Big Band Chronology (June 20 - 27)

June 20

• Trumpeter Lammar Wright Sr. was born in Texarkana, TX, 1907. He played with Bennie Moten from 1923-1927. Wright move to New York in 1927 and joined the Missourians which morphed into the Cab Calloway Orchestra just prior to the 1932 gig at the Cotton Club. Wright stayed with Calloway until 1940. During the 40's he worked with Don Redman (1943), Claude Hopkins (1944-46), Lucky Millinder (1946) and Sy Oliver (1947). In the 50's he taught trumpet and did some session work. In 1959, Wright played in the George Shearing big band.
  

June 21

• Columbia unveils the LP at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria, NYC, 1948. Two formats are presented: a 10 inch diameter matching that of the 78 singles, and a 12 inch format. The new formats increased the playing time from 4 minutes to over 20. Columbia initially released 100 records. The first catalogue number for a ten-inch LP, CL 6001, was a reissue of the Frank Sinatra 78 rpm album set The Voice of Frank Sinatra.

• Vocalist June Christy, (born Shirley Luster) ,64, dies in LA, 1990. In the mid 40's, Christy sang with Boyd Raeburn and Benny Strong under the name of Sharon Leslie. She joined Stan Kenton in 1945 and changed ger name to Juen Christy. Among the hits she had with Kenton were Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy, How High the Moon, and Tampico which was Kenton's bniggest selling record.
  
  
  Tampico
  Stan Kenton with June Christy
  
  
  Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
  Stan Kenton with June Christy
  
  

June 22

• Bassist Milt Hinton, nicknames "The Judge", was born in Vicksburg, MS, 1910. Hinton played with Cab Calloway from 1936-1951.

• Tenor saxman and composer, Eddie Miller was born in New Orleans, 1911. From 1930 - 34 Miller played with Ben Pollack. He was with Bob Crosby from 1934 to 1942. Miller composed Lazy Mood with Johnny Mercer lyrics.
  

• Tenor saxman Sahib Shihab, was born in Savannah, GA, 1925. Played with Fletcher Henderson in the mid 40's.

June 24

• First Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald session on Verve Take the A Train, 1958.

• Bessie Smith records sound-track for her only movie, St. Louis Blues, 1929. Smith sings the title song of this movie with members of the Fletcher Henderson band backing her.
  

June 25

• Songwriter and singer, Johnny Mercer, 67, dies in Hollywood California, 1976. He wrote the lyrics to more than a thousand songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. He received nineteen Academy Award nominations. Mercer was also a co-founder of Capitol Records. Among many of his titles, he wrote Lazy Bones, Too Marvelous for Words, Jeepers Creepers, And The Angels Sing, Blues in the Night, I Remember You, Laura, and Moon River.
  

• Trombonist, composer and arranger Bill Russo was born in Chicago, 1925. He wrote for Stan Kenton in the 1950's. Russo's contribution to Kenton’s book include Hall of Brass (1950) , Portrait of A Count, 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West, Frank Speaking and Improvisation. In the 60's he founded the London Jazz Orchestra and the music department of Columbia College (Chicago).
  

• Glenn Miller records the following charts, 1941: Under Blue Canadian Skies (v - Eberle), The Cowboy Serenade (v - Eberle), You and I (v - Eberle) and Adios. Session ran from 1:00pm to 4:45pm.
  

Band Personnel:
Trombones - Glenn Miller, Jimmy Priddy, Warren Smith, Paul Tanner
Trumpets - Billy May, Ray Anthony, Dale McMickle, Johnny Best
Reeds - Hal McIntyre (as), Ernie Caseres (as, clt, bar), Wilbur Schwartz (as, clt), Tex Beneke (ts), Al Klink (ts)
Rhythm - Chummy McGregor (p), Bill Conway (g), Edward Goldberg (b), Maurice Purtill (d)
Vocalists - Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle

June 26

• Harry James plays last gig at the Century Plaza, LA, 1983. He passes away 9 days later.

• Trumpeter Ziggy Elman, 54 dies in LA, 1968. He played with Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.

June 27

• Trumpeter Lester "Shad" Collins was born in Elizabeth, NJ, 1910. In the 30's je played with Chicl Webb, Benny Carter, Don Redman, and Count Basie. In the early 40's, he replaced Dizzy Gillespie in Cab Calloway's band. He is featured in Calloway's rendition of Ghost of A Chance with reedman Chu Barry, 1940.
  

• Clarinetist and tenor man, Barney Bigard, 74 dies in Culver City, CA, 1980. In the early 20's, Bigard played with King Oliver. He joined Duke Ellington's reed section in 1927, a gig that would last until 1942. He later worked with Kid Ory and Louis Armstrong. Bigard co- composed Mood Indigo.
  

• Glenn Miller records the following charts, 1939: The Day We Meet Again (v - Eberle), Want a Hat With Cherries (v - Hutton), Sold American and Pagan Love Call. Recording session started 1:30pm and ended at 4:00 pm.
  

Band Personnel:
Trombones - Glenn Miller, Al Mastran, Paul Tanner
Trumpets - Clyde Hurley, Legh Knowles, Dale McMicle
Reeds - Hal McIntyre (as), Harold Tennyson (as, clt, bar), Wilbur Schwartz (as, clt), Tex Beneke (ts), Al Klink (ts)
Rhythm - Chummy McGregor (p), Richard Fischer (g), Rowland Bundock (b), Maurice Purtill (d)
Vocalists - Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle

Norm Gluckman
Cedarville, New Jersey
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