Ben Bernie

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Ben Bernie, 1932

Ben Bernie (born May 30, 1891 in Bayonne (New Jersey) as Bernard Anzelevitz , † October 23, 1943 ) was an American violinist, entertainer and big band leader in the field of swing and popular music . He is one of the composers of the " Sweet Georgia Brown " standard .

Life

Ben Bernie began taking violin lessons at the age of 15 and then played in a vaudeville group with Phil Baker as Baker and Bernie , which, however, met with little response until 1922. He later founded his own formation, The Lads , who were among the pioneers of radio broadcasting and were also featured in an early sound film Ben Bernie and All the Lads , which was made in 1924/25 and in which pianist Oscar Levant participated. He then toured with Maurice Chevalier and also visited Europe.

Bernie's orchestra played in ballrooms, hotels, nightclubs, and theaters across the country during the 1920s and 1930s; During this time he also made recordings for Vocalion (1922-1925), Brunswick (1925-1933), Columbia (1933), Decca (1936), and ARC (Vocalion and OKeh) (1939-1940), as well as his first sound film recordings ( Ben Bernie and All the Lads ).

In 1925, Ben Bernie and his orchestra were the first to record what would later become the Standard Sweet Georgia Brown . Bernie (with Kenneth Casey and Maceo Pinkard ) was one of the composers of the title, which became an evergreen and in the 1950s the signature tune of the Harlem Globetrotters .

Bernie was best known in the USA for his radio shows in the 1930s, mostly under the title Ben Bernie, The Old Maestro . beginning with the broadcast on WJZ (1923) and later on Blue Network 1930/31, CBS 1931/32, then on NBC from 1932 to 1935. Ben was then with his show again until 1937 on Blue Network ; from 1938 to 1940, CBS broadcast a musical quiz of his. Wrigley's Gum then sponsored its The Ben Bernie War Workers' Program (1941-43); he also appeared as a guest star on other radio shows.

Ben's signature tune was "It's a Lonesome Old Town" and his typical phrase was yowsah, yowsah, yowsah , which became a popular saying in the USA and was taken up again in the 1969 film Only Horses Are Given the Gunshot .

Dinah Shore was one of his band vocalists . Some later known jazz musicians played in Bernie's band in their early years, such as Bob Chester , Lou McGarity and Danny Polo .

To increase the success, Bernie and his friend Walter Winchell fought rivalries, comparable to the comedic conflict between Jack Benny and Fred Allen . This "feud" became a running gag of her radio appearances and continued in her two films in which the musicians played themselves, Wake Up and Live (1937) and Love and Hisses (1937). The musicians have also been caricatured in the Warner Brothers cartoon films The Woods are Full of Cuckoos (as "Ben Birdie" and "Walter Finchell") and The Coo-Coo Nut Grove (as "Ben Birdie" and "Walter Windpipe").

Bernie had another appearance with his band, which also included pianist Oscar Levant , in the short film Ben Bernie and All the Lads , directed by Lee De Forest. They played a medley of standards like " Tea for Two ", " Oh, Lady Be Good!" "," Sweet Georgia Brown "and" Indian Love Call ".

Popular songs by Ben Bernie

literature

  • John Dunning: On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
  • Leo Walker: The Big Band Almanac . Ward Ritchie Press, Pasadena. 1978

Web links

Commons : Ben Bernie  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Bernie, Ben
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Anzelevitz, Bernard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz violinist and big band leader
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Bayonne, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH October 23, 1943