Martin Block (moderator)
Martin Block (born February 3, 1903 in Los Angeles , † September 19, 1967 in New York ) was an American radio host of the swing era and swing music.
Life
Block was a salesman and radio announcer who became known in the United States from 1935 onwards for his "Make Believe Ballroom" radio broadcasts. They began when he put on records while reporting the Lindbergh Trial in February 1935. In doing so, he created the illusion in the listener that he was in a dance hall during the live performance of the leading swing big bands and dance orchestras of the time. He took up an idea of the Californian disc jockey Al Jarvis. From 1940 the show was broadcast throughout the United States, with well-known big band leaders now also performing live. Block became very popular with it, and in 1949 a comedy film was made after Make Believe Ballroom with Frankie Laine . The show ran until 1954 on WNEW in New York (with a short detour from Block 1946 to Los Angeles). After that, Block had his own show on ABC Radio. Block had radio broadcasts until his death (most recently on WOR). Radio broadcasts with the title "Make Believe Ballroom" continued in New York radio stations.
For some of his shows, Martin Block also organized jam sessions, where he once brought together Louis Armstrong , Jack Teagarden , Fats Waller (as well as George Wettling , Bud Freeman , Pete Peterson , and Bob Spergel ) in 1938 .
In 1938 he organized a big swing festival on Randalls Island , with the big bands of Count Basie , Woody Herman and Duke Ellington . Black and white people sat together in the tens of thousands of the audience.
The show's theme song was initially “Sugar Blues” by Clyde McCoy , from 1936 “Make Believe Ballroom” was recorded by Charlie Barnet's big band and later in a recording by Glenn Miller (Make Believe Ballroom Time, 1940).
In 1988 Martin Block was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
He is also co-author of the 1941 Glenn Miller hit "I guess I'll have to dream the rest" and appears as a disc jockey not only in "Make Believe Ballroom" (1949), but also in the music film "Disc Jockey" by Will Jason (1951), in which numerous jazz musicians also appear.
Web links
- Christopher Popa in the Bigband Library on Block
- Martin Block in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ IMDB, Christopher Popa (Big Band Library, see web link) states September 18
- ↑ Ricky Riccardi's blog about the Armstrong-Waller jam session . The recordings have also appeared on record, e. B. with the Ambassador label.
- ↑ Pictures of it by the photographer Henry Ries are shown in Ken Burns, Geoffrey C. Ward Jazz , Econ, 2000, pp. 260/61
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Block, Martin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American radio host |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 3, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | los Angeles |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 19, 1967 |
| Place of death | new York |