Ray Anthony

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Ray Anthony, circa August 1947.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Ray Anthony (real name Raymond Antonini ; born January 20, 1922 in Bentleyville , Pennsylvania ) is an American band leader, trumpeter , songwriter and actor .

life and career

As a child, Ray Anthony and his family moved to Cleveland , Ohio , where he learned to play the trumpet with his father. From 1940 to 1941 he played the trumpet in Glenn Miller's orchestra, which was one of the most popular bands in America at the time. Anthony was also seen as a member of the orchestra in the Glenn Miller film Adopted Happiness (1941). Anthony then served in the US Navy during World War II .

After the war he founded his own music group. The Ray Anthony Orchestra became very famous in the early 1950s with recordings such as Anthony's classical dance song "The Bunny Hop", with George Dale Williams as arranger. As early as 1949 he was able to place his first hit in the charts with his version of "Dreamer's Holiday" for Capitol Records , with Dick Noel as the band vocalist. In 1950 he had five top 30 hits: Sentimental Me , Count Every Star , Can Anyone Explain? , Harbor Lights and Nevertheless . After he was able to achieve a modest hit parade with At Last in 1952 , he achieved his first top 10 success in 1953 with the title Dragnet .

From 1953 to 1954, Anthony was orchestra director in the television series TV's Top Tunes . He also starred in the movie Daddy Long Legs . In 1955 Anthony married the actress Mamie van Doren and at the same time began to expand his own acting career. He starred in the short-lived entertainment program The Ray Anthony Show from 1956 to 1957 . Anthony also appeared in several films in the late 1950s, including The Five Pennies (he played Jimmy Dorsey ), The Girl Can't Help It, and Van Doren's films Seventeen on the Abyss and Blonde Curls - Sharp Claws .

After Anthony had a rather modest success with Frank Sinatra as singer with the title Melody Of Love in 1955 , it was not until 1959 that he could land his second top 10 hit with Peter Gunn . Until 1962 he was still represented with his singles in the lower hit parade quarter, but he was no longer to be successful in the singles segment. In the album sector he was able to book four top 20 placements between 1955 and 1958: Golden Horn , Dream Dancing , Young Ideas and The Dream Girl . In 1962 he succeeded again with the album Worried Mind to reach number 14 in the album charts.

Anthony and Van Doren divorced in 1961. Anthony's short film career also ended around the same time. However, he continued his music career and landed another hit as the composer of the series melody by Peter Gunn .

Anthony was honored with a star on the Walk of Fame . Anthony was a band leader and active until a few years ago, and he had an appearance on his 95th birthday. He now lives in Southern California and is the last living member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra (under Miller's direction).

Filmography (selection)

  • 1941: Adopted Happiness (Sun Valley Serenade)
  • 1955: Daddy Longlegs (Daddy Long Legs)
  • 1956–1957: The Ray Anthony Show (1st edition of own television show)
  • 1957: No place for fine women (This Could Be the Night)
  • 1958: At seventeen on the precipice (High School Confidential!)
  • 1959: The Beat Generation
  • 1959: Five Pennies (Five Pennies)
  • 1959: The Big Operator
  • 1959: Blonde curls - sharp claws (Girl's Town)
  • 1968: The Ray Anthony Show (2nd edition of their own television show)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US catalog number: Capitol 2562
  2. ↑ The single reached number 3 on the US charts. Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1940–1955 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973, p. 9
  3. ↑ US catalog number: Capitol 3018; the single reached number 19 on the disc jockey chart
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, p. 18
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Albums 1955-1996 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1996, p. 38
  6. ↑ Goldie Heart: Ray Anthony on his 95th Birthday. January 24, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2019 .
  7. ^ Brochure for Ray Anthony's 97th birthday from January 2019
  8. ^ Ray Anthony: Big band charts from the Ray Anthony Orchestra. Retrieved April 19, 2019 (American English).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Anthony, Ray
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Antonioni, Raymond (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American band leader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Bentleyville , Pennsylvania