Randy Brooks (musician)
Encyclopedia
Randy Brooks was an American jazz
trumpeter and bandleader
.
Brooks began on trumpet at age six, and by eleven was touring with Rudy Vallee
. He then worked with Claude Thornhill
, Bob Allen
, Bernie Cummins
, Art Jarrett
, and Les Brown
before founding his own band in 1944. John Benson Brooks
(no relation) contributed arrangements to the ensemble, and Stan Getz
played in it in 1946. Among his hits for Decca Records
were "Tenderly
", "Harlem Nocturne
" and "The Man With The Horn", but his swing-based style and large ensemble were out of step with the times, and his success eroded toward the end of the decade.
He married Ina Ray Hutton
and moved to Los Angeles
, where he suffered a stroke
and was unable to continue as a musician. He died of smoke inhalation in a fire at his Sanford, Maine
, apartment. He is buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Sanford, Maine, beside his parents.
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...
trumpeter and 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....
.
Brooks began on trumpet at age six, and by eleven was touring with Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
. He then worked with Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader...
, Bob Allen
Bob Allen
Bob Allen is a former American politician who was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 until 2007, representing Florida's 32nd district...
, Bernie Cummins
Bernie Cummins
Bernie Cummins was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.Bernie Cummins was born in Akron, Ohio as Bernard Joseph Cummins. Cummins was in his youth a boxer, besides playing drums in local bands in Ohio. In 1919 he created a small ensemble of his own, which debuted in Indiana and which grew...
, Art Jarrett
Art Jarrett
Arthur L. Jarrett, Jr. born to stage actor and playwright Arthur L. Jarrett, Sr. . Art Jr...
, and Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
before founding his own band in 1944. John Benson Brooks
John Benson Brooks
John Benson Brooks was an American jazz pianist, songwriter, arranger, and composer....
(no relation) contributed arrangements to the ensemble, and Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
played in it in 1946. Among his hits for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
were "Tenderly
Tenderly
"Tenderly" is a popular song published in 1946 with music by Walter Gross and lyrics by Jack Lawrence.Copyright 1946 by Edwin H. Morris & Company, Inc....
", "Harlem Nocturne
Harlem Nocturne
"Harlem Nocturne" is a jazz standard written by Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers in 1939. The song was adopted by bandleader Randy Brooks the next year as his theme song."Harlem Nocturne" has been frequently recorded...
" and "The Man With The Horn", but his swing-based style and large ensemble were out of step with the times, and his success eroded toward the end of the decade.
He married Ina Ray Hutton
Ina Ray Hutton
Ina Ray Hutton was an American female leader during the Big band era, and sister to June Hutton.Hutton was born as Odessa Cowan in Chicago, Illinois of African American descent. She began dancing and singing in stage revues at the age of eight. Cowan's mother Marvel Ray was a local pianist and...
and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and was unable to continue as a musician. He died of smoke inhalation in a fire at his Sanford, Maine
Sanford, Maine
Sanford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,798 in the 2010 census, the highest of the York County towns, and the 8th largest in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale...
, apartment. He is buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Sanford, Maine, beside his parents.