Charlie Spivak born 17 February 1907

Charlie Spivak (February 17, 1907 – March 1, 1982) was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s. 

Charlie Spivak was born in Kiev, Ukraine. He immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1910 and grew up in New Haven, Connecticut where he learned to play trumpet when he was ten years old, and played in his high school band, going on to work with local groups before joining Johnny Cavallaro‘s orchestra. 

He played with Paul Specht‘s band for most of 1924 to 1930, then spent time with Ben Pollack (1931–1934), the Dorsey brothers (1934–1935), and Ray Noble (1935– 1936). He played on “Solo Hop” in 1935 by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. He spent 1936 and 1937 mostly working as a studio musician with Gus Arnheim, Glenn Miller, Raymond Scott‘s radio orchestra, and others, followed by periods with Bob Crosby (1938), Tommy Dorsey(1938–1939), and Jack Teagarden (1939). 

Glenn Miller & Charlie Spivak

Finally, with the encouragement and financial backing of Glenn Miller, he formed his own band in November 1939. Though it failed within a year, he tried again shortly afterwards. The new orchestra made its debut during the spring of 1940, with Frank Howard as vocalist. In November, they signed with Columbia Records. Spivak’s band was one of the most successful in the 1940s, and survived until 1959. Among his better recordings were his theme "Let's Go Home," "Autumn Nocturne" and "Star Dreams." 

                                    

Despite his past work with some of the top jazz groups of the day, Spivak’s orchestra played it straight, focusing on ballads and popular numbers and relying heavily on vocalists. In the band’s early days, Spivak, known as “Cheery, Chubby Charlie,” played his trumpet with a mute, trying to project a softer tone. He later switched to playing open trumpet, for which he received great critical acclaim. He was one of the better trumpet players of the era, though he was undoubtedly overshadowed by Harry James. He never completely gave up his mute, however, until later in his career.

Spivak’s orchestra became one of the most popular in the nation during the early 1940s, placing third in Down Beat magazine’s poll for best sweet band in 1942, second in 1943, first in 1944, and second in 1945. A number of the band’s musicians were to make names for themselves, including drummer Dave Tough, bassist Jimmy Middleton, trumpeters Les Elgart and Paul Fredricks, saxophonist Don Raffell, trombonist Nelson Riddle, and singers Garry Stevens, June Hutton, Tommy Mercer, Jimmy Saunders, and Irene Daye (who had sung with Gene Krupa, and whom Spivak married in 1950). Riddle was also responsible for many of the band’s arrangements, together with Sonny Burke. The late Manny Albam also arranged for the Spivak band. 

Spivak continued leading his band until the late 1950s. When the orchestra broke up, he went to live in Florida, where he continued to lead a band until illness led to his temporary retirement in 1963. On his recovery, he continued to lead large and small bands, first in Las Vegas and then Miami. In 1967, he organized a small outfit that played regularly at the Ye Olde Fireplace restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina, with Irene Daye as vocalist. Spivak was co-owner with Mr. Charlie Grubbs.  Daye battled cancer during the last years of her life, finally losing that battle in 1971. 

In 1974 Spivak married Wilma "Dubby" Hayes, who was a local singer he met at the restaurant where he remained playing up until his death from bone cancer on March 1, 1982, shortly after his 75th birthday. In his last few years, he led a new seventeen-piece orchestra. 

Spivak’s eldest son, the late Joel A. Spivak, was a television and radio broadcaster primarily in the Philadelphia, Pa, Los Angeles, Cal, and Washington, D. C. areas. Spivak’s youngest son, Steven Glenn Spivak, is a public relations manager in northern California. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, Bandchirps & Furman University)