Bert Lown
Encyclopedia
Bert Lown was a violin
ist and orchestra
leader.
He was born in White Plains, New York
. He began as a sideman playing the violin in Fred Hamm
's band, and in the 1920s and 1930s he led a series of jazz
-oriented dance band
s (the most famous being the Biltmore Hotel
Orchestra), making a large number of recordings in that period for Victor Records. In 1925 (or 1930), (with Hamm, Dave Bennett, and Chauncey Gray) he composed the well-known standard "Bye Bye Blues
." He also wrote some other songs, including "You're The One I Care For" and "Tired." By the mid-1930s he quit leading the orchestras, becoming a booking agent and manager; eventually he left the music industry and moved on to executive positions in the television
industry. He died of a heart attack in 1962 in Portland, Oregon
.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
leader.
He was born in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. He began as a sideman playing the violin in Fred Hamm
Fred Hamm
Fred Hamm was a Chicago jazz orchestra leader and co-author of the song "Bye Bye Blues." In 1925 he took over the leadership of the Benson Orchestra . He sang and played the cornet. Among the members of his band were Dave Bennett , Chauncey Gray , and Bert Lown...
's band, and in the 1920s and 1930s he led a series of 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...
-oriented dance band
Dance band
Dance band can be one of several kinds of musical ensemble:* British dance band* Dansband, a Swedish pop genre* A Eurodance band...
s (the most famous being the Biltmore Hotel
New York Biltmore Hotel
The New York Biltmore Hotel was a luxury hotel in New York City. It was one of three palatial hotels built as part of the Terminal City development...
Orchestra), making a large number of recordings in that period for Victor Records. In 1925 (or 1930), (with Hamm, Dave Bennett, and Chauncey Gray) he composed the well-known standard "Bye Bye Blues
Bye Bye Blues (song)
"Bye Bye Blues" is a popular and jazz standard written by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray and published in 1930.The year it was introduced it was sung by The Vikings on the NBC radio series, The Vikings. It has been recorded by many artists, but the best-known recording is one...
." He also wrote some other songs, including "You're The One I Care For" and "Tired." By the mid-1930s he quit leading the orchestras, becoming a booking agent and manager; eventually he left the music industry and moved on to executive positions in the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
industry. He died of a heart attack in 1962 in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
- 1929 he recorded for ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
's cheap labels (DivaDiva RecordsDiva Records was a United States based record label from 1925 to 1931. The label was a subsidiary of Columbia Records marketed by the W.T. Grant department store chain. Diva Records were acoustic through early 1929...
, HarmonyHarmony RecordsHarmony Records was a label owned by Columbia Records. It was originally used as a label for low-price 78 rpm records in the 1920s and 1930s; subsequently it was revived as a label for budget albums of reissued tracks during the 1950s with nine or ten songs per album...
, and Velvet ToneVelvet Tone RecordsVelvet Tone Records was a United States based record label, active from 1925 through 1932. It was produced by Columbia Records and contained material identical to that of Columbia's two other low price labels, Harmony Records and Diva Records....
) - 1930 he recorded for the Plaza/ARC dime store labels (including BannerBanner RecordsBanner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
, CameoCameo RecordsCameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...
, PathePathé RecordsPathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...
, PerfectPerfect RecordsPerfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Pathé Records, producing standard lateral cut 78 rpm disc records for the US market....
, JewelJewel RecordsJewel Records was a record label which discs were pressed by the Scranton Button Company. Jewel is one of the big three record companies out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The two most famous, King Records and Fraternity Records, were responsible for several hits over the years from a wide range of genres...
, Regal RecordsRegal RecordsRegal Records may refer to:*Regal Records - a British record label, founded by the Columbia Graphophone Company*Regal Records - a Spanish record label*Regal Records - a United States company...
, ConquerorConqueror RecordsConqueror Records was a United States-based record label, active from about 1926 through 1942. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company.The record sleeves state that the proper playing speed for Conqueror Records is 80 rpm....
) - 1930 he also recorded two sessions for Hit of the WeekHit of the Week RecordsHit of the Week Records was a record label based in the United States of America in the early 1930s. Distinctively, "Hit of the Week"s were made not of shellac as was usual for gramophone record of the era, but of a patented blend of paper and resin called Durium...
- 1930 he also recorded two sessions for ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
- 1930-1932 he recorded for Victor
- 1933 while still signed to Victor, his records were assigned to the new BluebirdBluebird RecordsBluebird 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...
dime store label (these sides were also released on Electradisk and the super rare SunriseSunrise RecordsSunrise Records is a Canadian independent record store chain based entirely within the province of Ontario. It is the last major such independent media retail business in the country.The first store was established in 1977 by The Handleman Co...
External references
- [ Biography] on Allmusic site
- Biography on American Big Bands site