[Dixielandjazz] Paul Whiteman

[Hal Vickery]

As I recall, the "Wake Up Bix" story made it's way into Ken Burns's "Jazz."
Hal Vickery

> From: nvickers1 at cox.net
> Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 15:04:02 -0500
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Paul Whiteman
> CC: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> To: hvickery_80 at msn.com
> 
> To:  DJML
> 
> From:  Norman Vickers , Jazz Society of Pensacola
> 
>  
> 
> Since Paul Whiteman films have been recently discussed on DJML, I  thought
> I'd give a "plug" for Don Rayno's definitive two-volume work on Paul
> Whiteman.
> 
> The first volume  Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music  (1890-1930)  773
> pages,  was published by Scarecrow Press.  Volume 2, 1930-1967, published in
> 2009, 864 pages.  
> 
>  
> 
> Rayno, a retired nuclear scientist, spent 30 years researching this.  In
> addition to Whiteman's story, essentially told chronologically, there are
> brief biographical sketches of the orchestra personnel, most of whom are
> dead now, of course.  I spoke to Rayno on several occasions in reviewing his
> books.  This, obviously, was a quest for him.  In his spare time he would
> contact the musicians and interview them in person or by telephone.  Rayno
> spent vacation times researching  at Amherst, Mass. where Whiteman donated
> his archives to Williams College.
> 
>  
> 
> My review of the second volume is posted on the website of the Jazz Society
> of Pensacola  www.jazzpensacola.com  When the home page comes up, click,
> News, and then reviews.  The review of the  earlier volume is available on
> special request.    I asked Rayno about his research and what he'd hoped to
> find, but didn't.  He replied that the financial records  had been
> destroyed.  One page had been retrieved ( I'd seen it in another book) which
> showed that arranger Ferde Grofe' was highest paid.
> 
> Second highest paid was vocalist Bing Crosby.  Rayno also recounts a story
> I'd heard from guitarist and Bix historian, Rich Johnson.  On the music for
> trumpeter Andy Secrest is a handwritten notation,  "Wake up Bix!"  (Secrest
> was the soloist when Bix was not available to perform).
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for "listening."
> 
>  
> 
> Norman
> 
>  
> 
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