Paul Specht was an American dance bandleader

Bandleader

A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....

 popular in the 1920s.

Born in Sinking Spring

Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

Sinking Spring is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,639 at the 2000 census. Sinking Spring was given its name for a spring located in the center of town, the water in which would sink into the ground from time to time, giving it the illusion of having...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, Specht was a violinist, having been taught by his father Charles G. Specht, a violinist, organist, and bandleader in his own right. He attended Combs Conservatory in Philadelphia, and led his first band in 1916, which toured the Western United States during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. He signed with Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia 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...

 in 1922, playing both with a larger dance ensemble and with a smaller, more 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 unit called The Georgians.

He toured England several times, beginning in 1922, and set up a "School for Jazz Musicians" there in 1924. Specht encountered some difficulty with his English performances due to political and union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 woes, which were documented regularly in the popular music press of the day. He did not return to England after 1926, having become thoroughly dissatisfied with the treatment he received.

Specht's ensemble was the first orchestra to broadcast for the RCA

RCA

RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...

 company, and was the first ensemble to film after the end of the silent era

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

. In 1929, Specht's orchestra was asked to play at the inauguration

Inauguration

An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....

 of Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...

, chosen over Paul Whiteman

Paul Whiteman

Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...

. He continued to be popular into the 1930s, and led bands into the 1940s, during which time he developed arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....

 which hampered his musical abilities. He lived in Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...

 late in his life and did arranging work for radio and television. He died in 1954 at the age of 59 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

A number of noted jazz and popular musicians played in Specht's ensembles, including Hank D'Amico

Hank D'Amico

Hank D'Amico , was an American jazz clarinetist.D'Amico was born in Rochester, NY. He began playing professionally with Paul Specht's band in 1936. That same year, he joined Red Norvo. In 1938, D'Amico began radio broadcasts with his own octet before returning briefly to Norvo's group in 1939...

, Russ Morgan

Russ Morgan

Russ Morgan was a big band orchestra leader and musical arranger in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...

, Sylvester Ahola

Sylvester Ahola

Sylvester Ahola , a.k.a. Hooley, was a classic jazz trumpeter and cornetist born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He became most popular in England rather than the United States, and first began performing with Frank Ward and His Orchestra...

, Arthur Schutt

Arthur Schutt

Arthur Schutt was an American jazz pianist and arranger.Schutt learned piano from his father, and accompanied silent films as a teenager in the 1910s...

, Charlie Spivak

Charlie Spivak

Charlie Spivak was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s.-Biography:...

, Joe Tarto

Joe Tarto

Joe Tarto was an American jazz tubist and bassist.Tarto played trombone from age 12 before settling on tuba as a teenager. He played in an Army band in World War I, where he was wounded, and received his release in 1919...

, Art Christmas

Art Christmas

Art Christmas was a Canadian dance band and jazz musician. For many years during the exciting dance band and jazz era of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Art Christmas was often said to be Britain's leading saxophone player and multi-instrumentalist...

 and Chauncey Morehouse

Chauncey Morehouse

Chauncey Morehouse was an American jazz drummer.-Biography:Chauncey Morehouse was born in Niagara Falls, New York in 1902 and was raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he played drums from a very early age. He also played piano and banjo too. As a high schooler, he led a group called the...

.