RECOGNIZE HIM FROM THE '30'S? SEE QUESTION #1.
THE CROONERS & CHIRPS
The Big Band Era was part of Network Radio’s Golden Age which ran through the 1930’s and into the 1940’s when World War II service claimed much of the name bands’ personnel and the orchestras’ travel between dance and theater dates was limited by wartime shortages of gasoline and tires for their cars and buses.
The lengthy recording strike by James Petrillo’s American Federation of Musicians union that began on August 1, 1942 and dragged on until November ,1944, also played into the demise of the dance bands that became relics of the past by the mid-1950’s.
But there were survivors of these conditions which killed the Big Bands. They were the male vocalists, (the crooners), and the female singers, (the chirps), who sang with the bands. No more sitting and smiling patiently at the front of the bandstand waiting their turns to perform, they became stars in their own rights,
This test of your knowledge of the era asks you to identify the bands with whom that these vocalists who later became Network Radio and movie stars in their own right got their starts.
1/ Perry Como got his start in Chicago with the Big Band led by…
A. Dick Jurgens
B. Lawrence Welk
C. Ted Weems
2/ Peggy Lee fit the style of this clarinetist’s Big Band.
A. Artie Shaw
B. Benny Goodman
C. Woody Herman
3/ Bing Crosby was in his twenties when he sang with…
A. Henry Busse
B. Paul Whiteman
C. Ben Pollack
4/ Ginny Simms traveled from California to join this Chicago based band.
A. Eddy Howard
B. Harry Kool
C. Kay Kyser
5/ Frank Sinatra first sang with this band before he became the Bobby Sox Idol.
A. Charlie Barnet
B. Harry James
C. Tommy Dorsey
6/ Kay Starr joined this Big Band at age 15.
A. Bob Crosby
B. Glenn Miller
C. Joe Venuti
7/ Merv Griffin was this band’s singer long before he created TV hits Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
A. Fred Waring
B. Freddie Martin
C. Tony Pastor
8/ Doris Day sang on Bob Hope’s radio shows with this Big Band.
A. Les Brown
B. Skinnay Ennis
C. Stan Kenton
9/ Gordon MacRae first sang at the 1939 World’s Fair with this Big Band.
A. Charlie Spivak
B. Harry James
C. Tommy Tucker
10/ Dinah Shore broke into Network Radio in 1940 with…
A. Alvino Ray
B. Ben Bernie
C. Wayne King
11/ TV host Mike Douglas was this band’s male vocalist in the post World War II years.
A. Claude Thornhill
B. Kay Kyser
C. Sammy Kaye
12/ Jo Stafford sang with The Pied Pipers and this band from 1939 to 1944.
A. Glen Gray
B. Jimmy Dorsey
C. Tommy Dorsey
13/ Before he became a movie star, Dick Haymes was vocalist with this trumpet player’s band.
A. Henry Busse
B. Harry James
C. Charlie Spivak
14/ Screen star Jane Russell sang on Network Radio with this band.
A. Carmen Cavallaro
B. Kay Kyser
C. Ozzie Nelson
15/ Buddy Clark earned great notices fame singing with this band on NBC in 1934.
A. Benny Goodman
B. Eddy Duchin
C. Glenn Miller
16/ Lena Horne was 23 when she sang with this band in 1940.
A. Charlie Barnet
B Count Basie
C. Duke Ellington
17/ Bob Crosby began his singing career out of Bing’s shadow with this band.
A. Abe Lyman
B. Anson Weeks
C. Hal Kemp
18/ Blonde bombshell Betty Hutton got her unlikely start with his “smooth” band.
A. Clyde McCoy
B. Guy Lombardo
C. Vincent Lopez
19/ Eddy Howard first sang on radio with this band before he sold millions of records with his own band.
A. Ben Bernie
B. Dick Jergens
C. Harry Cool
20/ Rosemary Clooney sang with this big band from 1946 to 1949.
A. Buddy Morrow.
B. Lawrence Welk.
C. Tony Pastor
And now the answers to our 20 puzzlers...
1/ C. Ted Weems’ Chicago based band gave Perry Como his first network recognition. (See Fibber McGee Minus Molly.)
2/ B. Peggy Lee was only 21 when she joined Benny Goodman’s band in 1941. (See The King of Swing.)
3/ B. Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra”s Rhythm Boys trio was the first stop on Bing Crosby’s road to fame.
4/ C. Ginny Simms reached radio and movie stardom with Kay Kyser's band in the early 1940’s. (See Kay Kyser.)
5/ B. Remember, the question asked, “first”. In this case Frank Sinatra got his first start with Harry James “Musicmakers.”
6/ B. Although she cut several sides with Glenn Miller at a young age, Kay Starr got her first job at 15 with Joe Venuti in the late 1930‘s.
7/ B. Merv Griffin was Freddy Martin's male vocalist for several years before becoming a milionaire in real estate, TV talk shows and game shows.
8/ A. Les Brown’s “Band of Reknown” was the springboard for superstar Doris Day’s climb to fame.
9/ B. Before his World War II service, even longer before his network and movie fame, Gordon MacRae sang briefly with Harry James’ orchestra.
10/ B. Dinah Shore was helped along in her early years with network appearances with Ben Bernie.
11/ B. Known then as “Michael”, Mike Douglas sang several million selling records with Kay Kysers’ orchestra in the late 1940’s. (See Kay Kyser.)
12/ C. A decade before she became an international star, Jo Stafford sang with Tommy Dorsey’s Pied Pipers.
13/ B. It was a short hop from Los Angeles ballrooms to movie sound stages when Dick Haymes made the transition while appearing with Harry James’ orchestra.
14/ B. Her appearance from 1943’s notorious Outlaw still hadn’t died when Jane Russell joined Kay Kysers’ band for the 1947-48 season. (See Kay Kyser.)
15/ A. Buddy Clark began is long Network Radio career with Benny Goodman on NBC in 1936. (See The King of Swing.)
16/ A. Charlie Barnet’s band broke the unwritten “color barrier” by hiring future superstar Lena Horne in the late 1930’s
17/ B, Bob Crosby began appearing as a vocalist with the Anson Weeks orchestra in 1931.
18/ C. Pioneer radio bandleader Vincent Lopez gave vivacious Betty Hutton her start with his orchestra.
19/ A, Future top selling bandleader/vocalist Eddy Howard was first heard as one of Ben Bernie’s “Lads.”
20/ C. Tony Pastor first hired Rosemary Clooney and her sister, Betty.
Copyright © 2020, Jim Ramsburg, Estero FL Email: tojimramsburg@gmail.com
The Big Band Era was part of Network Radio’s Golden Age which ran through the 1930’s and into the 1940’s when World War II service claimed much of the name bands’ personnel and the orchestras’ travel between dance and theater dates was limited by wartime shortages of gasoline and tires for their cars and buses.
The lengthy recording strike by James Petrillo’s American Federation of Musicians union that began on August 1, 1942 and dragged on until November ,1944, also played into the demise of the dance bands that became relics of the past by the mid-1950’s.
But there were survivors of these conditions which killed the Big Bands. They were the male vocalists, (the crooners), and the female singers, (the chirps), who sang with the bands. No more sitting and smiling patiently at the front of the bandstand waiting their turns to perform, they became stars in their own rights,
This test of your knowledge of the era asks you to identify the bands with whom that these vocalists who later became Network Radio and movie stars in their own right got their starts.
1/ Perry Como got his start in Chicago with the Big Band led by…
A. Dick Jurgens
B. Lawrence Welk
C. Ted Weems
2/ Peggy Lee fit the style of this clarinetist’s Big Band.
A. Artie Shaw
B. Benny Goodman
C. Woody Herman
3/ Bing Crosby was in his twenties when he sang with…
A. Henry Busse
B. Paul Whiteman
C. Ben Pollack
4/ Ginny Simms traveled from California to join this Chicago based band.
A. Eddy Howard
B. Harry Kool
C. Kay Kyser
5/ Frank Sinatra first sang with this band before he became the Bobby Sox Idol.
A. Charlie Barnet
B. Harry James
C. Tommy Dorsey
6/ Kay Starr joined this Big Band at age 15.
A. Bob Crosby
B. Glenn Miller
C. Joe Venuti
7/ Merv Griffin was this band’s singer long before he created TV hits Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
A. Fred Waring
B. Freddie Martin
C. Tony Pastor
8/ Doris Day sang on Bob Hope’s radio shows with this Big Band.
A. Les Brown
B. Skinnay Ennis
C. Stan Kenton
9/ Gordon MacRae first sang at the 1939 World’s Fair with this Big Band.
A. Charlie Spivak
B. Harry James
C. Tommy Tucker
10/ Dinah Shore broke into Network Radio in 1940 with…
A. Alvino Ray
B. Ben Bernie
C. Wayne King
11/ TV host Mike Douglas was this band’s male vocalist in the post World War II years.
A. Claude Thornhill
B. Kay Kyser
C. Sammy Kaye
12/ Jo Stafford sang with The Pied Pipers and this band from 1939 to 1944.
A. Glen Gray
B. Jimmy Dorsey
C. Tommy Dorsey
13/ Before he became a movie star, Dick Haymes was vocalist with this trumpet player’s band.
A. Henry Busse
B. Harry James
C. Charlie Spivak
14/ Screen star Jane Russell sang on Network Radio with this band.
A. Carmen Cavallaro
B. Kay Kyser
C. Ozzie Nelson
15/ Buddy Clark earned great notices fame singing with this band on NBC in 1934.
A. Benny Goodman
B. Eddy Duchin
C. Glenn Miller
16/ Lena Horne was 23 when she sang with this band in 1940.
A. Charlie Barnet
B Count Basie
C. Duke Ellington
17/ Bob Crosby began his singing career out of Bing’s shadow with this band.
A. Abe Lyman
B. Anson Weeks
C. Hal Kemp
18/ Blonde bombshell Betty Hutton got her unlikely start with his “smooth” band.
A. Clyde McCoy
B. Guy Lombardo
C. Vincent Lopez
19/ Eddy Howard first sang on radio with this band before he sold millions of records with his own band.
A. Ben Bernie
B. Dick Jergens
C. Harry Cool
20/ Rosemary Clooney sang with this big band from 1946 to 1949.
A. Buddy Morrow.
B. Lawrence Welk.
C. Tony Pastor
And now the answers to our 20 puzzlers...
1/ C. Ted Weems’ Chicago based band gave Perry Como his first network recognition. (See Fibber McGee Minus Molly.)
2/ B. Peggy Lee was only 21 when she joined Benny Goodman’s band in 1941. (See The King of Swing.)
3/ B. Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra”s Rhythm Boys trio was the first stop on Bing Crosby’s road to fame.
4/ C. Ginny Simms reached radio and movie stardom with Kay Kyser's band in the early 1940’s. (See Kay Kyser.)
5/ B. Remember, the question asked, “first”. In this case Frank Sinatra got his first start with Harry James “Musicmakers.”
6/ B. Although she cut several sides with Glenn Miller at a young age, Kay Starr got her first job at 15 with Joe Venuti in the late 1930‘s.
7/ B. Merv Griffin was Freddy Martin's male vocalist for several years before becoming a milionaire in real estate, TV talk shows and game shows.
8/ A. Les Brown’s “Band of Reknown” was the springboard for superstar Doris Day’s climb to fame.
9/ B. Before his World War II service, even longer before his network and movie fame, Gordon MacRae sang briefly with Harry James’ orchestra.
10/ B. Dinah Shore was helped along in her early years with network appearances with Ben Bernie.
11/ B. Known then as “Michael”, Mike Douglas sang several million selling records with Kay Kysers’ orchestra in the late 1940’s. (See Kay Kyser.)
12/ C. A decade before she became an international star, Jo Stafford sang with Tommy Dorsey’s Pied Pipers.
13/ B. It was a short hop from Los Angeles ballrooms to movie sound stages when Dick Haymes made the transition while appearing with Harry James’ orchestra.
14/ B. Her appearance from 1943’s notorious Outlaw still hadn’t died when Jane Russell joined Kay Kysers’ band for the 1947-48 season. (See Kay Kyser.)
15/ A. Buddy Clark began is long Network Radio career with Benny Goodman on NBC in 1936. (See The King of Swing.)
16/ A. Charlie Barnet’s band broke the unwritten “color barrier” by hiring future superstar Lena Horne in the late 1930’s
17/ B, Bob Crosby began appearing as a vocalist with the Anson Weeks orchestra in 1931.
18/ C. Pioneer radio bandleader Vincent Lopez gave vivacious Betty Hutton her start with his orchestra.
19/ A, Future top selling bandleader/vocalist Eddy Howard was first heard as one of Ben Bernie’s “Lads.”
20/ C. Tony Pastor first hired Rosemary Clooney and her sister, Betty.
Copyright © 2020, Jim Ramsburg, Estero FL Email: tojimramsburg@gmail.com