Lou Busch
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Lou Busch | |
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Warner Bros. |
Louis Ferdinand Bush (July 18, 1910 – September 19, 1979) was an American record producer, musician and songwriter, best known for performing, as a pianist under the pseudonym Joe "Fingers" Carr.
Biography
Busch (né Bush) was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky during the ragtime and early jazz age. He quickly showed an aptitude for music, and by age 12 was already leading a ragtime and jazz band, Lou Bush and His Tickle Toe Four.[1]
At 16, he left school and home for a career as a professional musician, playing with the likes of "Hot Lips" Henry Busse, Clyde McCoy, and George Olsen.[1] After a few years on the road, his desire to learn more about music theory led him to study at the Cincinnati Music Conservatory in Ohio in the early 1930s.[2]
Following his musical-education break, Busch became the pianist for Hal Kemp's "sweet music" band for the remainder of the 1930s.[1] He also honed his arranging skills, and was offered an arranging position when arranger John Scott Trotter left the band in 1936. He shared the position with another key arranger, Hal Mooney; it was invaluable experience for them both. After Kemp died in a car crash in 1940 and the group disbanded, Busch and Mooney made their way to California to work as studio musicians and on whatever other gigs they could find. This was interrupted by World War II, where Busch spent three years in the Army.[2]
Capitol Records
After his
One summer, Busch played piano for singer Jo Stafford and conductor Paul Weston on the hit record "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". The success encouraged both him and the label to release his own original single, "Ivory Rag", early in 1950.[1] It was the first piece incorporated into the "Crazy Otto Medley" by German pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel, which was later associated with Johnny Maddox in the U.S. In 1962, he formed Burning Bush Music ASCAP.[citation needed]
His biggest hits from the 1950s include "Portuguese Washerwoman", "Sam's Song", a cover of Del Wood's version of "Down Yonder", and Bert Kaempfert's international hit "Zambesi".[2] Some of the singles include his vocal backup group, the Carr Hops. Often overlooked are several mainstream and jazz sides he recorded as Lou Busch, featuring exciting band or orchestral arrangements.
One Busch collaboration with Milton Delugg, "Rollercoaster", became the closing theme of the TV panel show What's My Line? for the entirety of its original network run, from 1950 to 1967.
Warner Bros. Records
Busch eventually left Capitol for
Marriages
He married actress-singer Janet Blair in 1943; the union ended in divorce in 1950. He wed singer Margaret Whiting in 1950,[4] and their daughter was born that December. Whiting also sued him for divorce, in 1953.[5]
Death
In the late 1970s, Busch did some live performances with Mayorga and others in Southern California. He died in
Albums
Album | Record label |
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Parlor Piano | Capitol T-698 |
Bar Room Piano | Capitol |
Rough House Piano | Capitol |
And His Ragtime Band | Capitol |
And His Swingin' String Band [1958] | Capitol ST-1217 |
Plays the Classics | Capitol |
Mr. Ragtime | Capitol |
Fireman's Ball | Capitol T-527 |
Honky Tonk Street Parade | Capitol |
The Hits of Joe "Fingers" Carr | Capitol |
Joe “Fingers” Carr Goes Continental | Capitol |
The World's Greatest Ragtime Piano Player | Warner Bros. |
Brassy Piano | Warner Bros. |
The Riotous, Raucous Red-Hot 20s | Warner Bros. |
Together for the Last Time with Ira Ironstrings (Alvino Rey) | Warner Bros. |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Joe "Fingers" Carr". Spaceagepop.com. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "JOE "FINGERS" CARR". Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ “Couple Wed Second Time.” Albany Times-Union, 20 August 1950.
- ^ “Margaret Whiting Said She Had to Dodge Dishes.” Salamanaca (NY) Republican-Press, 17 December 1953.
- ISBN 0-306-80439-5
- ^ "Last two albums were combined into one CD by Collectables Records in 2007 (COL 7869)". Oldies.com. Retrieved 19 February 2019.