Guy Lombardo | |
|---|---|
 Lombardo in 1944 | |
| Born | Gaetano Alberto Lombardo (1902-06-19)June 19, 1902 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 5, 1977(1977-11-05) (aged 75) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse | Lillibell Lombardo[1] (1899–1982) |
| Relatives | Six siblings, including brothersCarmen,Lebert andVictor and sister Rose Marie |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Jazz,big band,traditional pop |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, musician |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Years active | 1924–1977 |
Musical artist | |
Gaetano Alberto "Guy"Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977)[2] was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, andhydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decades.
Lombardo formedthe Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothersCarmen,Lebert andVictor, and other musicians from his hometown. They billed themselves as creating "the sweetest music this side of Heaven". The Lombardos are believed to have sold between 100 and 300 million records during their lifetimes,[3] many featuring the band's lead singer from 1940 onward,Kenny Gardner.[4][5]
Lombardo was born inLondon, Ontario, Canada.[6] His parents wereItalian immigrants: Gaetano Alberto who was born inLipari, Italy (1873–1954), and Angelina Lombardo.[7] Gaetano Sr. was employed as a tailor but was also an amateurbaritone singer. He encouraged four of his five young sons to study musical instruments so that they could serve as his accompanists. Consequently, even as a young student in grammar school, Lombardo joined with his brothers to form their first orchestra. Rehearsals took place behind the family's tailor shop.[8] Lombardo's first public appearance with his brother Carmen occurred during an outdoor lawn party at a church in London, Ontario, in 1914.[9] The Lombardo quartet made its first significant debut at an outdoor dance pavilion in Grand Bend, Ontario, during the summer of 1919.[7]
By 1920, Lombardo's band showcased the talents of several of his brothers including: Carmen, who was the group's music director and arranger,[10] played lead saxophone in the distinctive four saxophone sound, led the reed section while also composing many songs, Lebert, who played lead trumpet, and subsequently Victor who played baritone sax.[11] Guy played violin but not with his orchestra.[11] The ensemble spent the winter season during 1922–1923 at the Winter Garden in London and the summer season of 1923 in Port Stanley,Ontario.[7] By 1923 the Lombardo Brothers' Orchestra now included: Archie Cunningham, (saxophone), Jim Dillon (trombone), Eddie "Muff" Mashurette (tuba) and Francis Henry (guitar).[11] In late 1923, the band ventured outside Canada on tour to Cleveland, Ohio.[7] By 1924, the band was known as Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians and a two-year residency started at the Claremont Tent nightclub in Cleveland. The owner of the club (Louis Bleet) is credited with coaching Lombardo's band and assisting in developing its unique performance style. While in Cleveland, Lombardo arranged to perform on an unsponsored program for WTAM radio, which contributed to the development of a strong following for his appearances in the area. His band's first recording session occurred inRichmond, Indiana, at theGennett Studios in early 1924. This is also where cornetistBix Beiderbecke made his recordings in the same year.[12]
Subsequently, Lombardo's orchestra recorded twice forBrunswick. The first session took place in Cleveland in late 1926 but the recording was rejected. The second recording was accepted for theVocalion label in early 1927. Lombardo's ensemble left the Cleveland area in 1927 forChicago, where it appeared at the Granada Cafe and broadcast on the radio stationWBBM. Soon thereafter, several lucrative recording contracts emerged. Between 1927 and 1931 Lombardo made 45 recordings on 78's for theColumbia label.[7] These were followed by forty additional recordings upon his return to the Brunswick label in 1932 which lasted until 1934, when he joined forces withDecca (1934–35). By late 1935 an opportunity withVictor records emerged and Lombardo stayed with the label until the middle of 1938. Subsequently, he returned to Decca until 1957.[7] Total sales from Lombardo's recordings exceeded 300 million copies by the early 1970s and supported his reputation as the leader of the most popular dance band of his era.[7] Between 1941 and 1948, Lombardo's sister Rose Marie, the youngest of all seven Lombardo siblings, also joined the band as its first female vocalist.[13]
Between 1927 and 1954, Lombardo & His Royal Canadians sold well above 100 million records on all labels, including Columbia, Brunswick, Decca, and RCA Victor and estimates place his total worldwide record sales between 100 and 300 million copies.[3] This figure makes the band one of the highest selling recording groups of all time,exceeded only by the Beatles, despite the much lower population base and family incomes of Lombardo's prime decades.
In 1929, Lombardo began a series of appearances at the Roosevelt Grill in theRoosevelt Hotel which lasted for over three decades. He also performed in Los Angeles during the 1930s, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1938.[14] He continued to tour in major cities within both Canada and the United States after leaving the Roosevelt Hotel in 1962. Yet, despite his success as a recording artist, some jazz critics described Lombardo's "sweet" big-band style as "boring, mainstream pap." The legendary jazz trumpeterLouis Armstrong disagreed and often described Lombardo's band as his favorite orchestra.[15][16] In fact, Lombardo's band enjoyed remarkable broad appeal which crossed racial boundaries.[11] While performing at the famedSavoy Ballroom in Harlem his band even set a new attendance record in 1930.[11][17]
After Guy Lombardo's death in 1977, his surviving brothers Victor and Lebert took over the Royal Canadians, though Victor left the band early in 1978 over creative differences.[18] From 1980, the name was franchised out to various band leaders. Lebert died in 1993, passing rights to the band name to three of his six children.[19] The band was revived in 1989 byAl Pierson and remained active as of 2021[update].[20][21]
Lombardo is perhaps best remembered for hisbig band remote broadcasts which were carried on several national radio and television networks for nearly fifty years. Starting in 1929, the Royal Canadians began broadcasting live from the Roosevelt Grill in theRoosevelt Hotel in New York City as "radio's first nationwide New Year's Eve broadcast". Invariably, each broadcast closed with Lombardo's rendition of the songAuld Lang Syne as part of the annual New Year's Eve tradition.[6] The broadcasts proved to be immensely popular and continued from this venue until 1959 when they were transferred to the Grand Ballroom at theWaldorf Astoria Hotel where they continued until 1976. These radio and television broadcasts soon played a central role in New Year's celebrations across North America as millions of celebrants enjoyed the festivities within the comfort of their own homes.Time magazine even reported that the American public would simply not believe it was New Year's Day until Guy Lombardo heralded its arrival from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.[22] Due to his widespread popularity, Lombardo was nicknamed "Mr. New Year's Eve" and received a citation of recognition from the United States Congress for his musical message of hope, peace and happiness for all mankind.[23]
The band's first New Year's Eve radio broadcast was in 1929; within a few years, they were heard live on theCBS Radio Network before midnight Eastern Time, then on theNBC Radio Network after midnight. As a result, by 1954 Lombardo's popularity soared and sales of his recordings with the Royal Canadians Orchestra soon exceeded 100 million copies. He and the band played in Washington D.C. at the inaugural balls for every U.S. president fromFranklin Roosevelt toDwight Eisenhower, and the Royal Canadians would later play at Ronald Reagan's inaugural ball in 1985.[24]
On December 31, 1956, the Lombardo's first New Year's TV special aired on theCBS network.[25] The program showcased live segments from New York City'sTimes Square and continued on New Year's Eve for two decades. CBS continued to broadcast most of Lombardo's New Year's television specials on its national network between 1965 and 1970 and the special was also syndicated live to individual TV stations. By the mid-1970s, however, competition emerged for younger audiences who preferredDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Nevertheless, Lombardo remained popular among older viewers.
Following Lombardo's death in 1977, his New Year's TV specials continued for an additional two years on CBS. Subsequently,Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve came into prominence. The Royal Canadians' recording of the traditional song "Auld Lang Syne" is also played as the first song of the new year in Times Square followed by "Theme from New York, New York" byFrank Sinatra, "America the Beautiful" byRay Charles, "What a Wonderful World" byLouis Armstrong, "Over the Rainbow" byIsrael Kamakawiwoʻole, andKenny G's rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".[26] The 1979-80 edition of New Year's Eve with Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians moved back to syndication and only featured the celebration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, with nephew Bill Lombardo leading the band for the second year. This was the Royal Canadians' final New Year's Eve special to air on television.[citation needed]
In the early 1940s Lombardo appeared as a guest on NBC's Red Network in the weekly broadcast of the "I'm An American" radio show.[27] Presented by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, the program included interviews with prominent naturalized American citizens of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds who made exceptional contributions to American society within literature, politics, the arts and sciences.[28] When asked to reflect upon the advantages of citizenship within America's democracy, Lombardo adeptly replied, "You don't have to be millionaires or even well-to-do to dance to good dance music in America".[29] Also included among the honorees on the program were:Frank Capra,Albert Einstein,Thomas Mann andKurt Weill.[28]
Beginning June 14, 1953, Guy Lombardo and his orchestra hadGuy Lombardo Time, the summer replacement forJack Benny's radio program.[30]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians performing live atHarrah's Club Lake Tahoe in 1960Guy Lombardo At Harrah's ClubHere on Archive.org |
In 1954, Lombardo briefly hosted a half-hour syndicated series calledThe Guy Lombardo Show, and in 1956 Lombardo hosted a show on CBS for three months calledGuy Lombardo's Diamond Jubilee.[31][32]
Guy Lombardo played himself in the hit seriesRoute 66 in the 1963 episode “But What Do You Do in March?” In 1975, Lombardo played himself again, in the first regular episode ofEllery Queen, "The Adventure of Auld Lang Syne," which was set at a Dec. 31, 1946 New Year's Eve gathering.[33][34]
As early as 1933, Lombardo appeared with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor performing in the filmRambling 'Round Radio Row forWarner Brothers'Vitaphone division.[35] Lombardo and his orchestra were also part of the 1934 filmMany Happy Returns.[36]
At the express invitation ofRobert Moses, Lombardo served for two decades, as the impresario for numerous summer stock revivals of leading Broadway musicals at theJones Beach Theater on the south shore of New York'sLong Island.[37][38] Beginning in 1954 with a production of "Arabian Nights" starring the operatic tenorLauritz Melchior, Lombardo also collaborated with the producer Arnold Spector and choreographerJune Taylor in 1964 to produce "Around the World in 80 Days"[39] and continued to create opulent revivals of several Broadway musicals until 1977.[40] He would often commute from his home in Freeport, Long Island to the lagoon adjacent to the theater on his yacht "The Tempo IV" to conduct his Royal Canadians Orchestra for dances in the Schaeffer Beer Tent after the shows.[38][41][42]
Lombardo's productions at the seaside theater were noted for their glamorous and realistic waterborne set designs as well as their lush musical scores which were sometimes arranged by his brother Carmen. His early revival of "Song of Norway" in 1958 featured an actual iceberg floating down the lagoon toward the stage along with an authentic Viking ship. His 1961 rendition of the Hawaiian musical fantasy "Paradise Island" featured 32 native Hawaiian dancers diving off towers into the lagoon adjacent to the theater along with a 100 foot high waterfall. The 1965 production of "Mardis Gras" incorporated a floating set which usheredLouis Armstrong onstage for musical performances with his own band.[41][43]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Jones Beach Theater's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1974Here on New York State Archives: Digital Collections |
Over the decades, Lombardo also collaborated with leading musical artists in his revivals including:Nancy Dussault in the 1968 production of "South Pacific",Constance Towers in the 1970 production of "The Sound of Music".[41] and Norman Atkins in the 1974 production of "Fiddler on the Roof".[43] From the realm of grand opera, Lombardo recruited such luminaries as:Jerome Hines andJames McCracken along with members of theNew York City Ballet.[43] He also enlisted talented actors from the Broadway stage includingWilliam Gaxton andArthur Treacher for his production of "Paradise Island" in 1961 and the film actorJules Munshin for his 1960 production of "Hit the Deck".[44] During the early years, members of Lombardo's fifteen original Royal Canadians were augmented by professional musicians recruited from the New York City area to serve within the pit orchestra as well as on stage. As a result, the orchestra itself often included between thirty and forty accomplished instrumentalists.[40]
Lombardo often faced many challenges in the course of producing extravaganzas in such an outdoor venue during the summer season. The fickle weather conditions which prevailed near the shoreline often featured spontaneous drenching downpours which discouraged concertgoers. Still others balked at the prospect of making a long road trip from New York City onto Long Island for a show. In addition, complex negotiations with a variety of unions representing the stagehands, carpenters and electricians contributed to mounting production costs.[40] Ultimately, the Lombardo brothers only broke even financially, despite years of dedicated service. Lombardo, however, did not have any regrets. In the final analysis his primary objective was to provide ordinary members of the general public with musical entertainment of the highest possible caliber, while also ensuring memorable nights of dancing pleasure to the strains of "the sweetest music this side of heaven".[40][11]
Lombardo's talents also extended beyond the realm of jazz music. He was also an active nautical enthusiast and participated in the sport of Step Boat speedboat racing.[45] In 1946, he piloted his speedboat "Tempo VI" to victory, winning theGold Cup. For a time, Lombardo even reigned as the U.S. national champion (1946–1949), utilizing a boat designed specifically for him and manufactured byJohn L. Hacker. He subsequently achieved victory in several other important races including: the Ford Memorial competition (1948), President's Cup (1952) as well as the Silver Cup in 1952. By the late 1950s, Lombardo had won every trophy in the field and retired from active competition.[45] This followed his attempt in 1959 to utilize a jet engine-poweredTempo Alcoa to exceed the absolute water speed record. During a test run, the radio-controlled craft was destroyed while it surpassed a velocity of 250 mph.[46][47] These numerous achievements led to his induction into theCanadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2002.[45]
Lombardo also unveiled a robust line of fiberglass boats in 1958. Branded as the "Guy Lombardo Royal Fleet", these crafts were both manufactured and marketed by a subsidiary of the U. S. Pools Co. in Newark, New Jersey.[48][page needed] in accordance with a license from the Skagit Plastics Co. of La Conner, Washington.[49] Several years later, however, in 1961 the project was abandoned and Skagit Plastics discontinued production.[49][45][50][better source needed]
Later in life, Lombardo retired near the seashore at his home on the south shore of New York's Long Island inFreeport, where he docked his speedboats:Tempo,Tempo VI, andTempo VII.[51][52] The home has been designated as a historical landmark.[53] In keeping with his nautical interests, he also invested in a nearby seafood restaurant called "Liota's East Point House" that eventually became "Guy Lombardo's East Point House".[54]
While playing at the Music Box in Cleveland, Lombardo met Lillibeth Glenn.[55] They married in 1926.
On November 5, 1977, Lombardo died of aheart attack.[56][57] Another source says he died "of a lung ailment" following heart surgery.[1][58] His wife, who died in 1982, was at his bedside when he died inHouston Methodist Hospital.[1] He is interred at the Pinelawn Memorial Park inEast Farmingdale, New York.[59][60][61][62]
Included among the books published about Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians Orchestra are the following:[63]
In 1971 the United States Congress honored Guy Lombardo with an official recognition of his humanitarian accomplishments.[23] In the same year he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music by theUniversity of Western Ontario.[64][65]
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame inducted Guy Lombardo in 2008.[66]
Lombardo was featured on a postage stamp issued on December 17, 1999, as part ofCanada Post's Millennium Collection.[67][68]
Guy Lombardo has three stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.[69][70]
In 2002, he was inducted intoCanada's Walk of Fame and had a star on its Walk of Fame in Toronto. In 1978, theCanadian Music Hall of Fame also inducted Guy Lombardo.[5]
In his later home of Freeport, New York, there is Guy Lombardo Avenue.[66][5] There is a bridge named after Lombardo in London, Ontario, near Wonderland Gardens, as well as Lombardo Avenue in north London near theUniversity of Western Ontario.[5]
The Guy Lombardo Society was created to preserve the music and history of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.[71]
42°57′49″N81°17′36″W / 42.963674°N 81.293225°W /42.963674; -81.293225From the mid-1980s until 2007, there was a museum dedicated to Guy Lombardo in London, Ontario, near the intersection of Wonderland Road and Springbank Drive. In September 2007, lacking visitors and funding, the museum was closed.[72] Although the city owned many of the exhibits, most of the collection can be found at the private home of former part-time curator Douglas Flood. City staff recommended that the museum not be reopened.[73] In early 2015 Flood scheduled an auction of remaining items from the collection, under protest from members of the Lombardo family.[74]
Lebert Lombardo's children also have an extensive collection of artifacts, including photographs, record albums, sheet music, awards, and the band's framed first paycheck from 1918 in their homes and storage units inFort Myers andSanibel, Florida. They have tried to donate the collection to various universities and museums but have had no takers. The Library of Congress has a collection of Lombardo films.[70]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
| Interviews with Guy Lombardo and performances onCBC Radio 1's "Rewind" in 2015Here on Archive.org' |
Over the decades, performances and recordings by Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians Orchestra were reviewed by critics in such noted magazines as:The Billboard,[75][76][77] theNew York Times Theater Reviews.[78] and theNew York Herald Tribune Book Reviews.[79] Lombardo was cited for his skillful use of muted drums, trumpets and clarinets, bright tempos and smooth, flowing melodic lines.[77][80] While emphasizing a sedate performance style, Lombardo also discouraged the use of solo improvisations, rifts and driving swing rhythms in his arrangements.[81] He also adopted the use of the tuba instead of the double bass in a harmonic role.
In a 1973 interview with CBC radio, Lombardo credited his brother Carmen with utilizing his talents as a self-taught flautist to develop a unique "round" sound for the saxophones as well as the influence ofPaul Whiteman's band on his style.[82] His "sweet" jazz style frequently incorporated lilting arrangements, much to the dismay of "serious" jazz devotees who favored "hot" jazz.[11][83][15] Ironically, even the executives atColumbia Records were inclined to reject a sample recording submitted by Lombardo's band in 1927 on the grounds that it lacked the fast staccato tempo popularized by dance bands in the 1920s and was therefore not suitable for dancing.[80]
Nevertheless, even Lombardo's detractors praised his orchestra for the skill and musicianship of its members.[11] In fact, Lombardo's band was highly respected throughout the industry for its professionalism.[84]Milt Gabler ofDecca Records praised the band as "the most completely responsible band I ever knew."[84] The legendaryLouis Armstrong even singled out Lombardo's band as one of his favorites.[15][85]
WhileBenny Goodman insisted that sweet music in general was "a weak sister incapable of holding its own in any artistic encounter with the real music of America", Lombardo's style continued to reign as the dominant influence among dance bands from the late 1920s until the arrival of the Swing Era in the mid-1930s and served as the foundation for the styles developed byHal Kemp,Kay Kyser,Freddie Martin (who studied technique on the saxophone with Carmen Lombardo) andSammy Kaye.[80][84] In fact, Lombardo's smooth, mellow, lyrical style never quite disappeared even after World War II ended and helped to influence the subsequent development of various musical genres includingeasy listening.[84][11][83][86]
The music criticWinthrop Sargeant brushed aside all doubts about Lombardo's music In hisJazz: Hot and Hybrid (1959:53) by asserting that it was "unquestionably a variety of jazz, a hybrid variety that has come as close as anything does to being the folk-music of the great mass of Americans".[85] In the final analysis, Lombardo's simple direct interpretation of easily understood melodies continued to consistently attract huge audiences both in the dance halls and concert halls of America in a manner which remained popular with the public for five decades.[80]
Over the decades, Lombardo and his Royal Canadians Orchestra recorded extensively on the Brunswick, Victor, Columbia and Decca record labels.[87][88] Before the start ofBillboard magazine's top 40 charts in 1940, Lombardo had over 140 hits from 1927 to 1940, including twenty-one No. 1 singles. The five biggest being "Charmaine", "It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane", "Boo-Hoo", "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye", and "Red Sails in the Sunset".
The following singles made the "Top Ten" of the AmericanBillboard singles charts from 1927 to 1940:[89][90]
The following appeared on theColumbia Records label:
The following appeared on theBrunswick Records label:[91]
The following appeared on theDecca Records label:
The following singles made the "Top Ten" of theBillboard Singles Charts, 1940–1952.[92]
During the 1950s and 1960s Lombardo and his Royal Canadians recorded several albums for the Decca, Capitol, London and Pickwick record labels.[93][94][95][96]
Vocalion:[100]
Capitol:
Pickwick (Capitol) Budget Compilations / Reissues:
March 10, 1924 Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians first record for Gennett in Richmond indiana..
Louis Armstrong often referred to Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians as his favorite band, but this fact is rarely cited and almost never pursued. Critics and historians who celebrate African American music tend to dismiss Lombardo's music as boring, mainstream pap, unworthy to be treated alongside the masterpieces of Armstrong or Duke Ellington. Thus, while celebrating Armstrong, they ignore his musical opinion—and that of the public, which made Lombardo's orchestra the most popular dance band not only of white America, but also at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. How have such prejudices affected our views of the past? How has our understanding of black musicians been limited by an insistence that they fit modern definitions of hipness or authenticity?
Though Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians were always considered the sweetest of American dance bands and the antithesis of what is usually called jazz, Louis Armstrong regularly named them as his favorite orchestra. This judgment is usually dismissed as an odd quirk, but by exploring it we can learn something about what made Armstrong unique. Likewise, it is worth examining Armstrong's admiration for classical virtuosos like Herbert Clarke of the Sousa band. In broader terms, we cannot understand the evolution of jazz if we do not explore the deep African-American classical tradition and the extent to which artists like Armstrong and Lombardo shared a single world, and appealed to a broadly overlapping audience. Sweet orchestras and classical concert music, rather than being the opposite of jazz, were among the many inspirations for Armstrong and his peers, and our understanding and appreciation of these musicians is increased when we realize the breadth of their interests.
Armstrong and Lombardo did not view their worlds as diametrically opposed, nor did many other contemporary musicians of the 1930s. ...Lombardo himself always took great pride in the number of black orchestras that imitated his style.
.svg)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Ellery Queen featured a superb array of guest stars including Guy Lombardo
