Centenarians

Leita Jolly was celebrating her 100th birthday the week she was interviewed in 2003. On the occasion, she played the piano for her friends with her ragtime flare. In 1917, while World War I was ending, Leita was hired as a song plugger. Her main job was to play the latest songs in the music store...

Music Publishing, Deceased, Women in the Music Industry, Centenarians, Interview Performance, Ragtime, Song Pluggers

Orrin Tucker

Orrin Tucker’s Orchestra recorded one of the greatest successes of the big band era, “Oh Johnny Oh.” This novelty number featured the shy voice of Wee Bonnie Baker and has come to symbolize the musical era and the social climate of America during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Orrin enjoyed a full...

Big Bands, Saxophones, CG Conn, Deceased, Centenarians, Actor, Audio Only, Multiple Interviews

Herb Jeffries

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Herb Jeffries was a singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra who scored a top hit recording with "Flamingo" in 1941. Other songs would follow but none matched the success...

Vocalists, Duke Ellington, Jazz, Motion Pictures, Actor, Audio Only, Centenarians, Singing Cowboy, Deceased

Van Alexander

Van Alexander co-wrote “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” with Ella Fitzgerald while both worked in the Chick Webb Orchestra back in 1938. The success of that song led to a job as arranger for Webb as well as Benny Goodman and Paul Whiteman and super stardom for Ella. Van formed his own band during the wonderful...

Deceased, Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Film Scores-Soundtracks, Big Bands, Composer/Songwriter, Music Publishing, Chick Webb, Paul Whiteman, Centenarians, Television Scoring, Audio Only, Multiple Interviews, Bing Crosby, The Sing Era, Arrangers, ASMAC, Musical Director

Ray Anthony

Ray Anthony has only endorsed two products during his long and successful career-- only two because he doesn't give use of his name lightly. As a teenager he played trumpet for the famed Glenn Miller Orchestra during the swing era. A decade later he formed his own band and recorded a number of his...

Trumpets, Selmer Band Instruments, Big Bands, Glenn Miller, Yamaha Corporation of America, Multiple Interviews, Centenarians

Louise Tobin

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Louise Tobin was a popular singer during the golden years of the Big Band Swing era. She performed with such bands as those led by Jack Jenney, Will Bradley, Benny Goodman...

Vocalists, Big Bands, Audio Only, Benny Goodman, Peanuts Hucko, Centenarians

Bea Wain

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Bea Wain was a singer with the big bands during the great swing era of the 1940s. She began singing with Artie Shaw's orchestra in 1937. Her greatest success came as she...

Vocalists, Big Bands, Radio, Audio Only, Women in the Music Industry, Centenarians, Deceased, Artie Shaw

Centenarians

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