Variety (May 1946)

56 ORCH ESTRAS-1HIJSIC Wednesday, Mny 15, 1946 On the Upbeat Joe Vera, boogie-woogie pianisl who had a four-piece outfit al Hold Roosevelt, Pittsburgh, before going into sci'vice. lias expanded to seven nicii and a girl singer, and is now al the Continental in Chicago... . . Johnny Loirs band opens 10-day cii- gagemcnt at Vogue Terrace. Pitts- burgh. Monday (20). following Glen Giay". . . . Chic Barrie has joined Tommy Carlyn band in Pittsburgh" on the drums. . . . Alberto Casbaona. violinist with Marty Gregor's band m William Penn hotel. Pitt, plans to do a cafe act when room closes for the summer. ... AI Ramsey. Tom DiCicco into Frankic Masters' trumpet section: Jim Putnam in saxes Count Basie's 10th anni as a maestro comes up next week during his Apollo theaUe. N. Y. run. . . . Guitarist Al Norris rejoined Jimmie -Lunccford band after Army discharge: . . . Bobby Byrne orchestra cut first Co.-mo disks in N. Y. Monday (Kti. . . . . Elliott Lawrence's initial Co- lumbia disks will be released coin- cident with opening of his first job in N. Y.. at Pennsylvania hotel, July 1. . . . Louis Bcllson takes over Benny Goodman drums at 400 Club. N. Y.. opening tomorrow night iThursday). . . . Exclusive Records opening new Hollywood offices May 24 with cocktail party. . . Paul Pruner. e.x-prcsident oli Musicrafl disks, into N. Y. hospital early in June for surgery. . . . Lcs F.lgart band cut first Musicraft disks last week in N. Y. . . . Mike Elliott named executive head of Musicraft sales promotion. . . . Charlie Ventura out of Gene Krupa orchestra, which moves into Aquarium restaurant. N. Y.. tomorrow night (Thursday). Deacon Dunn. ex-Kay Kyser vo- calist, formed own band and is at Club Donroy, Hollywood. . . . Leigh- ton Noble currently onc-nitirig along Coast, opens at Waldorf Hotel. N. Y.. June 9. . . . Borrah Minnevich build- ing what is basically a harmonica band on Coast, using as nuclei former members of his old vaudc and screen act. most of whom have just emerged from uniform. Outfit will consist of ten harmonicas, bass, drums and guitar. . . . Jake Porter, former trumpeter with Lionel Hampton, forming own six-piece combo on Coast. . . . Louis Jordan Tympany Five dated into Orphcum.' I.. A., week of Sept. 17. the Golden G a I e, San Francisco. following stan/.a. thence into Billy Berg's Hollywood nitery, on Ocl. 2 for eight week's. . . . Barbara Nelson's allgal band new combo in Showboat. San Diego. . . . Dcbby Claise new chirp with Ray Bauduc. . . . Krnie Walker has replaced .Jacques Mais as arranger with Desi Arna/. band. Charley Picknell joined as lead alto. . . . Jack Mcycrson added to Decca staff in N. Y. as purchasing director ■for Phono and Accessories Division. . . lleibert H. Horn Co. to distribute Musicraft Records in Southern Cali- fornia and Yuma. Ariz... territory. . . Les Elgart band to cut for same company.. . . . Bobby Byrne band making Columbia pix ■short May 17. . . . Eric Becker became partner in Pick-Up label. . . . Swan Records- issued charter in N. Y. Slate. . . . Jerry Sellers to record for Sonora. l : . . . Musicraft completed selling up I llamp-Tone Records subsidiary in association with Lionel Hampton. Disks will be devoted to Negro tal- ent exclusively. . . . Tony Pastor cut first disking of Leeds' "Under the i Willow Tree" for Cosmo. . . . Belly I Riley" doing two albums for Del.uxc label. . . . John Kirby signed to I Vogue disks. : . . Ray Kberly ditto I to Apollo. ; Tommy Tucker's band opens out- ! door dancing season at Bill Green s ■ in Pittsburgh May 19 . . . Will Os- i born band booked to open outdoor | dance season at Bill Greens. May : 24 . . . Bernie Armstrong and KDKA stall' band signed for Ihe entire | series of special dances at the West - j m'oreland Country Club. Pittsburgh. \ this summer. ■ Mel Powell, Benny Goodman ! pianist, will accompany the elarinet I maestro in his two ^uest artist ap- pearances with the Memphis Sym- phony Orchestra. June 18-19. Gypsy Markoff has recorded an aibuin for United Masters, a new disk firm. Robbins-Musicraft disk stunt in Greyhound Bus terminals' to push "Love On a Greyhound Bus," from the film, "No Leave No Love." fell through due to inadequate p.a. sys- j terns in bus terminals. . . . Enoch Light recorded racial tolerance tuiie ' for Continental last week titled. "No Restriction Signs Up In Heaven." Gray Gordon Robbed Pittsburgh, May J4. . An organ keyboard attachment for a piano, valued at around $500. was stolen here over the week-end from a bus carrying the Gray Gordon band on a one-night tour. Band had come here to play U. of Pilt Mardi Grasf Carnival. 'Gordon of- fered a $50' reward through the ne.vspapers for its return. Production of the keyboard device svas stopped during the war and. it's not replaceable. Thief probably didn't know that the portion he stole is useless without the other equip- mcnt-hc left behind. ■I Mexican Songwriters' Society Seek Better I Pub Royalty Payoff Mexico City, May 14. \ Belter breaks in the way of royal- ! ties for Mexican song writers and. composers is the objective of a drive j launched by the Mexican Sociely of j Authors, Composers and Publishers j (SMACEM). Society holds that ; writers and composers cannot exist i due to ever higher living costs in j Mexico—400% hike over l»:t!l—un- j less they secure a "fair and just" royalty. Song writers and composers have but seven publishers of their works in Mexico—Promotora Hispano Mex- icans, Editorial Mexicana do Musica Internacional. Emprcsa Coinercial de Xavicr Cugal, Atlas, F.dicionos de Mexico, Repertorio Wagner and Edi- torial Hcrmanos Vargas. Publishers deny writer*' charge that they are responsible for the composers' precarious economic life. Publishers aver that they Ipse S50.000 (Mex) a year by catering to the Mexican market, bul assert that de- spite complicated treaties with Ihe U. S. and the Argentine they are able to retrieve that loss by market- ing in those countries. Publishers agree with the writers that Mexican music deserves better coin break in the other 19 American republics. Stevens Music in N. Y. having trouble with song shark firm by same name. Inside Orchestras-Music Barry Gray and Ben Pollack, former bandleader, cut loose a fair oral Dempsey-Firpo on the former's WOR all-nighter last week. It was a fire- works display the show needed. Gray having sounded lately as if he were broadcasting with his feel on Ihe desk. Pollack touched off the rocket when he questioned the authenticity ot Variety's "Ten Best on the Coin Machines"—meaning phonograph records And Pollack had a point. Bul lie didn'i explain it well. Meanwhile, Gray had leaped in with a "You can't say that about my sponsor" (Variktv) and the boys were oft\j ' By Ihe time it got back to Pollack again he'd forgotten what he'd said in the first place. Gray was burning in the second and what they were say- ing had very lillle to do with the matter in the third. However, what Pollack meant was that he believed Vaiiikty's "10 Best'' list was merely based on the number of disks sent to. but not necessarily played by the coin machines (they have the privilege of rejection), and being the head of Jewel Records, he maintained he knew what he was talking about Fair enough, but he was wrong on this one. What Gray overlooked point- ing out was thai the "10 Best" list is based only on what disks (he pro- prielors of the machines order. And so across the country and as an-' Ihorilaliye as Vaiiiktv Can make il. When a Jewel platter shines suf- ficiently to make the list V.muktv will print it regardless of "what Pollack thinks ot Variety. By this lime, getting back to Ihe program. Alan Courtney had stepped in as mediator between Gray and Pollack to gel them both off. Courtnev had dropped in by happened ance. l>eo Rcismau was also present, having accompanied Pollack, but became a secret when the argument started. To lop trie week o(T Gray dropped into Ihe Roxy and suddenly found out Jessel was quite a perTormer. Which led into a two-nighf rave on the part of Gray about the only Fox producer who communicates with Zantick by postcard. And Gcorgie. not having heard himself complimented on the air in some time, wound up across Ihe table irom the disk jock Saturday night.. A tired Jessel he was. loo. N'ol'menlally. bul vocally. That day he tl onh- been up to guest .on one of those 8 a.m. married couple breakfast sessions, done live shows at.Ihe Roxy. and here he was al 3 a.m. the next morning slill talking after 57 minutes. (Who carried him out of the .studio?) This week Gray docs one entire show from Lindy's restaurant on Broad- way with Life reported sending photographers .for one of its "goes to a party " series. If the stunt gels over the program..may originate once weekly, from where, if you sit (here long enough a herring'you know must go by. Bel-Tone Records. Coast pop-plalleiy. and Mills Music. Inc.. reached amicable understanding alter the -publisher last week asked the recorder why it .had released a disk or one of pub's copyrighted songs s;pis per- mission. Ditty involved was "That Ain't Right." written rather a while back by Nat (King) Cole and li ving Mills, and which was included in "Stormy Weather," 20th-Fox musical three years ago. Mills has accepted the statements of Bel-Tone, that waxery was unaware lune was published ilem when disk was made by Wini Beally. Contract now has been drawn. Greyhound Bus Co. is preparing an extensive campaign to couple self- exploitation with Robbins Music's. "Love On a Greyhound Bus" song, from the film, "No Leave. No Love." Company is inserting in its mag and oilier ads all over the country, ieferenccs to the lune in addition lo window displays in ticket offices on recordings of ihe song. Cable report from London had Metro M) stalling a British branch of its new recording company and (2) going into commercial radio via purchase I ol 'a radio station in Ireland. Both reports not so. Metro Records has ' hardly started rolling in the U..S.. although a year in the making. ?4 fieal moKCCf bony Aeadmf ^ kitd&m from 20th Cwifury-Fox's "Do You Love Mo" Lyric by HAROLD ADAMSON Music by JIMMY MeHUCH I G« IS Lyric by LEE KUHN Music by ALICE CORNETT end EDDIE ASHERMAN li-'- il ROBBSNS MUSIC CORPORATION