Barney Rapp
Encyclopedia
Barney Rapp was an American
orchestra leader and jazz
musician from 1920's to the 1940s.
, Rapp first organized a jazz orchestra in the 1920s that played dancing music called "Barney Rapp and his New Englanders". He later moved to Ohio
, becoming a regional attraction. Several albums were recorded on RCA Victor and Bluebird
. Rapp, unlike most orchestra leaders of his day, normally played the band's drums. His band was active through the 1940s, launching many artists who later rose to fame. One of these was Doris Kappelhoff, who replaced the bands singer, Rapp's wife Ruby, when she became pregnant. Rapp reportedly asked her name, and on hearing it said "It’s a very nice name but a little too long for the marquee outside". He suggested the name Doris Day
after hearing her sing "Day After Day".
Another of his finds was the Clooney Sisters, Rosemary
and Betty. After hearing the teenagers sing on the radio in Cincinnati, he recommended them to Tony Pastor
. Others who got their start with Rapp include Eddie Ryan, Bunny Welcome, Marty Quinto, and his younger brother, Barry Wood
, who went on to perform with Buddy Rogers.
Rapp broadcast his music on the radio and owned a nightclub, The Sign of the Drum, in Cincinnati where his band frequently played. It was located on Reading Road in Bond Hill.
in Indiana. The trio, the Call Sisters, sang for $10 a week plus room and board. After this stint was through, they joined the Charlie Davis
orchestra in Milwaukee, then traveled to Chicago
. Here, the group broke up, and Wright sang for bands in Chicago and New York before she met Rapp. After their marriage, she toured with the orchestra all over the country until their own nightclub opened.
After Ruby became pregnant, she stayed at home for several years to raise four daughters: Susie, Patty, Cindy, and Nancy. Rapp continued to support his family with music and the nightclub.
In September 1956, the Rapps started the Reds
' Rooters Fan Club. His wife also became a member and trustee of the Rosie Reds, a women's nonprofit organization that is a Reds' fan club and fund-raising organization. After Barney's death in 1970, Rapp's wife took over the leadership of the Barney Rapp Agency and the Reds' Rooters. In 1976, she created the Barney Rapp Travel agency and traveled with its tours. She retired from the agency in 1991.
in Cincinnati, Ohio in the Memorial Mausoleum, E-28, D-0. Ruby died in 2004.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
orchestra leader and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician from 1920's to the 1940s.
Career
Born Barney Rappaport in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Rapp first organized a jazz orchestra in the 1920s that played dancing music called "Barney Rapp and his New Englanders". He later moved to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, becoming a regional attraction. Several albums were recorded on RCA Victor and Bluebird
Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
. Rapp, unlike most orchestra leaders of his day, normally played the band's drums. His band was active through the 1940s, launching many artists who later rose to fame. One of these was Doris Kappelhoff, who replaced the bands singer, Rapp's wife Ruby, when she became pregnant. Rapp reportedly asked her name, and on hearing it said "It’s a very nice name but a little too long for the marquee outside". He suggested the name Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
after hearing her sing "Day After Day".
Another of his finds was the Clooney Sisters, Rosemary
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
and Betty. After hearing the teenagers sing on the radio in Cincinnati, he recommended them to Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid-to-late nineteenth century...
. Others who got their start with Rapp include Eddie Ryan, Bunny Welcome, Marty Quinto, and his younger brother, Barry Wood
Barry Wood (singer)
Barry Wood was an American singer and television producer. He is best known for being Frank Sinatra's immediate predecessor as the lead male vocalist on the long running NBC radio program Your Hit Parade....
, who went on to perform with Buddy Rogers.
Rapp broadcast his music on the radio and owned a nightclub, The Sign of the Drum, in Cincinnati where his band frequently played. It was located on Reading Road in Bond Hill.
Personal life
Barney Rapp married Ruby Wright in 1936. Wright had started her career with a couple of friends at Lake ManitouLake Manitou
Lake Manitou is the largest lake on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. It is the largest lake on a freshwater island in the world. Since Manitoulin Island itself is in Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes, Manitou qualifies as the largest "lake in a lake". Lake Manitou has an area of about . It...
in Indiana. The trio, the Call Sisters, sang for $10 a week plus room and board. After this stint was through, they joined the Charlie Davis
Charlie Davis
Charles Allan Davis is a former West Indian cricketer who played in fifteen Tests from 1968 to 1973. Davis started his first-class career at the age of 17, playing for Trinidad. After a good Shell Shield season in 1968 Davis was selected for the West Indies...
orchestra in Milwaukee, then traveled to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Here, the group broke up, and Wright sang for bands in Chicago and New York before she met Rapp. After their marriage, she toured with the orchestra all over the country until their own nightclub opened.
After Ruby became pregnant, she stayed at home for several years to raise four daughters: Susie, Patty, Cindy, and Nancy. Rapp continued to support his family with music and the nightclub.
In September 1956, the Rapps started the Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
' Rooters Fan Club. His wife also became a member and trustee of the Rosie Reds, a women's nonprofit organization that is a Reds' fan club and fund-raising organization. After Barney's death in 1970, Rapp's wife took over the leadership of the Barney Rapp Agency and the Reds' Rooters. In 1976, she created the Barney Rapp Travel agency and traveled with its tours. She retired from the agency in 1991.
Death
Rapp died on October 12, 1970, and is buried at Spring Grove CemeterySpring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit garden cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the second largest cemetery in the United States and is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
in Cincinnati, Ohio in the Memorial Mausoleum, E-28, D-0. Ruby died in 2004.