MUSIC LEGENDS LIVE! Educational Lecture by Bill Shelley of Shelly Archives Inc.
THE BIG BAND ERA
Monday, May 22 at 7:30 pm
Members $11 | Public $16 | Includes Reception
Celebrate the month of Memorial Day with the Big Band sounds of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and many more.
Big Bands grew out of the Jazz Era of the 1920’s and the Swing Era of the 1930’s. These were dance orchestras, many of which were large, with as many as 30 musicians on a bandstand and a number of hit songs that got played in movies, on the radio, in clubs, and on television, once that medium was invented. During WWII, the Big Bands toured the country and the USO, entertaining our troops. They were morale boosters for the men and women in uniform, along with pin-ups of the lovely Betty Grable and Dorothy Lamour. This musical era made big names out of the band leaders and their lead singers, many of whom later developed movie and/or television careers as actors. Their music was danceable, helping to revitalize the record and radio industries, selling 78 rpm disks by the millions. Among the wealth of musical talents in the Big Band Era who will be included in this program will be the Andrew Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Tony Martin, Dina Shore, Lena Horne, Helen O'Connell, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Martin, and Peggy Lee. Some of the songs that will be included will be “In the Mood,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, “Marie,” “Take the A-Train,” “Do Right,” “Night and Day,” and many more. Approx. 100 minutes.