Will Osborne (singer)
Will Osborne | |
|---|---|
 1930 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Osborne Oliphant |
| Born | November 25, 1905 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | October 22, 1981 (aged 75) Santa Monica, California |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, trombone, and tenor voice |
| Years active | 1924–1957 |
| Labels | Columbia Melotone Perfect Decca Varsity A.R.C. |
Will Osborne (November 25, 1905 – October 22, 1981) was a Canadian-born American
Biography
Will Osborne, the stage name of William Osborne Oliphant,
began his musical career as a drummer and brass player, both the cornet and trumpet and especially the slide trombone.
In April 1929, while Vallée and his band were performing in vaudeville at the Palace Theater and preparing to leave for Hollywood for the filming of The Vagabond Lover, Vallee invited Osborne to take over for him at his Villa Vallee nightclub and also persuaded his (Vallee's) radio station to broadcast Osborne's band. Soon after, Osborne claimed that Vallee had appropriated his crooning style and was therefore an "Osborne imitator." Vallee, now in Hollywood, paid little attention to Osborne's claims initially, but thereafter he and Osborne entered into a publicity "war" based upon their supposed rivalry.[3]
In his book, The Big Bands, George T. Simon noted that the tenor of the times contributed to Osborne's early success: "Then in 1929 came the stock-market crash and the Depression. The high living and the tempos slowed down. The mood and the music of the country changed. The search for security, for sweetness and light, was reflected in the country's musical tastes — in its acceptance of crooners like Rudy Vallee and Will Osborne, and then Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo, in its preference for dance music that encouraged romance and sentiment and escape."[4]
Simon described the band that Osborne formed in 1935 as "a stylized outfit that featured rich, deep-toned brass, emphasizing, of all things, trumpets plus glissing trombones blown through megaphones."[4]: 489 Osborne dubbed his band's new sound as "Slide Music."
Osborne and his orchestra appeared in the 1946 Monogram musical comedy film Swing Parade of 1946. A 1948 newspaper article reported that, at that time, "The band holds the all-time attendance record at Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles."[5]
The Band's theme song was The Gentleman Awaits.[6]
Osborne later became one of the leaders of the orchestra for The Abbott and Costello Show.[7]
Osborne retired from bandleading in 1957.[8] He then became entertainment director for Harvey's Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.[9]
References
- ^ "Will Osborne's Semi-Swing Band Still Sweet on Music". St. Petersburg Times. June 4, 1944. p. 38. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ Popa, Christopher (2004). "Will Osborne". Big Band Library. Big Band Library.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Will Osborne remembered". Republican and Herald. August 27, 1980. p. 4. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-02-872430-5.
- ^ "Will Osborne". The Spokesman-Review. July 25, 1948. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ISBN 9781456729523.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 5–7.
- ^ "Previous Selections". Dismuke's Hit of the Week. dismuke.org. September 9, 2004. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ISBN 9780634080548. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
Will Osborne.
External links
WILL OSBORNE ORCHESTRA (as a leader):
- Will Osborne Orchestra 1936 - RESTORED in STEREO "It's De-Lovely" with Dick and Dorothy Rogers
- Will Osborne Orchestra 1945 with Connie Haines "I'm Beginning To See The Light" from The Abbott and Costello radio show
- Will Osborne at IMDb
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