Bert Lown and his Hotel Biltmore Orchestra, Smith Ballew vocal - The One Girl (1930)

Bert Lown (1903 - Nov.02,1962), played violin and led a series of superior jazz-oriented dance band sides during 1929-33, 82 selections in all.

As a violinist Lown worked for a time in the 1920's as a sideman, including in 1925 with cornetist Fred Hamm's band. He collaborated with Hamm, Chauncy Gray and Dave Bennett on "Bye Bye Blues" which they first recorded on May 1, 1925.

In 1929 Lown began his series of recordings and among his sidemen along the way were (at various times) trombonist Miff Mole, drummer Stan King and (most importantly) bass saxophonist Adrian Rollini (who was succeeded by Spencer Clark in 1931).

During 1930-31, Lown's band was employed regularly at the Biltmore Hotel in New York, frequently broadcasting on the radio. During this period Lown also composed "You're The One I Care For" and "Tired."

His orchestra only recorded two sessions apiece in 1932 and 1933 and by the mid-30's Lown was no longer leading a band, instead booking and managing orchestras before dropping out of music altogether. In later years, Bert Lown held executive positions and was involved in CBS-TV from 1951 until suffering a heart attack in 1962.

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Smith Ballew (real name Sykes Ballew, Jan.21,1902 - May 2,1984) was an american actor, singer, and orchestra leader.

He was born in Palestine, Texas. He attended high school in Sherman and college at Austin College and the University of Texas. He began his singing career on the radio, and in the 1930s became one of the earliest of the singing cowboys on the movie screen. He did a series of musical Westerns for Paramount Pictures and one for 20th Century Fox, continuing in supporting roles until the 1950s.

Starting in the late 1920s he became one of the most recognizable vocalists on hundreds of dance band and jazz records (during this time, Ballew along with Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson, and Chick Bullock were the most prolific vocalists), and in the early 1930s had his own band.

Between 1929 and 1935, he made scores of records were issued under his own name for OKeh, the dime store labels (Banner, Domino, Jewel, Regal, Perfect, Oriole as Buddy Blue & His Texans or Jack Blue's Texans), Columbia, and Crown. Few of these popular records gave any indication of his future Cowboy style.


Bert Lown and his Hotel Biltmore Orchestra, Smith Ballew vocal - The One Girl (1930)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bert
• Lown
• Smith
• Ballew
• 1930
• 20s
• 30s

[llibnorhcop]

i like this style of music and Bert is the best at it.

[bobparis]

It's Bernie Cummins playing "Little by Little."

[bill3murr]

oops.... this is Little By Little not The ONE Girl.... i think this version is by bernie cummins and his orch. great version!