George Olsen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | George Edward Olsen Sr. (1893-03-18)March 18, 1893 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 1971(1971-03-18) (aged 78) Paramus, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Swing music,big band |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Labels | Victor |
George Edward Olsen Sr. (March 18, 1893 – March 18, 1971)[1] was an American musician and bandleader.
Born inPortland, Oregon,[1] Olsen's orchestra's debut hotel engagement came at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland.[2] He then made the cross-county transition toBroadway, appearing inKid Boots (1923), theZiegfeld Follies of 1924,Ziegfeld Follies of 1925, andGood News (1927).[1]
George Olsen and his orchestra were inEddie Cantor's 1928 Broadway hitWhoopee!, and in the 1930 movie version. In theFollies George met a singer,Ethel Shutta, who sings and dances memorably inWhoopee!, and they married, appearing together in nightclubs and on radio. They had two children, George Jr. and Charles; following a divorce, Olsen opened a restaurant inParamus, New Jersey.[3] Olsen and Shutta were heard on theOldsmobile Program onCBS radio in 1933.[4] He also was an orchestra leader forThe Jack Benny Program on radio.[5]
Olsen signed withVictor in 1924 and remained as one of Victor's most popular bands until 1933 when he signed withColumbia. He stayed with Columbia through January, 1934. He recorded a single session in 1938 forDecca, and one final date for the rareVarsity label in 1940.
Olsen's bands produced few stars. Singer-saxophonistFred MacMurray passed through in 1930 on his way to eventual movie stardom, recording a vocal onI'm in the Market for You. Olsen's long-time alto saxist and singer,Fran Frey, with his distinctive, reedy bass-baritone, was perhaps the best known Olsenite until he left in 1933 for a career as a music director in radio.
In 1936, Olsen became leader ofOrville Knapp's band after Knapp died in a plane crash. Olsen was chosen to lead the band by Knapp's widow.[6] Morale problems plagued the group, and in 1938, after many musicians had already left, the group disbanded.
A resident ofParamus, New Jersey, Olsen ran a popular local restaurant there on Paramus Road for many years before he died there on March 18, 1971.[7] According to John S. Wilson inThe New York Times, reviewing a retrospective of Olsen's recording "George Olsen and His Music" on RCA-Victor, in 1968, Olsen had a restaurant in Paramus, New Jersey, called "George Olsen's". Wilson noted that "Olsen is there every day greeting guests at lunch and dinner... In the background, the original George Olsen records of the Twenties play softly.[8]
After his divorce from Shutta, Olsen married Claralee Pilcer.[9]
Media related toGeorge Olsen at Wikimedia Commons