Orig Issue Viva-tonal Columbia 10" 78 rpm record

Condition:

VERY GOOD PLUS some greying esp towards end,
plays E- very quiet hint of fuzz at end

Still A GREAT COPY

 [ Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians ]
Tag: "The Sweetest Music This Side Of Heaven."
Theme Song: "Auld Lang Syne"
This theme song was also the song that Guy Lombardo, played at the 'stroke of 12 midnight - New Year's Eve, and which has since become the traditional song played by bands everywhere on New Year's Eve.
The core of the band were the The 4 Lombardo Brothers, shown here bottom row L-R, Liebert, and Guy, top row L-R Carmen, and Victor. Carmen and Liebert owned the band that first started in their home town of London, Ontario, Canada, in 1916 with Guy as the band's undisputed leader.

In the Mid-1920s, the "Royal Canadians" traveled 250 miles from their home in London, Ontario, Canada to make a recording for Gennett Records in Cleveland, Ohio, - it was the start of a tour that would be more important than anyone in the band could possibly imagine, - a tour that would continue on forever. Here's a photo of that Original 1924 Band, in Port Stanley, London, Ontario, Canada, just prior to leaving for Cleveland, Ohio. (Most regretfully, that arm sticking into the right hand side of the photo is Guy.)

Today, virtually everyone thinks of the Guy Lombardo orchestra as a "Sweet" music band, but their first recordings for Gennett (1924) captured the band playing in a Jazz style that they would soon abandon for their famous sweet sound. Guy Lombardo with his Royal Canadians would continue to record for another fifty years but little of their music after this March 10th, 1924 recording session in Richmond, Indiana for Gennett (Gennett 5416) can be considered Jazz.

Here's still another photograph of the band during that very first recording session in Gennett's Cleveland studio - March 10th, 1924. Left to Right: Eddie Mushurette, Carmen Lombardo, Guy Lombardo, Fred Higman, George Gowans, Francis Henry, Fred Kreitzer, Lebert Lombardo, and Jack Miles. Because they were painted Black, the two "horns" - small one on the left and larger one on the Right - are hard to see against the black square in the center of the photo, - but it was an 'acoustic' recording. The 'Electrical Transcription' had not yet been invented.
Listen to their March 10, 1924 Gennett recording of "Cotton Picker's Ball" , (612kb), here digitally re-engineered by Mr. Verne Buland. Even at this early date, and playing "Jazz" , the band already has a very distinctive Saxophone sound which it would keep throughout it's lifetime.

Also in 1924, the Lombardo orchestra gave birth to the "medley" - a form not theretofore used by "Jazz" bands. The Medley form, and their distinctive "saxophone" sound were to make 'Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians' one of the the most popular and the most imitated sound in show business. (Louis Armstrong has said that the Lombardo band was one of his favorites.) In addition to their first recording, and their initial success, Cleveland was even more important for Guy personally. It was in Cleveland that he met, and married his wife, Lilliebell.

In 1927, The Royal Canadians got their first big break when they were booked into the Grenada Cafe - on Chicago's "South Side" - opposite a cemetery. In show business vernacular, the opening was a disaster. After many weeks of 'slow' business, Lombardo persuaded the club' s owner to run a "wire" into the ballroom permitting a 15 minute broadcast each evening via radio station WBBM. In his autobiography, Guy has said "The first show went out over the air on Wednesday night in Mid-November. Before they finished the fifteen spot, the station called and asked them to play all night. By midnight, the club was filled to overflowing. The next morning they had two sponsors. The band that was unkown on Wednesday afternoon was the talk of Chicago by Thursday!"

In 1929, just a year and a half later, Jules Stein (founder of MCA - the best known USA band agency) brought the Royal Canadians to New York City, where on October 3, 1929, they opened at the famed Roosevelt Grill -- just two days before the great Stock Market Crash. Remarkably, that engagement lasted 33 years. The shows were broadcast over radio station WABC, however at year's end, two networks wanted to carry the Hotel's New Year's Eve show. As a result, 'The Royal Canadians' rang out the Old Year ov er the CBS network stations, and welcomed the New Year over the NBC network stations. Here's a photo of the Lombardo band on a New Year's Eve celebration dance at New York's Roosevelt Hotel The Royal Canadians went on to appear "on the air" for every New Year's Eve thereafter until Guy's demise. In 1931, the band broke every ballroom record, and in 1933, they conquered Hollywood when they opened at the famed Cocoanut Grove. Movie Stars and Celebrities came to dine and dance to the most popular and imitated band of the time. The Royal Canadians have played at every Presidential Inaugural Ball since President Franklyn D. Roosevelt took office in 1933. Here's a photograph of Guy leading the band, while President Jimmy Carter, and wife danced at their Inaugural. The band began Televised broadcasts from the Roosevelt Hotel in 1950. In 1966, they moved to the Waldorf-Astoria's Grand Ballroom.

 Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians were one of the most successful big bands of all time. It was very much a family outfit with three brothers in the band and from 1941 til the late 1940's a sister was the lead vocalist. The band was formed in Canada in 1921 and was still going strong 50 years later. The band introduced more than 300 songs many of which became hits. A lot of the songs were written by Carmen Lombardo. This film clip comes from the mid 1950's. The lead vocalist is Kenny Gardner. The other two vocalists are Cliff Grass and Fred Higman."

  In 1934, the band appeared in their first film 'Many Happy Returns', starring the comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Also in 1934, Guy bought his first yacht "Tempo" and a small piece of Freeport, LI, NY, waterfront property for his home and for the boat's dock. By 1941, the entire Lombardo clan was living on Long Island (New York City). Even Guy's parents had emigrated from Canada to Stamford, Connecticut. Kenny Gardner had joined the band as a vocalist, and would soon marry Guy's sister Elaine. In 1942, 16 year old Rose Marie Lombardo was on the bandstand as a vocalist. (From it's beginning to it's end, the Royal Canadians were a 'family' affair.)

Brother Lebert had originally started as a drummer, but later taught himself to play trumpet. Carmen Lombardo had the "lead" saxophone chair. Here's a rare photo of the Lombardo SingingSaxophones, - Victor, Lebert, Carmen and Guy while still in London, Ontario, Canada in 1927. And, here's the very same group when they appeared at the Jones Beach Theater (NYC), in 1960. Carmen began composing some of the band's greatest hits including; "Boo Hoo"; "Sweatheart's on Parade"; "Coquette"; and "Seems Like Old Times". (Additionally, Carmen wrote, in collaboration with others.) Some of the orchestra's other big hit records included: "You're Driving me Crazy"; "Little Girl"; "September in the Rain"; "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore"; "Little White Lies"; "Everywhere You Go"; and a great many more, - probably more hits than any other band. It has been calculated that 550 melodies introduced by the Lombardo orchestra became best-seller records. By 1963, the band had sold over 200,000,000 records and over 6,000,000 million people had danced to their live music. The magazine "Orchestra World" presented them with a Special Citation for introducing 10 of the 20 most popular songs of 1944. The band was rated No. 1 by a 1944 'Radio Daily and Motion Picture Daily' poll, and again in 1946 by a "Billboard" m agazine poll. It is said that the Lombardo orchestra recorded more Hit records than any other band - over 500 (genuine hit songs) at last count

Starting in 1954, the Long Island (NY) State Park Commission induced Guy to produce Summer shows at the vast (8200 seat) Jones Beach Marine Theater. Guy was not a 'silent' partner. He took an active role in all phases of the work, everything from casting to costumes. When the theater opened (in the summertime) he would make a personal appearance each night on his own boat "Tempo" , in the water surrounding the stage. When the stage show was over, he would then lead the Royal Canadians for an hour of dancing in the Schaefer Dance Tent. This routine became Guy's Summer Vacation. Carmen Lombardo, collaborating with John Loeb, wrote the first show "Arabian Nights" which starred singer Lauritz Melchior. The show ran for two seasons. Subsequently, Guy produced other shows including: 1956-7 "Showboat"; 1958-9 "Song Of Norway"; 1960 "Hit The Deck"; 1961- "Paradise Island" (also co-written by Loeb and Carmen Lombardo and featuring a 'live' volcano and an entire chorus of Hawaiian Children); 1963-4 "Around the World in Eighty Days"; 1965-6 Carmen Lombardo and Loeb's "Mardi Gras" (starring Louis Armstrong, here clowning for the Camera with Guy; 1967 "Arabian Nights"; 1968-9 "South Pacific"; in 1970-71 "The Sound of Music set all-time attendence records; 1972 "The King and I"; 1973 Carousel"; 1974 "Fiddler On The Roof"; 1975 "Oklahoma!"; 1976 "Showboat" and the last in 1977 "Finian's Rainbow".

That was Guy's summer vacation. During the Winter months, the band would tour for 10 months of the year from one end of the USA and Canada to the other, in their customized Bus from September to June, playing to packed houses and to standing ovations. Because of their huge popularity, the tour schedule varied little from year to year - the same venues ranging from one-night stands in small-town high school auditoriu ms to two weeks at the Royal York in Toronto, Canada. In at least one of his filmings, Bill Flanagan, the band's guitarist is heard singing, while the young 'girl' singer was Edie Adams, who went on to later fame as an actress and also as famed comedian Ernie Kovac's wife.

During Guy's career, he pursued many different interests, among which were winning Speedboat Racing's Gold Cup Races and owning restaurants in both Freeport, L.I., and Tierra Verde, Tampa, Florida. In 1942, Guy began a Speed Boat Racing career by winning his first race - an Atlantic City (NJ) to Cape May (NJ) marathon. His second 'win' was in Cincinnati, OH. He wound up winning 21 of the 22 speed boat races he entered that season, -launching a second successful career while his first career as bandleader was still in full bloom. A boat 'Tempo VI had previously won two "Gold Cups" and when Guy purchased it he won a third "Gold Cup" in Detroit MI. There, on Sept. 2, 1946, over 250,000 folks watched as Guy broke every record Lap heat while racing the fastest ever 90 miles. In 1947. he won the National Sweepstakes Regatta at Red Bank, NJ. On May 13, 1948, he set a new World's Record of 119.7 mph in a single-engine Hyd ro at Salton Sea, CA. Guy was National Champion from 1946 to 1950. Before retiring from Speed Boat racing in the 1950s, he had won every single U.S. Trophy including the 'President's Cup' and the 'Ford Memorial'.

It all ended on November 5, 1977. Guy suffered a massive coronary and died.
For a much more inclusive Biography on Guy's life, visit http://www.visitweb.com/guylombardo, a fine Guy Lombardo homepage.