Ray Anthony | |
|---|---|
 Ray Anthony in 1950 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Antonini |
| Born | January 20, 1922 Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Big band, jazz, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1936–1998 |
| Labels | Aero Space, Capitol |
| Spouse(s) | |
Ray Anthony (born Raymond Antonini; January 20, 1922) is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor. [1] He is the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Anthony was born to an Italian family in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, but moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he studied the trumpet. He played in Glenn Miller's band from 1940 to 1941 [2] and appeared in the Glenn Miller movie Sun Valley Serenade before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II as Miller joined the Army, organizing another famous military band before his 1944 disappearence over the English Channel. After the war he formed his own group. The Ray Anthony Orchestra which became popular in the early 1950s with "The Bunny Hop", "Hokey Pokey", and the memorable theme from the radio / television police detective series Dragnet . [3] He had a No. 2 chart hit with a recording of the tune "At Last" in 1952; it was the highest charting pop version of the song in the U.S. His 1962 recording "Worried Mind" received considerable radio airplay.
In 1953, Anthony and his orchestra were featured when Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly headlined a summer replacement program for Perry Como's CBS television show. [4]
From 1953 to 1954, Anthony was musical director of the television series TV's Top Tunes , and he also appeared as himself with his orchestra in the 1955 musicale / dance film Daddy Long Legs starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. [3] In 1955 he married actress Mamie Van Doren. Their son Perry Ray was born on March 18, 1956. Anthony then began expanding his acting career. [5] In 1956–1957 he starred in a short-lived television variety show, The Ray Anthony Show. Anthony also appeared in several films during the late 1950s, including The Five Pennies (in which he portrayed Jimmy Dorsey), [6] and Van Doren's movies High School Confidential (as "Bix") and Girls Town . In the 1959–1960 television season, he guest-starred in the episode "Operation Ramrod" of star David Hedison's espionage series Five Fingers on NBC. Anthony and his band appeared in the movie The Girl Can't Help It (1956). [6] In 1957, Anthony and his orchestra recorded the music score for the film This Could Be The Night , [6] with vocals performed by Julie Wilson.
After Van Doren filed for divorce in 1958, citing "cruelty", [7] they finally divorced in 1961, [8] and Anthony's brief film career ended at about the same time. However, he continued his musical career and had another hit record with the jazzy drumming theme from the Peter Gunn private detective series featuring Craig Stevens, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with its popularity enduring for decades. The B-side of this single hit "Peter Gun theme" also contains the Norwegian song "Tango for Two" written by Bjarne Amdahl and Alf Prøysen. Among the Anthony band's pianists was Allen "Puddler" Harris, a native of Franklin Parish, in Louisiana, who had been a member of the original rock singer Ricky Nelson's band, and Kellie Greene, who also played the vibraphone. Anthony's compositions include "Thunderbird", "The Bunny Hop", "Trumpet Boogie", "Big Band Boogie", and "Mr. Anthony's Boogie".
Anthony was considered one of the most modern big band leaders. In the lyrics to "Opus One", which imagine a number of players all performing the song, he is cited along with Les Brown and his Band of Renown:
If Mr. Les Brown can make it renowned
And Ray Anthony could rock it for me
Anthony became the last living member of Glenn Miller's band when trombonist Nat Peck died in 2015. [9] He turned 100 on January 20, 2022. [10]
In the early 1980s, Anthony formed Big Band '80s, with other members of the band including Buddy Rich, Harry James, Les Brown, and Alvino Rey. [11]
Anthony, who has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, [12] continues[ when? ] to be active as a bandleader and musician. His later works tended to break away from the Big Band jazz style of his earlier days, ranging from MOR and lounge music to blues, film and television themes.
Anthony was a close friend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, and appeared in numerous episodes of The Girls Next Door .
| Year | Album [13] | Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Dance Time (split album with Jan Garber [one side by each]) | Capitol | H-199 |
| 1951 | Arthur Murray Favorites: Fox Trots | Capitol | H-258 |
| 1952 | Houseparty Hop | Capitol | H-292 |
| 1952 | Campus Rumpus! | Capitol | H-362 |
| 1953 | The Young Man With The Horn | Capitol | H-373 |
| 1953 | The Anthony Choir | Capitol | H-442 |
| 1954 | I Remember Glenn Miller | Capitol | H-476 |
| 1954 | Ray Anthony Plays TV's Top Tunes | Capitol | H-9118 |
| 1954 | Arthur Murray Swing Fox Trots | Capitol | H-546 |
| 1955 | Golden Horn | Capitol | T-563 |
| 1955 | Swingin' On Campus! | Capitol | T-645 |
| 1955 | Standards By Ray Anthony | Capitol | T-663 |
| 1955 | Big Band Dixieland | Capitol | T-678 |
| 1956 | Dream Dancing | Capitol | T-723 |
| 1956 | Jam Session at the Tower | Capitol | T-749 |
| 1957 | Dancers in Love | Capitol | T-786 |
| 1957 | Star Dancing | Capitol | T-831 |
| 1957 | Young Ideas | Capitol | T-866 |
| 1957 | This Could Be The Night | MGM | E3530 ST |
| 1958 | Moments Together | Capitol | T-917 |
| 1958 | The Dream Girl | Capitol | T-969 |
| 1958 | Dancing Over the Waves | Capitol | T-1028 |
| 1958 | Anthony Plays Steve Allen | Capitol | T-1086 |
| 1959 | Anthony Italiano | Capitol | ST-1149 |
| 1959 | Sounds Spectacular | Capitol | ST-1200 |
| 1959 | More Dream Dancing | Capitol | ST-1252 |
| 1960 | Like Wild! | Capitol | ST-1304 |
| 1960 | Dancing Alone Together: Torch Songs For Lovers | Capitol | ST-1420 |
| 1960 | The New Ray Anthony Show | Capitol | ST-1421 |
| 1961 | That's Show Biz | Capitol | ST-1496 |
| 1959 | Swing-Dance-Dream to 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' | Capitol | ST-1576 |
| 1961 | Dream Dancing Medley | Capitol | ST-1608 |
| 1961 | The Twist | Capitol | ST-1668 |
| 1962 | Worried Mind: The Soul Of Country Western Blues | Capitol | ST-1752 |
| 1962 | I Almost Lost My Mind: The Soul Of Big City Rhythm & Blues | Capitol | ST-1783 |
| 1963 | Smash Hits of '63! | Capitol | ST-1917 |
| 1964 | Charade and Other Top Themes | Capitol | ST-2043 |
| 1961 | My Love, Forgive Me (Amore Scusami) | Capitol | ST-2150 |
| 1964 | Swim, Swim, C'mon and Swim | Capitol | ST-2188 |
| 1966 | Dream Dancing Today | Capitol | ST-2457 |
| 1966 | Hit Songs to Remember | Capitol | ST-2530 |
| 1966 | To Each His Own | Sears | SP-429 |
| 1967 | Today's Trumpet | Capitol | ST-2750 |
| 1968 | Ray Anthony Now | Ranwood | RLP-8033 |
| 1969 | Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You) | Ranwood | RLP-8046 |
| 1969 | Love Is For The Two Of Us [AKA Great Country Music Hits] | Ranwood | RLP-8059 |
| 1970 | I Get The Blues When It Rains [reissue of Ray Anthony Now] | Ranwood | RLP-8062 |
| 1971 | Direction '71: My Sweet Lord | Ranwood | RLP-8078 |
| 1971 | Dream Dancing in Hawaii | Aero Space | RA-1004 |
| 1972 | Dream Dancing Around The World | Aero Space | SR 1007 |
| 1975 | A Little Bit Country | Capitol | SM-11411 |
| 1976 | Great Golden Hits | Ranwood | R-8153 |
| 1978 | Touch Dancing | Aero Space | RA-1008 |
| 1978 | Swing Goes On Vol. 10 | Capitol | 1 C 054-52 719 |
| 1978 | Dance Along | Sunnyvale | SVL-1018 |
| 1980 | Big Band Series/Original Recording | Picc-a-dilly | PIC-3422 |
| 1981 | Volume II-Big Band Series | Picc-a-dilly | PIC-3545 |
| 1987 | Best 20 | Capitol | CP32-5391 |
| 1988 | A Música De Glenn Miller | Capitol | 054 791016 |
| 1988 | 1988 & All That Jazz | Aero Space | RACD-1030 |
| 1989 | Ray Anthony | Capitol | CP28-5908 |
| 1993 | In The Miller Mood Vol. II | Aero Space | RACD-1037 |
Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombone player, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces. His civilian band, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era. His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, was also popular and successful.
Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader.
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One", "Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, "I'll Never Smile Again".
James Francis Dorsey was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You " and "It's The Dreamer In Me". His other major recordings were "Tailspin", "John Silver", "So Many Times", "Amapola", "Brazil ", "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Frances Langford, "Grand Central Getaway", and "So Rare". He played clarinet on the seminal jazz standards "Singin' the Blues" in 1927 and the original 1930 recording of "Georgia on My Mind", which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Wilbur Schwichtenberg, known professionally as Will Bradley, was an American trombonist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. He performed swing, dance music, and boogie-woogie songs, many of them written or co-written by Don Raye.
Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the age of 33 from cirrhosis. Although he composed some jazz instrumentals such as "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues", Berigan was best known for his virtuoso jazz trumpeting. His 1937 classic recording "I Can't Get Started" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975.
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and commercially successful dance orchestra of the swing era and one of the greatest singles charting acts of the 20th century. As of 2024, Ray Anthony is the last surviving member of the orchestra.
Raymond Stanley Noble was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United States. He is best known for his signature tune, "The Very Thought of You".
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress, singer, and sex symbol. She is perhaps best known for the rock 'n' roll, juvenile delinquency exploitation film Untamed Youth (1957).
The Dorsey Brothers were an American studio dance band, led by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording in 1928 for OKeh Records.
George Edward Heath was a British musician and big band leader.
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini and Ronnie Deauville. Beneke also solos on the recording the Glenn Miller Orchestra made of their popular song "In The Mood" and sings on another popular Glenn Miller recording, "Chattanooga Choo Choo". Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be one of the major blues singers who sang with the big bands of the early 1940s.
Clyde Lanham Hurley, Jr. was a trumpeter during the big band era. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas to Clyde Lanham Hurley and Esther Brown. Scott Yanow describes Hurley as "a fine trumpeter with a fat tone and a hard-driving style". He died of a coronary occlusion in Fort Worth leaving two sons and a former wife.
Charlie Spivak was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s.
Ina Ray Hutton was an American singer, bandleader, and the elder sister of June Hutton. She led one of the first all-female big bands.
William James Finegan was an American jazz bandleader, pianist, arranger, and composer. He was an arranger in the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Nathan Peck was an American jazz trombonist.
Between 1938 and 1944, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra released 266 singles on the monaural ten-inch shellac 78 rpm format. Their studio output comprised a variety of musical styles inside of the Swing genre, including ballads, band chants, dance instrumentals, novelty tracks, songs adapted from motion pictures, and, as the Second World War approached, patriotic music.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1922.
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| National | |
| Artists | |
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| Other | |
