Henry Halstead (November 16, 1897 – March 19, 1984) was an American bandleader. His orchestra began in early 1922 and over the next twenty years had regular engagements at hotels in New York and California.
41-734: Halstead had from 15 to 20 band members at any given time. His orchestra appeared in numerous short subjects on the screen and made over 100 records, mainly with Victor Records . He appeared in short films released by RKO Radio . After rising to fame on radio and on the west coast, his orchestra was named the Favorite Band of Movieland. His fans included Marion Davies , Sylvia Sidney , Fredric March , Claudette Colbert , Kay Francis , Rudolph Valentino , Roscoe Arbuckle , Maurice Chevalier , Clark Gable , Norma Shearer , Greta Garbo , Clive Brook , Gary Cooper , Marian Nixon , Jack Oakie , Buddy Rogers , and Ruth Chatterton . Henry Halstead
82-415: A home entertainment medium in the early 1920s presented Victor and the entire record industry with new challenges. Not only was music becoming available over the air free of charge, but a live radio broadcast made using high-quality microphones and heard over amplified receivers provided sound that was startlingly more clear and realistic than a contemporary phonograph record. Victor was initially dismissive of
123-615: A memorable occasion." Henry Halstead is given credit for making the first Hollywood Vitaphone movie short with Warner Brothers in 1927 called Carnival Night in Paris where Lew Ayres was discovered playing banjo. The three music selections for the Vitaphone production where listed as follows: 1. Volga Boatman, 2. At Sundown, 3. Rosy Cheeks. Halstead was on the cover of Billboard issue of July 27, 1935 at that time known as Henry "Hank" Halstead and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra playing at
164-517: A new line of phonographs referred to as " Orthophonic Victrolas ", scientifically developed by Western Electric to play these new records. Victor's first electrical recordings, issued in the spring of 1925 were not advertised as such; in order to create an extensive catalog of records made by the new process to satisfy anticipated demand, and to allow dealers time to liquidate their stocks of old-style Victrolas, Victor and its longtime rival, Columbia Records , agreed to keep electrical recording secret until
205-607: A polished wooden surface. The horn on the Edison-Bell machine was black and after a failed attempt at selling the painting to a cylinder record supplier of Edison Phonographs in the UK, a friend of Barraud's suggested that the painting could be brightened up (and possibly made more marketable) by substituting one of the brass-belled horns on display in the window at the new gramophone shop on Maiden Lane . The Gramophone Company in London
246-476: Is a continuation of the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR) project by Ted Fagan and William Moran to make a complete discography of all Victor recordings as well as adding the recordings of Columbia, Brunswick and other historic American labels now controlled by Sony Music Entertainment . The Victor archive files are the main source of information for this project. In 2011,
287-409: Is that Johnson emerged as the 'Victor' from the lengthy and costly patent litigations involving Berliner and Frank Seaman's Zonophone . A third story is that Johnson's partner, Leon Douglass , derived the word from his wife's name 'Victoria.' Finally, a fourth story is that Johnson took the name from the popular 'Victor' bicycle, which he had admired for its superior engineering. Of these four accounts,
328-955: The Library of Congress and Victor catalog owner Sony Music Entertainment launched the National Jukebox offering streaming audio of more than 10,000 pre-1925 recorded works for listening by the general public; the majority of these recordings have not been widely available for over 100 years. King%27s Jesters The King's Jesters began as a comic vocal trio that also played instruments along with an accompanist. It comprised John Ravencroft - sax and clarinet, Francis "Fritz" Bastow - banjo and guitar, George Howard - drums and vibraphone, along with Ray McDermott - piano, accordion, and arranger. They were hired by Paul Whiteman to replace The Rhythm Boys and sang with him from 1930 to 1931. When they left Whiteman, they added vocalist Marjorie Whitney (whom they called their queen). These five were
369-690: The Carlton hotel in Washington, and the Philadelphia hotel in Philadelphia. For all these spots they broadcast over the NBC and Mutual coast-to-coast networks. Although Ray McDermott died in 1937, the band grew at one point to 10 members. All the members retired in 1962. The original vocal trio was from Rochester, Indiana and that is where they died. George Howard died in 1991, Francis Bastow died in 1992 and John Ravencroft died in 1996. Marjorie Whitney
410-691: The Hotel-Park Central, New York. Phil Harris played drums and Red Nichols played trumpet as they were members of Henry Halstead's band in the 1920s. Cliff Arquette an actor, comedian, was also a night club pianist, and joined the Henry Halstead Orchestra in 1923. Halstead recorded for Victor Records, and broadcast on all major radio networks, such as Columbia, National, and Mutual Broadcasting Companies. Halstead led his band and played violin. The original Halstead violin still exists and has dozens of band member signatures on
451-724: The King's Jesters begin playing at the Bismark Hotel in Chicago, IL. Their repertoire has numerous instrumental combinations for fox trot dancing and equally attractive vocal combinations for the bright, straight, and novelty tunes they perform. After Ray McDermott died of pneumonia in 1937, The King's Jesters and their band opened a new floor show in the Blue Fountain Room at the La Salle Hotel current site for
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#1732772445706492-742: The King's Jesters performed at the Fairview Hotel & Dance Gardens after completing a several month engagement in the LaSalle Hotel, Chicago. The King's Jesters band made two guest appearances with Benny Goodman and his orchestra, one on July 7, 1941, and one on July 24, 1941. They appeared at such places as the Sir Francis Drake hotel in San Francisco; William Penn hotel in Pittsburgh; LaSalle hotel in Chicago;
533-718: The Mask and Wig Club, released in April, 1925. On March 21, 1925, Victor recorded its first electrical Red Seal disc, twelve inch 6502 by pianist Alfred Cortot , of works by Chopin and Schubert. In 1926, Johnson sold his controlling (but not holding) interest in the Victor Company to the banking firms of JW Seligman and Speyer & Co. , who in turn sold Victor to the Radio Corporation of America in 1929. The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR)
574-480: The Navajo Ballroom and entered into a partnership with Etienne Noir in the local airport. While at the airport he met an old Hollywood acquaintance by the name of Andy Devine who was active in making western films and TV shows. Devine had a partnership in a pilot school with a Hollywood stunt pilot by the name of Dick Probert. The three of them entered into a partnership in the airport and a local restaurant by
615-577: The Phoenix area. The sign for his real estate office was a yellow sign of a music note. Hasltead was color blind and the only color he could easily see was yellow. Halstead was married to blues vocalist Marjorie Whitney Halter, who sang with the King's Jesters . She was born on April 5, 1917. Henry and Marjorie had two children. While they were living in San Bernardino, California, Joan Susan Halstead
656-612: The State of Illinois Building Thompson Center , 2013 in Chicago. In July 1937, The King's Jesters orchestra received much publicity when their band's picture was used on the front cover of the July 3, 1937 issue of the Billboard , one of America's foremost amusement weeklies. The King's Jesters are recognized as "America's Biggest Little Band." They were under the management of Consolidated Radio Artists, Inc. of Chicago at that time. In 1937
697-685: The Victor, Monarch and De Luxe labels, with the Victor label on 7-inch records, Monarch on 10-inch records and De Luxe on 12-inch records. De Luxe Special 14-inch records were briefly marketed in 1903–1904. In 1905, all labels and sizes were consolidated into the Victor imprint. Victor recorded the first jazz and blues records ever issued. The Victor Military Band recorded the first recorded blues song, " The Memphis Blues ", on July 15, 1914, in Camden, New Jersey. In 1917, The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded " Livery Stable Blues ". The advent of radio as
738-666: The autumn of 1925. Then, with the company's largest advertising campaign to date, Victor publicly announced the new technology and introduced its new records and the Orthophonic Victrola on November 2, 1925, dubbed "Victor Day". Victor's first commercial electrical recording was made at the company's Camden, New Jersey studios on February 26, 1925. A group of eight popular Victor artists, Billy Murray , Frank Banta, Henry Burr , Albert Campbell, Frank Croxton , John Meyer, Monroe Silver , and Rudy Wiedoeft gathered to record "A Miniature Concert". Several takes were recorded by
779-463: The band was a huge success. In the spring of 1926, the Halstead band went to Los Angeles to play Miller's Lafayette. Red Nichols joined the band for this opening. While Halstead and his family were living in San Bernardino, California, he and his band were playing at some of the local night spots in town. He needed to live close due to his ailing parents. In March 1944 he was making visits to one of
820-419: The boys. The time came - and up came the boys suitcases in their hands and hearts in their mouths. "Mac" was reclassified as a member of the "King's Jesters" as Whiteman named them. In 1932 the King's Jesters left Whiteman, who replaced them with The Nitecaps trio (later known as The Rhythm Boys). They formed a new band with Fritz Bastow, George Howard and John Ravencroft, members of a six-piece orchestra which
861-476: The core of the King's Jesters. The group most often appeared on Billboard 's Music Popularity Charts in the '40s. Ray McDermott became interested in the boys and their story - in their ambition to strike the big time with their singing and vocal orchestra ideas. He listened to them. Became more interested. Trained them, gave them hope, encouragement, ideas. "And when he hit Cincinnati with Whiteman, he waited for his opportunity to arrange for an audition for
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#1732772445706902-401: The design, production and marketing of the popular "Victrola" line of phonographs and the company's extensive catalog of operatic and classical music recordings by world famous artists on the prestigious Red Seal label. After Victor merged with RCA in 1929, the company maintained its eminence as America's foremost producer of records and phonographs until the 1960s. In 1896, Emile Berliner ,
943-684: The early 1920s was enormously successful at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco for about three years. He broadcast on KGO in San Francisco for about an hour a night, six nights a week. His band became the best known organization in the western United States and Hawaii. This band broke up in the late summer of 1925. Halstead decided that he would go out on his own and form a band. The band consisted of Abe Maule, Chuck Moll, Craig Leach, Ernie Reed, Glenn Hopkins, Hal Chanslor, Phil Harris, Ross Dugat, Ted Schilling, and Zebe Mann. When they joined Halstead in Seattle,
984-426: The encroachments of radio, but after plummeting sales and much apathy and resistance from the company's senior executives brought the company to the verge of bankruptcy, Victor switched from the acoustical or mechanical method of recording to the new microphone -based electrical system developed by Western Electric in 1925. Victor called its version of the improved fidelity recording process "Orthophonic", and marketed
1025-436: The first two are the most generally accepted." The first use of the Victor name was on a letterhead, dated March 28, 1901. Herbert Rose Barraud's deceased brother, a London photographer, willed him his estate, including his DC-powered Edison-Bell cylinder phonograph with a case of cylinders and his dog, named Nipper . Barraud's original painting depicts Nipper staring intently into the horn of an Edison-Bell while both sit on
1066-451: The inventor of the gramophone and disc record, contracted machinist Eldridge R. Johnson to manufacture his inventions. There are different accounts as to how the "Victor" name came about. RCA historian Fred Barnum gives various possible origins of the name in "His Master's Voice" In America , he writes, "One story claims that Johnson considered his first improved Gramophone to be both a scientific and business 'victory.' A second account
1107-464: The local mountain communities by the name of Big Bear. He enjoyed the area and was losing many of his band members to the draft. He himself was beyond the draft age and did not serve in World War II. It was a time for change and he moved his family to Big Bear Lake where he bought into a partnership on one of the local night spots known as Navajo Ballroom. By May 1946 Halstead sold his interest in
1148-668: The name of the Sportsman's Tavern. Upon leaving the Big Bear area, Halstead and his family moved to San Francisco, where he booked talent at the St. Francis Hotel for a couple of years. For a short time they were in Los Angeles and then by 1953 he was working at the Westward Ho Talent Booking in Phoenix, Arizona. From February 1955 to November 1958 he was owner and operating broker of a real estate company in
1189-519: The old acoustical process, then additional takes were recorded electrically for test purposes. The electrical recordings turned out well, and Victor issued the results that summer as the two sides of twelve inch 78 rpm disc, Victor 35753. Victor's first electrical recording to be issued was Victor 19626, a ten-inch record consisting of two numbers recorded on March 16, 1925, from the University of Pennsylvania 's thirty-seventh annual production of
1230-496: The popularity of dance fans. "Balance of harmony is the secret," Mr. Halstead said. "Careful selection of instruments and musicians are next in importance, but unless harmony is perfectly balanced, that soft, dreamy effect so necessary in the modern fox trot is lost." The Buescher phone, an unusual instrument for a dance orchestra, is featured in the Palais Royal Orchestra. The early Henry Halstead Orchestra during
1271-407: The trumpet on occasion with them. In 1923 Halstead, then director of the Palais Royal Orchestra, predicted for the coming year that even though dance steps may change, the tempo and rhythm will remain about the same as in 1922. And jazz, minus the shrieking and wailing, toned down with even a touch more of the classical than the case in the year now coming to a close, will continue to reign supreme in
Henry Halstead - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-413: The violin. Henry was considered one of the best young band leaders and gave his dance patrons plenty of entertainment. His music maintained excellent rhythm and a crowded floor throughout the night stood testimony that he was playing good dance music. Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor
1353-606: Was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became the RCA Victor Division of the Radio Corporation of America until late 1968, when it was renamed RCA Records . Established in Camden, New Jersey , Victor was the largest and most prestigious firm of its kind in the world, best known for its use of the iconic " His Master's Voice " trademark,
1394-707: Was born November 16, 1897, in El Paso, Texas, and died on March 19, 1984, in California. As a young boy, he learned to play violin. After studying the violin for ten years, he turned professional when at 19, playing clubs and hotels. In 1919, he played violin Abe Lyman and Gus Arnheim . They were in a band at the Sunset Inn in Santa Monica, California, with Lyman on drums Gus Arnheim on piano. Roy Fox played
1435-475: Was born in 1943. Hank Jr. was born on April 8, 1946, while the family was living in Big Bear, California. Marjorie and Henry divorced in the 1960s. Marjorie died on December 26, 1996. After the divorce, Henry married Mary Larson on June 20, 1980. After Halstead and Marjorie were divorced, Halstead continued in the real estate business. He worked with Del Webb in creating the Deer Valley section of Phoenix. He
1476-620: Was discovered in the Henry Halstead band in 1927. Ayres said "I was a member of Henry Halstead's orchestra in 1927 at the Mission Beach Ballroom, San Diego, California...summer. My instruments were tenor banjo, long-neck banjo and guitar. After a hiatus, I rejoined Mr. Halstead with a new group, including Phil Harris, on New Years Eve the same year for the opening night of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel...
1517-755: Was featured, so was Myrtle Harwin, Niela Goodelle, Margaret Reed, and Peggy Mann. The orchestra performed at the Blossom Room at Hotel Roosevelt, New York City; the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California; the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco; the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago; and a season at Fatty Arbuckle's "Plantation" in Culver City where such entertainers as Al Jolson , Sophie Tucker , Gus Edwards , and Leatrice Joy were headliners on his shows. Hollywood actor Lew Ayres
1558-527: Was formed in Chicago and Rochester. The King's Jesters is now composed of seven members which include: the three Rochester men, Ray McDermott who has been the piano accompanist for the Jesters, Jimmy Awad on trumpet, Bob Casey on string bass, and a girl blues singer, Marjorie Whitney. The King's Jesters broadcast daily from the Hotel Morrison in Chicago and are heard over the NBC network. In June 1936
1599-425: Was founded and managed by an American, William Barry Owen. Barraud paid a visit with a photograph of the painting and asked to borrow a horn. Owen gave Barraud an entire gramophone and asked him to paint it into the picture, offering to buy the result. On close inspection of the painting, the contours of the Edison-Bell phonograph are visible beneath the paint of the gramophone. In 1915, the "His Master's Voice" logo
1640-518: Was honored by having one of the streets named after him: West Halstead Drive. In the late 1960s Henry moved to California. He lived in San Diego for a short time, and died in Hemet, California. He is buried in San Diego. Many vocalists and entertainers performed with the Henry Halstead Orchestra. Maxine Harding with her deep-dyed blues singing was a soloist with Henry Halstead's Orchestra. Clarence Rand
1681-538: Was rendered in immense circular leaded-glass windows in the tower of the Victrola cabinet building at Victor's headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. The building still stands today with replica windows installed during RCA 's ownership of the plant in its later years. Today, one of the original windows is located at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. In the company's early years, Victor issued recordings on