies, and musicians, certainly deserved the thanks of their country.

From the start of WW2, Kay gave up all his commercial work but he did honor any engagements he already had, including a Meadowbrook (NJ) supper club engagement where the Kyser band played one of their last commercial dates. Booked for four weeks, they followed the Harry James band. The band had lost all of its 15 years worth of arrangements in a fire a few months before, and they hadn't played an East Coast date in years.
But, in the first week of the engagement, a surprise unfolded. The band had a new sound. In rebuilding the library, the arrangers had made significant changes. The trademark "singing song titles" were gone. A large number of the tunes were upbeat instrumentals, and the vocal arrangements were varied, ranging from solos to as many as 8 singers at a time. "This is one of the breeziest and most unrelenting shows ever put on at a dance spot," said Drum Beat magazine, "Kyser is a brilliant variety artist and deserves all the acclaim in the world."

Incidentally, both Jane Russell and Mike Douglas also sang with the band at times. Later, Jane Russell would become a famous buxom Hollywood sex queen (and friend of film producer Howard Hughes), while Douglas became a famous TV talk show host.

In 1945 "Ish Kibbible" - Merwyn Bogue - was drafted and Sully Mason left to start his own band. When Mason departed, Kay found a new singer, Michael Dowd, and gave him the stage name of Mike Douglas. Dowd (Douglas) was the lead voice on such Kyser hits as "The Old Lamplighter", "Ol' Buttermilk Sky", "Coffee Time", as well as others. Douglas later rejoined the "Kollege" when Kyser's show was seen on TV. It must have been a happy time for Mike Douglas, because he has always been quick to credit Kay both as his mentor, and for changing his name from Michael Dowd.
Because of problems with arthritis, Kay wanted to slow down, but contracts made that impossible, so he continued with the Kollege broadcasts, with their 11 year run ending in 1948. At that time the big band era was waning, and Kyser disbanded.
After disbanding, Kay turned to the Christian Science religion, first as a practitioner in North Carolina, and then in Boston, as head of the church's broadcast and film division. By the 80's he returned to No. Carolina, a wealthy, happy man.

   [ Norval Knight Orchestra ]
b. Dec. 5, 1916, Angels Camp, CA, USA.
né: Norval Weirich.
Theme song" "You and The Night and The Music"
Here's a photo of a young Norval Knight, who, In 1937, started his first band while attending the College of the Pacific, Stockton, CA (now known as the 'University of the Pacific'). He had previously changed his name from Weirich to Wyrick due to many problems that folks had mis-pronouncing or mis-spelling his original surname. Then, in 1941, while working as the 'house band' for the Claremont Hotel (Berkeley, CA), he assumed the name by which he would become widely known, - Norval Knight. His band was then also being heard nightly over the ABC network.

In August 1941, Norval was drafted into the U. S. Armed Forces, and spent World War II serving in Ireland, England, Africa, and Italy. He spent the final few months in Italian hospitals recovering from a case of Polio. By 1946, He was out of the Army, and again working as Tenor saxman and arranger for the Del Courtney Orchestra, but in the following year, he re-formed his own "Norval Knight Orchestra", which became resident at San Francisco's Palace Hotel starting in 1948. Let's go back to 1948, and listen again to the radio announcer introducing the Norval Knight Orchestra's first set for their radio remote broadcast from the Palace Hotel, as the band plays their theme song, "You And The Night And The Music".    And now, put your cocktail down, Take your 'main squeeze' out onto the floor, and enjoy a romantic dance while Norval warbles this pretty little tune "Angry"

By 1949, Knight was being booked by M. C. A., and was also heard 5 nights a week over the NBC radio network. During that year, he played at such prestigious California venues as the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz, The El Rancho Hotel in Sacramento, the Rio Nido Resort and numerous club dates at the Fairmont, and Mark Hopkins, hotels, as well as at various other clubs and ballrooms in San Francisco.

Norval played Soprano and Tenor Sax, as well as clarinet, and often doubled on Trumpet. Over the years, a great many fine musicians played in the band, and among them were: