(Bandleader, 1884–1967) Otto Gray, leader of the first truly professional western band The Oklahoma Cowboys, is often given only perfunctory attention in country-music histories. But his group was both popular and significant – and introduced hundreds of future musicians, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, to country music. Gray, an astute businessman from Stillwater, ...
(O’-to Ne’-ko-li) 1810–49 German composer Nicolai studied in Berlin with Zelter, and in 1833 became organist at the embassy chapel in Rome, but he resigned in 1836 to pursue a career as an opera composer. He quickly found fame with Enrico II (‘Henry II’, 1839) and Il templario (The Templar’, 1840), and also made an impression as a conductor in ...
(Instrumental group, 1926–34) Formed in 1926 by drummer Bill McKinney (1895–1969), this Ohio-based big band improved significantly after hiring arranger Don Redman from Fletcher Henderson’s band in the summer of 1927. For the next four years, until Redman left in 1931, McKinney’s Cotton Pickers rivalled both Henderson’s and Duke Ellington’s orchestras for ensemble precision. The band’s trumpeter and ...
(Tenor saxophone, 1921–55) Wardell Gray died in mysterious, drug-related circumstances without fulfilling his immense potential. His control and invention at fast tempos and fluent, swinging style on the tenor saxophone adapted readily to both swing and bebop settings, while his ballad playing was strong in both emotion and tonal warmth. His sadly underweight recorded legacy is largely ...
(Harmonica, vocals, b. 1935) James Henry Cotton was born in Tunica, Mississippi and was inspired by hearing Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) on the radio. He worked with his mentor from the late 1940s until 1953, when he made his recording debut for Sun Records. He joined Muddy Waters in 1954 and played with him, ...
(Vocals, yodels, 1925–97) Although she might only be a footnote in country-music history, Arkansas-born Carolina Cotton was a prolific entertainer in the West Coast’s post-war era. Known as the ‘Yodelling Blonde Bombshell’, she first gained attention working with Spade Cooley’s Orchestra, then furthered her western-swing association by touring with both Hank Penny’s and Bob Wills’ bands. She ...
1810–49, German Although Otto Nicolai was born in Kaliningrad, northwest of Moscow, he is classed as a German composer. Between 1833 and 1836, Nicolai was organist at the Prussian Chapel in Rome where he became fascinated with opera. His first work for the opera stage, Enrico II (‘Henry II’, 1839) was enthusiastically received in Trieste. Best ...
(Ot-to-re’-no Res-pe’-ge) 1879–1936 Italian composer As a young man, making his living as a violinist, Respighi studied briefly with Rimsky-Korsakov. This, and a remarkable ear, made him a master orchestrator, and his three sets of Roman Pictures (Pines, Fountains and Festivals of Rome) are vividly colourful and dramatic. His popular suites of Ancient Airs and ...
1885–1973 German conductor On Mahler’s recommendation, Klemperer was appointed chorus-master at the German opera house in Prague in 1907. Subsequent conducting posts included Hamburg, Strasbourg and Cologne. He was music director of the Kroll Opera, Berlin 1927–31. He emigrated to the US where he became conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra 1933–39. He was at the Budapest ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1968) Born near Manchester, the Dylanesque Gray toiled throughout the 1990s, while seemingly only Irish audiences listened. But mainstream success would not escape a songwriter with Gray’s talent, and soon chart hit after chart hit (‘Please Forgive Me’, ‘Babylon’) snatched mass radio airplay, bolstered by a middle-aged fan base and anyone who liked a ...
(Vocals, b. 1970) Born Natalie McIntyre in Ohio, Macy Gray is a modern soul singer whose voice is distinctive and demeanor often startlingly original. In 1998, early hits ‘Why Didn’t You Call Me ?’ and ‘I’ve Committed Murder’ started to cause minor ripples in her home country, but by the following year her star was well in ...
(Vocal group, 1930s) The Girls Of The Golden West were Millie (1913–93) and Dolly (1915–67) Good (real name Goad). They starred during the 1930s on Chicago’s WLS and recorded for Bluebird and ARC. Regionally popular and influential – they inspired Pee Wee King, among others – they were particularly renowned for their close harmony and harmonized yodelling. Marrying, ...
The western music – be it jazzy, danceable western swing or spare cowboy songs – that thrived for more than two decades from the 1920s grew out of several strains of American folk tradition, chiefly balladry and fiddle-band music, each of which had over time developed its own regional flavours and stylistic quirks. The Development Of Cowboy Music ...
If any city could be cited as epitomizing the sense of decline and despair in the late nineteenth century it would be Vienna. Heartland of the oldest existing European empire, its shift from the liberalism of the 1840s towards the political conservatism of the 1890s onwards was typical, as was the inability of its emperor and ruling aristocracy to ...
This unlikely opera house was the first avant-garde public arena and was funded by the Prussian Ministry of Culture. Built in 1844 by entrepreneur Josef Kroll, the theatre, with its large stage and fine acoustics, became the centrepiece for new music and production values that embraced modernity. When Otto Klemperer was appointed musical director, he approached the ...
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