[Dixielandjazz] Some Birthdays Sept 26

[Don Ingle]

Harry Callaghan wrote:
> I had always been curious as to whether Elmo Tanner did his whistling on
> "Heartaches" during the same period when Perry Como was vocalist with the
> band.
>
> I found out yesterday that "Heartaches" was recorded in 1933 and Perry
> didn't sing with Ted Weems until 1935 and stayed with him until 1941.
>
> I also read somewhere years ago that Perry was making about $125 a week (a
> small fortune at the time) as a barber when he quit haircutting to sing with
> a band for $25 a week.
>
> When I was back in NY, I knew a brain surgeon who was a neighbor of Como's
> in the northshore Long Island community of Sands Point.  He only knew him
> casually, but said that he was just a real easy going guy and acted pretty
> much the same as someone you knew who
> might have been a plumber or electrician and never put on airs like some
> celebrities feel they must do.  In other words, he didn't come across
> as if he was always on some kind of ego trip
>
> And here's another one for you........at one time Perry's personal secretary
> was none other than the wife of singer Julius LaRosa who Arthur Godfrey made
> world famous by firing him on live TV.in 1953
>
> .I'm always getting Tanner confused with Elmo Lincoln, who was the first
> movie Tarzan, but I guess you could say he was a bit of a swinger also
>
> Tides,.
> HC
>
>
> On 9/26/10, Robert Ringwald <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote:
>   
>> 1898: George Gershwin
>> 1901: Ted Weems
>> 1926: Julie London
>>
>> --Bob Ringwald
>> www.ringwald.com
>> Fulton Street Jazz Band
>> 916/806-9551
>> Amateur (Ham) Radio K6YBV
>>
>> "Last night my wife met me at the front door. She was wearing a sexy
>> negligee.
>> The only trouble was, she was coming home."  --Rodney Dangerfield
>>
>>
>>
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>>     
> Well, well - something I can answer with a little inside detail.
>   
Elmo did the whistling on the recording prior to Como joining the band. 
Take it from a "band brat" who grew up on that Weems band of the '30's 
and called both Elmo and Perry "Uncle" Elmo or "Uncle" Perry.
Perry had been with a band in Pennsilvania and was a barber as well. He 
had a sort of inferiority complex that he really wasn't going to make it 
and traveled with his barbering equipment to keep his hand in. As a kid, 
like other band brats, we all got our ears lowered when on the road 
trips when school was out by Como. How many people today can say they 
has their hair cut by Perry Como? Dad joined Weems in 1931, left when 
the band broke up in California fall of 1941 as war neared. Some members 
went into the studioes. dad into govt. service in the CAA (he was an 
experienced pilot and was  recruited into that job by Frank Trambauer, 
an old Goldkette band mate (and pilot) from Detroit days who was with 
the CAA in Kansas City, and went looking for pilots he knew to be 
recruited.) Red stayed with the CAA until '43 until offered an aii force 
commission to do the same kind of work. But his eye sight wouldn't pass 
muster, and so he returned from Washington D.C. to CA and joined Spike 
Jones. Some segue!
Sadly, all members of the 1930's Weems band are now long gone. I worked 
with the Weems band in the 1950's - a 2nd, generation to do so.  Jake 
Hanna was on the 50's band at the same time, but now he's gone. Good 
grief, I hit the big 80 in February so who knows? But I still have a 
fine head of hair...mostly white...and a head full of some great 
memories of being a Weems "band brat."
Don Ingle

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