What was it like to be on the road in a big band in 1950? It's difficult to say, since we only have the recollections of musicians who were there, and who knows how accurate those memories are. In the case of Elliot Lawrence, two members of his band then—Bob Karch and Howie Mann—took color home movies. As you'll see in the following eight clips, the country was young then. TV hadn't yet penetrated most markets, radio dominated and bands were being still being booked to play dances and proms. At YouTube, each clip below includes a description of what's going on in the segment.
I'm guessing this was the general personnel of the band in 1950: Joe Techner, John Dee, Gerry LaFurn (tp) Bill Danzien (tp,fhr) Sy Berger, Ollie Wilson, Gene Hessler (tb) Herbie Steward (as) Phil Urso, Stan Weiss (ts) Vince Ferraro, Merle Bredwell (bar) Elliot Lawrence, Bob Karch (p) Mert Oliver (b) Howie Mann (d) Rosalind Patton (vcl). [Pictured above, Elliot Lawrence with models]
These are home movies, so be patient. If you watch carefully, you'll get a strong feel for what young ambitious musicians were up to 65 years ago—goofing around, performing and just enjoying themselves and the scenery during a summer swing through the rural West...
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