A popular 30s bandleader, Wayne King has been compared to Lawrence Welk and Fred Waring. Known as the "Waltz King," his repertoire was made up of waltzes, novelty songs and sentimental recordings. The sound was copied by other musicians and made Wayne King famous. It was radio broadcasts, such as the Lady Esther Serenade, his Victor recording contracts and performances on Chicago's Aragon Ballroom that sold millions of recordings for Wayne King. Besides being a successful bandleader, Wayne King was also a saxophonist, often playing his instrument in the Wayne King Orchestra.

Among the more prominent of the pop-singing crooners of the mid-twentieth century, Vic Damone recorded more than 2,000 songs during an active career that began in 1947 and spanned 54 years. With a lush and mellow baritone, he possessed one of the finest singing voices of his era and was widely acknowledged by critics as one of the best crooner of the times. Even in his later concerts, his voice never faltered nor did it lose its easy tone. Instead, according to critics, the depth of emotion in his singing voice was improved by life experience as he aged. Damone, who announced his retirement in 2000, embarked on a farewell tour that lasted into 2001. With a sold-out concert at Florida's Kravis Center in February of 2001 and his ultimate farewell concert set at Carnegie Hall in May of that year, Damone closed the chapter on one of the most impressive singing careers on record.

Gerald Walcan Bright, better known as Geraldo (10 August 1904, London, England - 4 May 1974, Vevey, Switzerland) was a British bandleader.

Bright adopted the name "Geraldo" in 1930 to become one of the most popular dance-band leaders of the 1930s with his "sweet music" and his "Gaucho Tango Orchestra". During the 1940s, he modernized his style to continue enjoying great success.

Big Band Serenade presents it Spring Time Theme Show.

Art Gillham His Life and Music

Pioneer Radio Artist 1922-1954

On 300 radio stations before network broadcasting

1924 Election night broadcast 18 station hookup from WEAF

CBS depression era Syncopated Pessimism

First television demonstration in South 1939

Pioneer Recording Artist

First Western Electric electrical recording to be released

Exclusive Artist for Columbia Records 1924-1931

Piano Rolls - Songwriter - Vaudeville Theater tours

One of the first crooners

Georgia Music Hall of Fame

Dorothy Shay,She signed with Columbia Records and recorded a series of hit records. Her biggest hit was "Feudin' And Fightin'" in 1947. In her singing engagements, she performed dressed as a sophisticated urbanite while talking like a rural Southerner. She was popular in clubs, radio and television.

Referred to by Duke Ellington as “not only the world’s greatest drummer...(but also) the world’s greatest musician!”, Louie Bellson has expressed himself on drums since age three. At 15, he pioneered the double bass drum set-up. At 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Gene Krupa drumming contest.

He has performed on more than 200 albums with such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton and Bellson’s late wife Pearl Bailey.

Air National Guard Show with Russ Morgan & Rosemary Clooney

Bargy's work for the Benson Orchestra established him as a triple-threat talent, and his services were soon sought out by other bands. In late 1921, after a falling out with Benson, Bargy left and formed his own orchestra, taking many members of the group with him. He disbanded a few years later and joined the band led by composer-saxophonist Isham Jones. In 1928, Bargy began a twelve-year association with Paul Whiteman's great dance orchestra as pianist/arranger. Now his experience in editing and writing songs for the old Imperial Piano Roll company stood him in good stead. Many of the early Whiteman arrangements were done by Bargy. He remained with Whiteman until 1940 working not only as a Pianist and arranger, but even becoming second in command and often leading the band when Whiteman couldn't be present. Not too well recalled now, but it was Bargy's piano that was afeatured attraction during Whiteman's famous debut of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".

During the 1930s Freddy Nagel operated a society orchestra in the Northwestern part of the United States. In the early 1940s Nagel reorganized his band and began to feature swing music. He also expanded his territory into the Midwest. In 1947 Nagel had a short-lived sustaining radio show on ABC, live from the Empire Room of the Palmer House in Chicago. Vocalists were Dick Baldwin and Jane Easton. Nagel also recorded eight songs on Vitacoustic, a new label which went under the following year. Only six were released. Vocalists were Patti Page, Jimmy Jett, and Ted Travers. By 1950 Nagel had given up on the band business. Other vocalists who appeared with Freddy Nagel include Lorraine Benson, Ken Jackson, Bob Locken, and Allen Overend.