Hal Derwin
Hal Derwin (also Hal Derwyn , born July 14, 1914 , † February 9, 1998 in San Diego ) was an American singer, guitarist, big band leader and songwriter in the field of swing and popular music .
Life
Hal Derwin was a band singer in various big bands on the west coast of the USA , such as Boyd Raeburn , Shep Fields , where he also played guitar ("South of the Border"), Louis Panico and Les Brown . At a gig in Chicago in 1940 he met Freddy Large , who had previously played with Jan Garber and Glen Gray . The two musicians formed a band together, which got a longer engagement at the Biltmore Bowl in Los Angeles , whose shows ran on the NBC radio program . Soon Derwin also received a recording contract with Capitol Records . With the title "The Old Lamplighter" he achieved a top ten hit in 1946. During their six years at the Biltmore Bowl , they also toured the Midwest .
Derwin continued these tours with his band into the early 1950s and also appeared in two Hollywood films, 1947 in Smash-Up and 1950 in Everybody's Dancin ' ; after that he was employed as A&R at Capitol Records.
Derwin, whose signature tune was “Derwin's Melody”, also sang the tracks “That's for Me” accompanied by Artie Shaw's band in the early 1950s , “Take Me Back” in a duet with Martha Tilton and some of his own recordings with his band such as “Blue and Broken Hearted ”and“ No One but You ”. His only hit parade, however, was the Nat Simon / Charles Tobias number "The Old Lamp-Lighter", which hit the Billboard charts in December 1946 and was at # 6 for two weeks.
Durwin also lent his singing voice to a number of Hollywood actors, such as for Warner Brothers productions with Cliff Roberson. His music was also used as the soundtrack in some music films from the 1950s.
literature
- Leo Walker: The Big Band Almanac. Ward Ritchie Press, Pasadena CA 1978, ISBN 0-378-01991-0 .
Web links
- Derwin biography in Allmusic
- Derwin in the Bigband database
- Hal Derwin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Photography at lonnylynn.com
References and comments
- ↑ US catalog number: Capitol 288
- ↑ The single reached number 6, compare Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Records 1940-1955 . Record Research, Menomonee Falls WI 1973, p. 19
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Durwin, Hal |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Derwyn, Hal |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz singer and big band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 14, 1914 |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 9, 1998 |
| Place of death | San Diego |