March Features
"The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven"
The sweet sounds of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians also made sweet sounds at the cash register for many years. The band played top venues for more than 40 years, and it seemed that New Year's Eve wasn't complete without hearing Lombardo's band play its theme song, "Auld Lange Syne," over the radio (and later TV) airwaves at midnight.
The band was founded in Canada by four brothers -- hence the name, the Royal Canadians. Guy, a violinist, was chosen as leader but basically led the band and rarely played. Brother Lebert played lead trumpet, Victor was on baritone sax, and Carmen played lead sax, wrote arrangements and sang, sometimes leading a vocal trio.
The band made its first recording in 1924 for Gennett in Richmond, Ind., and developed its "sweet" sound. The band's big break came in Chicago in 1927 when WBBM broadcast a 15-minute segment of their performance at the Granada Cafe. The band recorded extensively in both Chicago and New York after that. Hits included "Boo Hoo," "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Coquette," "Sweethearts on Parade," "Charmaine," "Goodnight, Sweetheart."
Louis Armstrong was an enthusiastic fan from the mid-1920s on, and he played Lombardo's recordings when he toured and in his home right up until he died in 1971. According to Lawrence Bergreen in Louis Armstrong, An Extravagant Life, it was a mutual admiration society, with each bandleader attending the other's gigs when they could. When Armstrong was criticized for declaring the Lombardo band was his favorite band, he said, "That band plays the tune, they put that melody there and it's beautiful. You can't find another band that can play a straight lead and make it sound that good." For awhile, Armstrong incorporated some of the Lombardo style into his own band, and Lombardo, in like manner, tried a few of the Armstrong band's licks.
Known for its lilting style and danceable tempos, the Royal Canadians had other trademark sounds -- tinkling twin pianos in later years and the use of cymbals in what some considered a cornball ending to tunes. The band toured successfully for years and also played long stints at the Roosevelt Grill in New York City from the late 1920s through the 1960s.
The band began its own radio show in the early 1930s and also co-starred on the Burns & Allen show. Movies included Many Happy Returns; Stage Door Canteen; No Leave, No Love.
In spite of lean years for other big bands, the Lombardo band maintained its popularity through the 1960s. The band's popularity dwindled in the 1970s, however, especially after Carmen Lombardo died in 1971 and Guy died in 1977. Lebert and Victor attempted to keep the band going for awhile, but the group disbanded in 1979.
March 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag
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