[Dixielandjazz] Frankie Laine - A personal link

[Don Ingle]

At the news of Laine's passing an instant family link came to mind. In 
1929, my dad, Red lngle, left the Goldkette bands to move to Chicago. 
Once there he got a lot of work trhough a couple of top bookers because 
of his reputation(already at age 23) as a good entertainer as well as 
musician. They put him in as leader of the band at the Merry Gardens 
Ballroom. By then the depression was setting in and so did some 
promotionals to get people to come and spend a few bucks, and one of  
these was Marathon Dancing.
One night a young man who was competition in the Marathon came up and 
asked if he could sing with the band on the five minute breaks they got 
each hour. Dad said sure. So the young man came up on the stand once and 
hour and belted out a song then went bakc to the dancing. For weeks 
after, the guy would show up on the Marathon night, and sing on the five 
minute breaks.
That young man with the desire to sing at every chance to was Frankie Laine.
Dad once remarked was that as good a singer as Laine was, he was an even 
better dancer
They mey numerous tmes in LA in the year after and talked about the good 
old/bad old days.

Incidently, his long time pianist Carl Fischer was a full blooded 
Cherokee Indian, and one hell of a  fine player.

It is like some Five Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon game, these 
links.

Don (I got to remember more before my little grey cells turn brown and 
all I can do is drool) Ingle