Bernie Cummins
Bernie Cummins | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bernard Joseph Cummins |
| Born | March 14, 1900 |
| Origin | Akron, Ohio, USA |
| Died | September 22, 1986 (aged 86) |
| Genres | Jazz, big band, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1919–1959 |
Bernard Joseph Cummins (March 14, 1900 – September 22, 1986) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.
Early years
Cummins was born in Akron, Ohio. In his youth, Cummins was a boxer, besides playing drums in local bands in Ohio.
Orchestras
In 1919 he created a small ensemble of his own,[1] which debuted in Indiana and which grew gradually into a larger dance band after he moved to Cincinnati in 1923.[2]
Singers in the band included Dorothy Crane, Jerry Lang, Betty Griffin, Bernie's brother Walter Cummins and Scottee Marsh, who sang later with Tommy Dorsey.
A female singing trio known as the Sophisticates was hired by Bernie in the mid-1930s out of Minneapolis Marshall High School about the time the Andrews Sisters from Minneapolis North High School became popular. Charlie Callas and Randy Brooks also played with the band, as did Tommy Dorsey for a time. Besides his activities as bandleader, Cummins was briefly also the manager of The Wolverines.
Recordings
The Bernie Cummins Orchestra recorded frequently for such labels as
Personal appearances
The band had many appearances in the
In the late 1950s it became increasingly difficult for the band to find gigs, but the group continued to play clubs in
Theme
Cummins' orchestra's theme song was "Dark Eyes".[4]
Later years
Cummins retired to Boca Raton, Florida.
Death
Cummins died September 22, 1986, in Palm Beach, Florida. He was 86.[2]
Discography
- Bernie Cummins & his Orchestra (1924-1930) (Timeless Records)
References
- ^ ISBN 9780634080548. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
Bernie Cummins.
- ^ ISBN 9781617744860. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ISBN 0306803453. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
Bernie Cummins.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6085-4.
- Leo Walker: The Big Band Almanac, Ward Ritchie Press, Pasadena, CA, 1978, p. 92
- William F. Lee, American Big Bands, Hal Leonard, Milwaukee, WI, 2006, p. 31
