Friday 19 June 2020

Guy Lombardo born 19 June 1902


Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist who was known for his festive approach to New Years' Eve, and his band's performance of eighteenth-century Scots poet Robert Burns's sentimental song Auld Lang Syne quickly became an American tradition.

Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and other musicians from his hometown. They billed themselves as creating "the sweetest music this side of Heaven."

Lombardo was born in London, Ontario, to Italian immigrants Gaetano Alberto and Angelina Lombardo. His father, who had worked as a tailor, was an amateur singer with a baritone voice and had four of his five sons learn to play instruments so they could accompany him. Lombardo and his brothers formed their first orchestra while still in grammar school and rehearsed in the back of their father's tailor shop. 


Lebert, Camen, Guy & Victor Lombardo 1931
Lombardo first performed in public with his brother Carmen at a church lawn party in London in 1914. His first recording session took place in Richmond, Indiana, at the Gennett Studios, during early 1924.

After that solitary Gennett session, they recorded two sessions for Brunswick; a rejected session in Cleveland in late 1926, and an issued session for Vocalion in early 1927. The band then signed to Columbia and recorded prolifically between 1927 and 1931. In early 1932, they signed to Brunswick and continued their success through 1934 when they signed to Decca (1934–35). They then signed to Victor in later 1935 and stayed until the middle of 1938 when again they signed to Decca. In 1938, Lombardo became a naturalized citizen of the United States.


                             

Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians’ recorded output was also substantial, with more than 100 albums released throughout their career. They also had a number of million-selling singles, including The Thin Man movie theme, “Humoresque,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Easter Parade.” In total, their sales exceeded 300 million. 


Although Lombardo's "sweet" big-band music was viewed by some in the jazz and big-band community of the day as "boring, mainstream pap," trumpeter Louis Armstrong regularly named Lombardo's band his favourite orchestra.

Besides his career as an entertainer, he made a number of successful business investments, and in his afterhours he was an avid speedboat racer, holding the title of national champion in the late 1940s. Lombardo is remembered for almost a half-century of New Year's Eve big band remotes, first on radio, then on television. His orchestra played at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 ("radio's first nationwide New Year's Eve broadcast") to 1959, and from then until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Live broadcasts (and later telecasts) of their performances were a large part of New Year's celebrations across North America; millions of people watched the show with friends at house parties. Because of this popularity, Lombardo was called "Mr. New Year's Eve".

On December 31, 1956, the Lombardo band did their first New Year's TV special on CBS; the program (and Lombardo's 20 subsequent New Year's Eve TV shows) included a live segment from Times Square. Although CBS carried most of the Lombardo New Year's specials, there were a few years in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the special was syndicated live to individual TV stations instead of broadcast on a network. By the middle 1970s, the Lombardo TV show was facing competition, especially for younger viewers, from Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, but Lombardo remained famous among viewers, especially older ones.

Guy with his brothers and sister
In his later years, Lombardo lived in Freeport, Long Island, New York, where he kept his boat, Tempo IV. He also invested in a nearby seafood restaurant (or clam shack) originally called "Liota's East Point House." It was soon "Guy Lombardo's East Point House." Lombardo later became an earlier promoter and musical director of Jones Beach Marine Theater where he staged a number of musical revues that were very popular. Lombardo continued to lead these musical productions until his death.

Carmen Lombardo, who created the band's signature sound, died in 1971. Carmen's death left Lombardo professionally and emotionally shattered, as Guy had been closer to Carmen than to any of his other siblings. In 1974 the Royal Canadians were stung by the first-ever unfavorable review published in their hometown paper.

The band made its last appearance in London, Ontario, in June of 1977 at an event where no one on the dance floor appeared to be younger than age fifty. On November 5, 1977, Lombardo died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm in Houston Methodist Hospital. Other sources say he died from cancer. He was interred at the Pinelawn Memorial Park in East Farmingdale, NY. He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.


Victor Lombardo took over the band briefly but could not maintain it. When Lebert Lombardo severed his ties in 1979, the group dissolved. The orchestra was later revived in 1989 by Al Pierson, playing a mix of nostalgic tunes and modern arrangements. (Edited from Wikipedia)

Here's a clip of Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians. Carmen Lombardo sits in the front row in the leftmost seat either playing Sax/flute plus vocalizes. Lebert Lombardo is the youngest of the brothers and sits in the last row on the leftmost side and plays the trumpet. The two pianists are Buddy Brennan and Fred Chrysler. Kenny Gardner is the primary vocalist. Other band members include  Cliff Grass and Fred Higman (Vocalists & musicians), Bill Flannigan (vocals & guitar) and Jeff Stouton (trombone obligato)

5 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians - Get Out Those Old Records
- Fifty Of His Many Greatest Hits” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/11898734/GuyL50Hits.rar.html

Disc One
1. GET OUT THOSE OLD RECORDS (voc. Kenny Gardner & Carmen Lombardo)
2. THE CHICKEN SONG (voc. Cliff Grass)
3. THE TROLLEY SONG (voc. Stuart Foster)
4. I'M MY OWN GRANDPAW
5. MANAGUA, NICARAGUA (voc. Don Rodney)
6. CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER, LOVEY MINE (voc. Kenny Gardner)
7. SHOO-FLY PIE AND APPLE PAN DOWDY (voc. Don Rodney)
8. SAN
9. DANCING IN THE DARK (voc. Stuart Foster)
10. ENJOY YOURSELF (voc. Kenny Gardner)
11. FIVE FOOT TWO, EYES OF BLUE (voc. Kenny Gardner)
12. WAITING FOR THE ROBERT E. LEE (voc. Kenny Gardner)
13. SWINGING ON A STAR (voc. Jimmy Brown)
14. I DON'T WANT TO WALK WITHOUT YOU (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
15. YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU (voc. Kenny Gardner)
16. BLUES IN THE NIGHT (voc. Kenny Gardner)
17. FOR ME AND MY GAL (voc. Kenny Gardner)
18. JUNE IN JANUARY (voc. Tony Craig)
19. RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
20. ORCHIDS IN THE MOONLIGHT (voc. Tony Craig)
21. SHADOW WALTZ (voc. Tony Craig)
22. WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE
23. BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON (voc. Kenny Gardner)
24. ONCE IN A WHILE (voc. Stuart Foster)
25. AFTER THE BALL

Disc Two
1. ST. LOUIS BLUES
2. HUMORESQUE
3. BELL BOTTOM TROUSERS
4. DANGEROUS DAN McGREW (voc. Kenny Gardner)
5. BOO-HOO (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
6. YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY (voc. Kenny Gardner)
7. COQUETTE (voc. Jimmy Brown)
8. SCATTER-BRAIN (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
9. EVERYWHERE YOU GO (voc. Don Rodney)
10. FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (voc. Kenny Gardner)
11. HOP-SCOTCH POLKA (SCOTCH HOT) (voc. Kenny Gardner)
12. THE PETITE WALTZ
13. HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN?
14. DARDANELLA
15. TAKE IT EASY
16. IT'S LOVE-LOVE-LOVE (voc. Skip Nelson)
17. LITTLE DUTCH MILL (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
18. THE BAND PLAYED ON (voc. Kenny Gardner)
19. THE THIRD MAN THEME
20. SOUTH OF THE BORDER (voc. Carmen Lombardo)
21. THE BLUE SKIRT WALTZ
22. EASTER PARADE (voc. Don Rodney)
23. A SAILBOAT IN THE MOONLIGHT (voc. Kenny Gardner)
24. THE MOON OF MANAKOORA (voc. Skip Nelson)
25. AULD LANG SYNE (Theme)

Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians were one of the leading dance bands of their day. They had 218 hits of their own on the American Charts, of which 50 can be found here The recordings on this collection were all made for Decca, for whom Guy recorded in 1934 & 1935, then from 1938 to the end of his hit-making career in the 1950's.Even if you are new to Guy's music, fans of the music of that era will recognise some of the songs. In those days, it was customary for several versions to be in the charts simultaneously, so some of these songs also charted for the likes for Jo Stafford, Dinah Shore, Bing Crosby and others. Sometimes Guy ended up with the biggest hit, sometimes not. When it comes to whose version was best, it's all a matter of personal preference. In any case, all of them are brilliant in different ways. (Jasmine notes)

boppinbob said...

For “Guy Lombardo - Into The Fifties” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/11898713/GL50s.rar.html

Disc 1

1. BECAUSE OF YOU (voc. Gloria De Haven)
2. YOUNG AT HEART (voc. Bing Crosby)
3. THE GYPSY (voc. Hildegarde)
4. HARBOR LIGHTS (voc. Kenny Gardner)
5. RED ROSES FOR A BLUE LADY (voc. Don Rodney)
6. DEARIE (voc. Kenny Gardner & Lombardo Trio)
7. ALL MY LOVE (voc. Bill Flanagan)
8. OH BABY MINE I GET SO LONELY (voc. Bing Crosby)
9. I WONDER I WONDER I WONDER (voc. Don Rodney & Lombardo Trio)
10. ALWAYS (voc. Stuart Foster)
11. AUF WIEDERSEH’N SWEETHEART (voc. Kenny Martin & Lombardo Quartet)
12. TENNESSEE WALTZ (voc. Kenny Gardner & Lombardo Trio)
13. BLUE TANGO
14. SING TO ME GUITAR (voc. Frank Petty)
15. COME WITH ME MY HONEY (voc. Tony Craig)
16. HONEST AND TRULY (voc. Kenny Gardner & Lombardo Trio)
17. LA VIE EN ROSE (voc. Bill Flanagan)
18. THE COCONUT SONG (voc. The Lombard Trio)
19. WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN (voc. Kenny Gardner)
20. LET’S HAVE A TIDDLEY AT THE MILK BAR (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
21. HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN TONIGHT (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
22. HEY MISTER BANJO (voc. The Lombard Trio)
23. MARTY (voc. The Lombard Trio)
24. OUR MELODY (voc. Kenny Gardner)
25. YOU COULDN’T HELP BUT BE WONDERFUL (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)

Disc 2

1. LET’S HAVE A PARTY (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
2. THE LITTLE TRAIN THAT COULD (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
3. LET’S DO IT AGAIN (voc. The Lombard Trio)
4. NOLA
5. OUT O’ BREATH (voc. Gloria De Haven)
6. UNDECIDED (voc. Kenny Gardner)
7. THE LIE-DE-LIE SONG (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
8. GREEN SLEEVES (voc. Evelyn Knight & The Lombardo Trio)
9. SNOWFLAKES (voc. Evelyn Knight & The Lombardo Trio)
10. NOODLIN’ RAG (voc. Kenny Gardner)
11. BUNDLE OF SOUTHERN SUNSHINE (voc. The Lombard Trio)
12. I WENT TO YOUR WEDDING (voc. Kenny Gardner)
13. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY (voc. Kenny Gardner)
14. SEVEN LONELY DAYS (voc. Kenny Gardner)
15. DOWNHEARTED (voc. Kenny Gardner)
16. I’M IN LOVE (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
17. BLUE WILLOWS (voc. Kenny Martin)
18. JUST ANOTHER POLKA (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
19. SPINNING A WEB (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)
20. HALF A PHOTOGRAPH (voc. Kenny Gardner)
21. DON’T YOU CARE (voc. Kenny Martin)
22. BLUE DANCING SHOES (voc. The Lombard Trio)
23. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEONE YOU CAN’T FORGET (voc. Kenny Gardner)
24. HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY (voc. Kenny Gardner)
25. VAS VILLST DU HABEN? (voc. Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio)

This is a fantastic follow up to Jasmines previous release Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians - "Get Those Old Records". With a career spanning half a century Guy Lombardo sold more records than any other of the sweet bands in America. Concentrating mainly on the latter part of his career this 2CD set takes you into the Fifties in the most tuneful way. It features the vocal talents of Bing Crosby on "Young At Heart" & "Oh Baby Mine I Get So Lonely".

boppinbob said...

Below is a selected discography with active links. A big thank you to Jose Sandoval @ A Walk In The Black Forest

Decade On Broadway '46-'56 (1956)

https://mega.nz/file/so0hQLwK#63cx8McJtIOI6QMiNRDktV47Nxa0vh5FL1_XMGT58qE

Berlin by Lombardo (1959)

https://mega.nz/file/DTAhmYIK#Pk2hK935CZGkx_iAl6uw5OsNAXZFPrBXp-y5bhjtGYM

Lombardo Goes Latin (1959)

https://mega.nz/file/WU1STQwL#M7fFqwcJqZifW6Ix9a4S56JtqKNcS5ACmj9wD9h2hi0

The Sweetest Waltzes This Side Of Heaven (1960)

https://mega.nz/file/zeJhUI5A#1cSgDGn4YxDQudXlDLHRE8SgoWzvcrQZyMyuFPIDS0k

Go Dixie (1961)

https://mega.nz/file/vJglhCQB#eKxaK3mc0iYHMca681TvhhnKnNx3H0jb-mdMTCBeyCY


Far Away Places (1962)

https://mega.nz/file/Dr4WnaaQ#XPagFcUKxFPViha71Ym2l3Oxr9IGGAxAXXosalloTlo

The Sweetest Music This Side Of Heaven (1962)

https://mega.nz/file/GZh2FSga#GkgLDfLyRDKj4bj00gwCRYQC1fiIvpfDvJgWbmfpLXM


The Lombardo Touch (1964)

https://mega.nz/file/xAtwEKiL#MIeyt9wRMNPs-0HBS02wzf7Grh1CEWZVFQVojKMJGTg

A Wonderful Year (1966)

https://mega.nz/file/P7J2EQ5b#FMRAM0S7Cqm7iEW0rZmE0fc3dHxuEbrgx2ZzwbhwKWY

Drifting And Dreaming & Dancing Room Only (2005 Vocallion)

https://mega.nz/file/LHR1wYCb#w1XATcYkFqx0SMt1lwHMKBEF0FtLLURk-ah6RSWvv4Q

Jacdaw said...

Wonderful music from a great orchestra. We used to dance and sing along to all this music a long time ago. Many thanks Bobbinbob.

boppinbob said...

Here are some new links ..as requested.

Into the 50’s

https://krakenfiles.com/view/KBtjaDnGbz/file.html

Get out those Old Records

https://krakenfiles.com/view/N1kPdYuQeg/file.html