Roy Bargy
Encyclopedia
Roy Fredrick Bargy was an American composer
and pianist
.
Born in Newaygo, Michigan
, he grew up in Toledo, Ohio
, where he was exposed to the music of pianists Johnny Walters and Luckey Roberts
. In 1919 he began working with Charley Straight
at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in Chicago
, performing, arranging, and composing. He was the leader, pianist and arranger
of the Benson Orchestra of Chicago from 1920 to 1922 (when he was replaced by Don Bestor), and later worked with the orchestras of Isham Jones
and of Paul Whiteman
and recorded piano solos for Victor Records.
In 1928 he was the first pianist to record George Gershwin
's Piano Concerto in F
(in an arrangement by Ferde Grofé
; with Paul Whiteman
and his Concert Orchestra).
From 1943 until his retirement he was music director for Jimmy Durante
.
Roy Bargy died in Vista, California
at the age of 79.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Born in Newaygo, Michigan
Newaygo, Michigan
Newaygo is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,976 at the 2010 census. The character of the town is quite rural.-Geography:...
, he grew up in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, where he was exposed to the music of pianists Johnny Walters and Luckey Roberts
Luckey Roberts
Charles Luckeyeth Roberts, better known as Luckey Roberts was an American composer and stride pianist who worked in the jazz, ragtime, and blues styles.-Biography:...
. In 1919 he began working with Charley Straight
Charley Straight
Charles Theodore Straight , better known as Charley Straight, was an American pianist, bandleader and composer. He started his career in 1909 accompanying singer Gene Greene in Vaudeville. In 1916 he began working at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in Chicago were he recorded dozens of piano rolls...
at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in 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...
, performing, arranging, and composing. He was the leader, pianist and arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
of the Benson Orchestra of Chicago from 1920 to 1922 (when he was replaced by Don Bestor), and later worked with the orchestras of Isham Jones
Isham Jones
Isham Jones was a United States bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.-Career:Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, to a musical and mining family, and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where he started his first band...
and of 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"...
and recorded piano solos for Victor Records.
In 1928 he was the first pianist to record George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's Piano Concerto in F
Concerto in F (Gershwin)
Concerto in F is a composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and orchestra which is closer in form to a traditional concerto than the earlier jazz-influenced Rhapsody in Blue...
(in an arrangement by Ferde Grofé
Ferde Grofé
Ferde Grofé was a prominent American composer, arranger and pianist. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.-Early life:...
; with 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"...
and his Concert Orchestra).
From 1943 until his retirement he was music director for Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
.
Roy Bargy died in Vista, California
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
at the age of 79.
Selected Compositions
- Ditto (1920)
- Omeomy (1920)
- Railroad Blues (with Luckeyth Roberts, 1920)
- Slipova (1920)
- A Blue Streak (1921)
- Knice and Knifty (with Charley Straight, 1921)
- Rufenreddy (with Charley Straight, 1921)
- Behave Yourself (1922)
- Jim Jams, No. 7 from Piano Syncopations (1922)
- Justin-Tyme (1922)
- Pianoflage (1922)
- Sunshine Capers (1922)
- Sweet And Tender (1923)
- Feeding The Kitty (1924)
- Get Lucky (1924)
- Trouble In Thirds (1925)
External links
- Bargy Discography at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...