Crooner Tony Martin passes at 98

[Jedburgh OSS]

http://www.people.com/people/articl...d=maing-grid7|main5|dl3|sec3_lnk1&pLid=186161

(Also posted in the Observation Bar; bump or delete as necessary)

 

[Fletch]

Held Over!

The New York Times obit calls Tony the "Last Man Standing" from prewar pop music. He really was, too.

All writeups so far omit his saxophone playing - invaluable to starting his career in an era when the singer as star attraction was still a new idea. The ground floor was to work as a band musician - the route taken by Crosby (drums), Columbo (violin), and Vallée (sax).

At the time he was still known by his birthname Al Morris, and working out of his native San Francisco. The name change happened about 1934 when he headed for Hollywood, who wanted something a little less Jewish sounding.

I don't have it handy, but there's a photo of him with the Tom Gerun band in 1932, where he sat beside another up and coming singing sax man named Woody Herman - and another with the Tom Coakley band of '33, where he doubled both tenor and bass sax!

Here's Tony (Al)'s first recording - his only one until he made it big - with the Coakley band in May, 1933. He was nineteen.
[video=youtube;Koibx4shu48]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koibx4shu48[/video]