Guy Lombardo

Guy Lombardo
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.
Occupation Bandleader, violinist
Years active 1924–1977

Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist of Italian descent.

Forming The Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor, and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "the sweetest music this side of Heaven". The Lombardos are believed to have sold between 100 and 300 million phonograph records during their lifetimes,[1] many featuring the band's long time lead singer, Kenny Gardner.[2]

Early life

Lombardo was born in London, Ontario,[3] to Italian immigrants, Gaetano Sr. and Lena Lombardo. His father, who had worked as a tailor, was an amateur singer with a baritone voice and had four of his five sons learn to play instruments so they could accompany him. Lombardo and his brothers formed their first orchestra while still in grammar school and rehearsed in the back of their father's tailor shop.[4] Lombardo first performed in public with his brother Carmen at a church lawn party in London in 1914.[5] His first recording session took place where trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke made his legendary recordings—in Richmond, Indiana, at the Gennett Studios—both during early 1924.

Royal Canadians

Guy Lombardo at left with brothers, Victor, Lebert and Carmen and sister Rose Marie.

After that solitary Gennett session, they recorded two sessions for Brunswick (a rejected session in Cleveland in late 1926 and an issued session for Vocalion in early 1927). The band then signed to Columbia and recorded prolifically between 1927 and 1931. In early 1932, they signed to Brunswick and continued their success through 1934 when they signed to Decca (1934–35). They then signed to Victor in later 1935 and stayed until mid 1938 when again they signed to Decca.

In 1938, Lombardo became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Although Lombardo's "sweet" big-band music was viewed by some in the jazz and big-band community of the day as "corny", trumpeter Louis Armstrong famously enjoyed Lombardo's music.[1]

New Year's Eve radio and TV programs

Lombardo is remembered for almost a half-century of New Year's Eve big band remotes, first on radio, and then on television. Lombardo's orchestra played at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 ("radio's first nationwide New Year's eve broadcast")[3] to 1959, and from then until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Live broadcasts (and later telecasts) of their performances were a major part of New Year's celebrations across North America; millions of people watched the show with friends at house parties. Because of this popularity, Lombardo was called "Mr. New Year's Eve".

The band's first New Year's Eve radio broadcast was in 1928; within a few years, they were heard live on the CBS Radio Network before midnight Eastern Time, then on the NBC Radio Network after midnight.

On December 31, 1956, the Lombardo band did their first New Year's TV special on CBS; the program (and Lombardo's 20 subsequent New Year's Eve TV shows) included a live segment from Times Square (long the focal point of America's New Year's Eve celebrations) showcasing the arrival of the New Year. During the early years, pioneer broadcast journalist Robert Trout reported from Times Square; in later years, another longtime newsman, Ben Grauer, reported from Times Square, though Grauer worked for NBC.

While CBS carried most of the Lombardo New Year's specials, there were a few years in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the special was syndicated live to individual TV stations instead of being broadcast on a network.

By the middle 1970s, the Lombardo TV show was facing competition, especially for younger viewers, from Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, but Lombardo remained popular among viewers, especially older ones.

Even after Lombardo's death, the band's New Year's specials continued for two more years on CBS. The Royal Canadians were noted for playing the traditional song Auld Lang Syne as part of the celebrations. Their recording of the song still plays as the first song of the new year in Times Square.

Other radio

Beginning June 14, 1953, Guy Lombardo and his orchestra had Guy Lombardo Time, the summer replacement for Jack Benny's radio program.[6]

Film

Lombardo and his orchestra were part of the 1934 film Many Happy Returns.[7]

Other pursuits

Lombardo was also an important figure in hydroplane speedboat racing, winning the Gold Cup in 1946 in his record-breaking speedboat, Tempo VI, designed and built by the legendary John L. Hacker. He then went on to win the Ford Memorial competition in 1948 and the President's Cup and the Silver Cup in 1952. From 1946 to 1949, he was the reigning US national champion. Before his retirement from the sport in the late 1950s, he had won every trophy in the field. In 1959 Lombardo was attempting a run on the absolute water speed record with the jet engine powered Tempo Alcoa when it was destroyed on a radio controlled test run doing over 250 miles per hour (400 km/h).[8] After the destruction of the Tempo Alcoa, Lombardo retired from hydroplane racing. In 2002 he was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.

Beginning in 1958, Lombardo lent his name to and endorsed The Guy Lombardo Royal Fleet, a line of fiberglass boats manufactured and sold by the United States Boat Corporation of Newark, New Jersey, a division of the US Pools Corporation. The boats were manufactured under license from Skagit Plastics, Inc. of La Conner, Washington. The endeavor was short-lived and ended in 1961 with the closure of Skagit Plastics.[9]

In his later years, Lombardo lived in Freeport, Long Island, New York, where he kept his cabin cruiser Tempo, Tempo VI and Tempo VII (built in 1955). He also invested in a nearby seafood restaurant (or clam shack) originally called "Liota's East Point House." It was soon "Guy Lombardo's East Point House." Lombardo later became promoter and musical director of Jones Beach Marine Theater, which is a still-popular concert venue south of Freeport – the venue was built specifically with him in mind by Robert Moses, who regarded himself as one of Lombardo's fans. Lombardo's final production at Jones Beach was the 1977 staging of Finian's Rainbow, with Christopher Hewett in the title role.[10]

Death

On November 5, 1977, Lombardo suffered a fatal heart attack. (Another source says he died "of a lung ailment.")[11] His wife was at his bedside when he died in Houston Methodist Hospital.[11]

Victor Lombardo took over the band briefly but could not maintain it. When Lebert Lombardo severed his ties in 1979 the group finally dissolved. The orchestra was later revived in 1989 by Al Pierson, playing a mix of nostalgic tunes and modern arrangements.

Tributes

Guy Lombardo's star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

The Guy Lombardo Society is a society dedicated to preserving the music and history of Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians.

Lombardo was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Guy Lombardo has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

There is a bridge named after Lombardo in London, Ontario near Wonderland Gardens, as well as Lombardo Avenue in north London near the University of Western Ontario.

The home where Guy Lombardo and his siblings grew up is still standing in London, Ontario, at 202 Simcoe Street. A plaque to the Lombardos has been moved from the exterior wall of the Labatt Retail Store at Richmond and Horton streets in London to the store's entranceway off the parking lot, denoting the site of a subsequent home of the Lombardos.

In his later home of Freeport, New York, there is a major street named for him – Guy Lombardo Avenue.

In 2002, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Guy Lombardo museum

Coordinates: 42°57′49″N 81°17′36″W / 42.963674°N 81.293225°W / 42.963674; -81.293225 From 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.[12] 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 have recommended that the museum not be reopened.[13] The building has been converted into a community rec centre as of 2010.

In early 2015 Flood scheduled an auction of remaining items from the collection, under protest from members of the Lombardo family.[14]

Lebert Lombardo's children also have a large 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 in Fort Myers and Sanibel, 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.[15]

Media

Singles discography

Prior to the start of Billboard Magazine's top 40 charts in 1940, Lombardo had over 140 hits from 1927–1940, including twenty-one #1 hits. The five biggest were: "Charmaine", "It looks like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane", "Boo-Hoo", "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye" and "Red Sails in the Sunset."

All of the below singles made the "Top Ten" of the American Billboard singles charts 1927–1940:[16][17]

Columbia

The following appeared on the Columbia Records label:

  • 1927 – Charmaine
  • 1928 – Beloved
  • 1928 – Coquette
  • 1928 – Sweethearts on Parade
  • 1929 – College Medley Fox Trot (The Big Ten)
  • 1929 – I Get The Blues When It Rains
  • 1929 – Singin' in the Bathtub
  • 1929 – Where The Shy Little Violets Grow
  • 1930 – A Cottage for Sale
  • 1930 – Baby's Birthday Party
  • 1930 – Confessin' (That I Love You)
  • 1930 – Crying For The Carolines
  • 1930 – Go Home And Tell Your Mother
  • 1930 – Have A Little Faith In Me
  • 1930 – I Still Get A Thrill (Thinking Of You)
  • 1930 – Lazy Lou'siana Moon
  • 1930 – Rollin' Down The River
  • 1930 – Singing A Song To The Stars
  • 1930 – Swingin' In A Hammock
  • 1930 – Under A Texas Moon
  • 1930 – You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do)
  • 1930 – You're The Sweetest Girl This Side Of Heaven
  • 1931 – (There Ought To Be A) Moonlight Saving Time
  • 1931 – Begging For Love
  • 1931 – By The River Sainte-Marie
  • 1931 – Goodnight Sweetheart
  • 1931 – Now That You're Gone
  • 1931 – Sweet and Lovely
  • 1931 – Whistling In The Dark
  • 1931 – Without That Gal!
  • 1931 – You Try Somebody Else (We'll Be Back Together Again)

Brunswick

The titles listed below appeared on the Brunswick Records label:

Decca (1934–1935)

The Following titles appeared on the Decca Records label:

Victor (1936–1938)

  • 1936 – Lost
  • 1936 – The Broken Record
  • 1936 – The Way You Look Tonight
  • 1936 – When Did You Leave Heaven
  • 1936 – When My Dream Boat Comes Home
  • 1937 – A Sail Boat In The Moonlight
  • 1937 – Boo-Hoo
  • 1937 – I Know Now
  • 1937 – It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane
  • 1937 – September in the Rain
  • 1937 – So Rare
  • 1937 – The Love Bug Will Bite You
  • 1938 – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
  • 1938 – I Must See Annie Tonight
  • 1938 – It's A Lonely Trail (When You're Travelin' All Alone)
  • 1938 – Let's Sail To Dreamland
  • 1938 – Little Lady Make Believe
  • 1938 – So Little Time
  • 1938 – Ti-Pi-Tin

Decca (1939–1952)

All of the below listed singles made the "Top Ten" of the Billboard Singles Charts, 1940–1952.[18]

Albums discography

DECCA 12" Albums:[19][20][21]

Vocalion:[22]

Capitol:

London Records:

Pickwick (Capitol) Budget Compilations / Reissues:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Guy Lombardo > Biography (All Music Guide)".
  2. ↑ "Kenny Gardner, 89, Guy Lombardo's Crooner". The New York Times. July 31, 2002. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
  3. 1 2 Roberts, Joe (December 28, 1977). "Lombardo: old acquaintance not forgotten". California, Van Nuys. Valley News. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Gaetano Lombardo, Father of Musicians". New York Times. October 7, 1954. p. 23.
  5. ↑ Guy Lombardo (1975). Auld Acquaintance. Doubleday.
  6. ↑ Kirby, Walter (June 14, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 54. Retrieved July 1, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Spoonts, Lucille (April 17, 1934). "Lombardo Brothers Agree on Two Things -- Fishing and Music; Dynamos of Energy". Texas, Amarillo. The Amarillo Globe-Times. p. 7. Retrieved February 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Jet Boat Aims For World Speed Record". Popular Science, December 1959, p. 94.
  9. ↑ Guy Lombardo Boats at Fiber Classics. Accessed December 16, 2010.
  10. ↑ Show program.
  11. 1 2 "Band Leader Guy Lombardo Dead at 75". Indiana, Rushville. Rushville Republican. November 7, 1977. p. 2. Retrieved February 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Clock strikes midnight for Guy Lombardo museum". National Post, Toronto, Canada. October 29, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  13. ↑ "Lombardo relics off limits to city". The London Free Press. January 30, 2009.
  14. ↑ Museum London hopes to avert a sad note and retain memorabilia
  15. ↑ Mary Wozniak, "For auld lang syne: Guy Lombardo's history needs a home", USA Today, December 31, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians Top Songs". MusicVF. musicVF.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Hawtin, Steve; et al. "Guy Lombardo Chart Hits At TsorT.info". TsorT. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  18. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Billboard Pop Hits Singles & Albums 1940-1954. Menomonee, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-152-7.
  19. ↑ Edwards, David; Callahan, Mike; Eyries, Patrice; Watts, Randy; Neely, Tim. "Decca Album Discography, Part 6: Decca DL 9000-9190 (1950-1971)". bsnpubs.com. Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  20. ↑ Edwards, David; Callahan, Mike; Eyries, Patrice; Watts, Randy; Neely, Tim. "Decca Album Discography, Part 5, Main 12-inch Series: DL4000-5397 (1959-1972)". bsnpubs.com. Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Edwards, David; Callahan, Mike; Eyries, Patrice; Watts, Randy; Neely, Tim. "Decca Album DIscography, Part 4 Main 12-inch 8000 Series (1949-1960)". bsnpubs.com. Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  22. ↑ Edwards, Dave; Callahan, Mike; Eyries, Patrice; Watts, Randy; Neely, Tim. "Vocalion Album Discography". bsnpubs.com. Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
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