Golden Era Recording Artists who are Still Living

[LizzieMaine]

There aren't many pre-1950 music personalities still among us, so why not pay tribute while we still can:

Roc Hillman, guitarist, the last survivor of the original Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, and a member of its novelty vocal trio -- age 100

Orrin Tucker, dance band leader -- age 99

Herb Jeffries, band singer/singing cowboy -- age 97

Rise Stevens, opera singer -- age 96

Tony Martin, pop singer -- age 96

Bea Wain, band singer -- age 93

Vera Lynn, pop singer -- age 93

Marian McPartland, jazz pianist -- age 92

Patty Andrews (of the Andrews Sisters) -- age 92

Pete Seeger, folk singer -- age 91

Deanna Durbin, pop/semiclassical singer -- age 89

"Baby" Rose Marie, child pop/jazz singer of the Depression era -- age 87

Feel free to add others!

 

[Lady Day]

Pete Seeger, folk singer -- age 91

I had no idea Mr. Seeger was that old. I for some reason thought late 70s :eusa_doh:

LD

 

[Widebrim]

Orrin Tucker, dance band leader -- age 99

He's still around? Oh, Johnny, oh, Johnny, oh!

On a sad note, we just lost Lena Horne...

 

[FountainPenGirl]

This one made me think. I was scanning over the artists of my own record collection and finally came up with a Pre-1950 name.
Margaret Whiting age 85. The recording I remember the best is "Slipping Around" in which she did a duet with Jimmy Wakely in 1949. It was a number one hit. I enjoy that number and have the record. I actually have a number of other Margaret Whiting records but can't recall the titles from memory. When you have 1000+ 78's the memory can get a little fuzzy.
Another name is Patti Page. Age 82. She of course is best remembered for the Tennesee Waltz. This song was one of the best selling records of all time. in 1950. It was actually the B side of a record released in time for Christmas called Boogie Woogie Santa Clause. That was supposed to be the hit. Tennesse Waltz turned out to be the biggest hit in recorded music history at that time. I also have one of the original 1950 records with Boogie Woogie Santa Clause.

 

[Chas]

Big Jay McNeely: Father of the Rock N Roll Saxophone

Al "Cornbread" Singer: Another Honker and Bar-Walker.

James Moody - Jazz musician (Dizzy Gillespie big band 1947)

Jon Faddis - Jazz Musician (Dizzy Gillespie big band 1947)

"Pinetop" Perkins - Blues Piano legend age 92 - currently on tour.

 

[skyvue]

I think trombonist Buddy Morrow is still alive, and if he is, he's 91.

He's not as big a name, but clarinetist Sol Yaged is still going strong at 88.

And though he's borderline Golden Era (his first No. 1 hit came in 1951), Tony Bennett is still performing. He'll be 86 in August.

 

[skyvue]

Jon Faddis - Jazz Musician (Dizzy Gillespie big band 1947)

He's only 56, born in July 1953.

 

[Widebrim]

And though he's borderline Golden Era (his first No. 1 hit came in 1951), Tony Bennett is still performing. He'll be 86 in August.

Since he started recording in 1949 (before being "discovered" by Pearl Bailey), Tony does qualifiy.

 

[Dismuke]

Marta Eggerth, the 1930s film star and operetta performer is still around and still performing at age 98. Here is the Wikipedia article about her:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Eggerth

Here is a YouTube clip where you can watch her perform 18 years ago at age 80 - she looks and sounds wonderful. Wouldn't it be great to be so young at 80? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTk_zaDs-4

Here is another YouTube clip where you can hear - but not see - her perform 10 years late at age 90 Remarkable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM2VQbLU5kM

Here is a YouTube clip that features video montage of her from various of her films. The audio is her singing the Franz Lehar song "Es gibt noch Märchen" - a song which I think is very pretty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIgdk-2lwA0

If you, like me, enjoy the song, you can also find a Jack Hylton version of it "Where Is This Lady" with English lyrics - though by a male vocalist and not Eggerth, though Eggerth appears in the video montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d46ZSB6zYbU

 

[Dismuke]

The person who holds the current world's record as the oldest active performer is the Dutch born 1930s German film star Johannes Heesters who is still performing at age 106 despite being nearly blind. Here is a Wikipedia article about him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Heesters

Here you can see a YouTube video of a hilarious television commercial he made in 2008 at age 104. Absolutely amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwg0am0SXN0

The song he performed in the commercial is called "Ich brauche keine Millionen" which he introduced in the 1939 film Hallo Janine! Here is a YouTube clip where you can see him performing the song in the film 69 years before he made the commercial. Heesters is the guy in the clip who is NOT playing the piano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K73oo7mO5_o

Here is a clip of him performing in the 1937 film Gasparone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqx92z1EkWI

Johannes Heesters is a very controversial figure in the Netherlands, however, because he performed for and was acquainted with Hitler. He has also been dogged by accusations that he performed for the SS at the Dachau concentration camp. He admits to having visited the camp but denies that he performed there. His return to the Netherlands in 2008 for the first time in decades was extremely controversial and something that still drew protests over 60 years after the end of the war.

 

[Widebrim]

The person who holds the current world's record as the oldest active performer is the Dutch born 1930s German film star Johannes Heesters who is still performing at age 106 despite being nearly blind. Here is a Wikipedia article about him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Heesters

Here you can see a YouTube video of a hilarious television commercial he made in 2008 at age 104. Absolutely amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwg0am0SXN0

The song he performed in the commercial is called "Ich brauche keine Millionen" which he introduced in the 1939 film Hallo Janine! Here is a YouTube clip where you can see him performing the song in the film 69 years before he made the commercial. Heesters is the guy in the clip who is NOT playing the piano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K73oo7mO5_o

Here is a clip of him performing in the 1937 film Gasparone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqx92z1EkWI

Johannes Heesters, is a very controversial figure in the Netherlands, however because he performed for and was acquainted with Hitler. He has also been dogged by accusations that he performed for the SS at the Dachau concentration camp. He admits to having visited the camp but denies that he performed there. His return to the Netherlands in 2008 for the first time in decades was extremely controversial and something that still drew protests over 60 years after the end of the war.

Incredible, and interesting, considering the controversy still surrounding the man. At any rate, he was quite a heart-throb in his young days...

 

[Chas]

Dave Brubeck.

Bucky Pizzarelli (played with Vaughan Monroe in the early/mid 40's)

Sonny Rollins (first recordings in 1949)

Kay Starr (already mentioned?)

Jeni Le Gon tap dance star of the 1930's, black television pioneer, songwriter and protege of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. She would be the last of the Cotton Club girls, with Lena's passing.
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[LizzieMaine]

I had no idea Mr. Seeger was that old. I for some reason thought late 70s :eusa_doh:

LD

Oh yes, he was in a group called the Almanac Singers before the war -- I have a transcription of a "Treasury Star Parade" program from 1942 where they sing a war-bond propaganda song.

As far as I know, he's still actively performing -- and not just in the big time. A few years back he did a show at our local high school -- just him sitting on a stool with his banjo, singing *all* the verses to "This Land Is Your Land." Great stuff!

 

[Fletch]

Trombonist-thereminist Paul "Lightnin'" Tanner is still with us at 92. The last surviving member of "the" Glenn Miller orchestra of 1938-'42, Paul later became a music professor at UCLA. He also built his own "electro-theremin" and played it on the Beach Boys hit Good Vibrations.

Saxophonist Clint Neagley, 93, is the last living sideman of Benny Goodman's original band, which he joined in 1941.

The second oldest surviving leader of the Big Band era appears to be Van Alexander, who was 95 last week.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Oh yes, he was in a group called the Almanac Singers before the war -- I have a transcription of a "Treasury Star Parade" program from 1942 where they sing a war-bond propaganda song.

As far as I know, he's still actively performing -- and not just in the big time. A few years back he did a show at our local high school -- just him sitting on a stool with his banjo, singing *all* the verses to "This Land Is Your Land." Great stuff!

Seeger is an amazing character. He completely avoids the trappings of stardom and is a very approachable, down to Earth guy who still chops his own firewood and sings to little kids in local schools - but he's got just about the most palpable, powerful charisma I've ever personally experienced.

I highly recommend the documentary from a couple of years ago, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (which ran on PBS American Masters last year) for an overview of his remarkable life and career.

"Pete is like your grandfather... If your grandfather could kick your ass!" - Bruce Springsteen interviewed on Seeger's Ninetieth Birthday Concert telecast

 

[Fletch]

We only just missed Herb Ellis, the legendary guitarist of the Oscar Peterson Trio, who died last month at 88. Herb was roommates with Jimmy Giuffre at college in 1938 and got his big break in '43 in the Casa Loma band (and may have been the last living veteran of that outfit, which no one today really cares about).

 

[vitanola]

"...the Casa Loma band (and may have been the last living veteran of that outfit, which no one today really cares about..."

Speak for yourself. OM!

You can pry my copies of Casa Loma Stomp, No Name Jive, Black Jazz, White Jazz and Blue Jazz from my cold...etc.

 

[Fletch]

I feel the same way. I just know that, for various reasons, they're not part of the cultural memory.

 

[Dismuke]

and got his big break in '43 in the Casa Loma band (and may have been the last living veteran of that outfit, which no one today really cares about).

Gee - I am someone. [huh] I really am. And I care. They were a great band. I am a big fan of the staccato sound of their early '30s "hot" recordings. For example, "San Sue Strut" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPfBMhpYAw And they could play "sweet" well too - I get a certain chill every time I hear their version of "Smoke Rings" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22c56ZlAvGU

The Casa Loma's best music was well behind them by '43, as was the case with most of the surviving '20s and '30s bands. But it sure would have been great to have met Herb Ellis and talked about the band, the venues and the various people.

 

[Dismuke]

I just know that, for various reasons, they're not part of the cultural memory.

That's because our pop culture has become senile. We, on the other hand, have our mental faculties - and our good taste - still intact. That means it is up to us to show upcoming generations of young people what pop culture CAN be like, and OUGHT to be like and what it once WAS like.