A versatile and commercially successful composer, arranger, and producer, Alan Lorber has had a hand in thousands of recordings, ranging from pop (Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Mike Clifford's "Close to Cathy") to R&B (Chuck Jackson's "I Wake Up Crying," Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout") to psychedelic rock (Ultimate Spinach,... [+] Read More

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For year after year, decade after decade, the Boston Pops were one of the most popular orchestras in America. Through concerts, tours and an endless series of record albums, they brought classical music, marches and contemporary pop to millions of listeners. Over the course of the 20th century, the orchestra was recorded more than any other.... [+] Read More

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Enoch Light was a popular bandleader of the '40s and '50s who is best known for his Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion albums of the mid-'50s, which were some of the first albums to exploit the capabilities of stereo recording and 35mm film as a recording devise.

During the '30s, he headed the Enoch Light and the Light... [+] Read More

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Hugo Montenegro was a composer, arranger, and conductor who is primarily known for his movie work in the '60s, as well as his adaptations of film scores like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Montenegro began his musical career in the U.S. Navy, where he arranged scores for various military bands. After he left the Navy, he completed school at... [+] Read More

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Not only was he one of the finest comedians America has ever produced, Jackie Gleason applied his prodigious talents to music as well. With a strong jazz roots background (leaning to mesmerized idolatry when dealing with good trumpet players), Gleason developed a chart-topping series of mood music albums in the '50s, citing his reason for their... [+] Read More

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Kay Kyser couldn't read a note of music, and spent nearly as much time doing comedy as music on radio. But for over 15 years, from 1933 until the end of the 1940s, he was one of the most popular bandleaders and music personalities in America, and delighted tens of millions of listeners. Born into a family of academics, Kyser was supposed to... [+] Read More

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It may or may not be true that Lawrence Welk is the most popular easy listening artist of all time, but it's difficult to think of anyone who is more prominently associated with the genre. Welk's long-running TV variety show was a huge success in its time, and remains an enduring favorite in reruns. And while Welk recorded prolifically, his true... [+] Read More

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The leader of a first-class jazz-oriented dance band for over 60 years, Les Brown's music was never innovative but was generally quite pleasing. While attending Duke University in 1935, he put together his first big band, the Duke Blue Devils. After the group broke up in 1936, Brown worked as an arranger before forming a permanent orchestra in... [+] Read More

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Lester Lanin was the best known of a family of musical siblings who, between them, managed to keep a major presence in music for close to 80 years. He was, like his brothers Sam and Howard, a bandleader; and while technically his category of music was "jazz," his actual connection to jazz was peripheral at best, and more ephemeral than, say,... [+] Read More

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Ray Anthony played two years with Glenn Miller and ten with Jimmy Dorsey before forming his own band. Anthony led a group in the Pacific during World War II, then had a highly popular dance band. He probably has as much fame, if not more, as the writer of the theme for Dragnet, the novelty tune "The Bunny Hop," and the hit single "Dancing in the... [+] Read More

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A harmonica trio with Jerry Murad on lead, Al Fiore on chording, and Don Les on bass, the Harmonicats had a massive number one hit in 1947 with "Peg O' My Heart," and remained popular through the 1950s, even getting a Top 20 album (Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) as late as 1961. Applying their harmonica arrangements mostly to popular... [+] Read More

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