BERT LOWN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

Biography

Bert Lown (born Albert Charles Lown on June 6, 1903, in White Plains, New York) was a prominent violinist, composer, and orchestra leader who became one of the most respected American dance orchestra leaders of the 1930s. After completing his high school education, Lown initially pursued a career in sales, working as a sales manager starting in 1921. However, his passion for music led him to transition into the entertainment industry, where he began as a sideman playing violin in Fred Hamm's dance orchestra in 1928. By 1929, Lown had assembled his own group of musicians to perform jazz-oriented dance pieces, and his ensemble quickly gained popularity throughout the United States.

Lown's most significant achievement came with the formation and leadership of the Hotel Biltmore Orchestra in the early 1930s, which became his most famous ensemble. The orchestra secured contracts at top hotels throughout the United States by the mid-1930s, and many of their performances were broadcast on radio, significantly contributing to Lown's national prominence. As a composer, Lown created several compositions that became national and international hits, most notably "Bye Bye Blues" (co-written in 1925 with Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, and Chauncey Gray), along with other successful songs such as "You're The One I Care For," "By My Side," and "Tired." His orchestra recorded extensively for Victor Records during the 1920s and 1930s, establishing a substantial discography of the era.

By the mid-1930s, Lown transitioned away from active performance, shifting his focus to booking and managing orchestras. He eventually left the music industry entirely, moving into executive positions in the television industry, including management roles at CBS-TV. Lown passed away on November 20, 1962, in Portland, Oregon, from a heart attack, leaving behind a legacy as a significant figure in American jazz and dance band music of the early twentieth century.

Fun Facts

• Bert Lown's composition "Bye Bye Blues," co-written in 1925, became a well-known standard that achieved both national and international recognition, demonstrating his significant impact on American popular music composition.
• Lown's Hotel Biltmore Orchestra recordings were released on the "Hit Of The Week" label in 1930, capturing the essence of early 1930s jazz-oriented dance music and contributing to the historical record of American dance band music.
• Despite his success as a performer and composer, Lown made a deliberate career pivot in the mid-1930s to focus on booking and managing orchestras, eventually transitioning entirely to the television industry where he held executive positions at CBS-TV.
• Lown's versatility as a musician extended beyond his role as a violinist and orchestra leader; he was also an accomplished songwriter whose compositions became hits, showcasing the multifaceted nature of his musical talents during the jazz age.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Fred Hamm - Hamm offered Lown the opportunity to play violin in his dance orchestra, serving as Lown's entry point into professional music performance (Fred Hamm's dance orchestra recordings) [1928-1929]

Key Collaborators

• Elmer Feldkamp - Saxophonist and vocalist in Lown's Hotel Biltmore Orchestra; later became leader of his own dance band (Hotel Biltmore Orchestra recordings) [1930s]
• Dave Bennett - Co-composer and collaborator on compositions ("Bye Bye Blues" (1925)) [1925]
• Chauncey Gray - Co-composer and collaborator on compositions ("Bye Bye Blues" (1925)) [1925]

Discography

Top Tracks

1. You're the One I Care for (Vintage Music: Original Classics from the 1920s and 1930s)
2. Your the One I Care For (Original Dance Music of the 1920s / 1930s, Vol. 1)
3. You're The One I Care For (Bonnie & Clyde - The Music They Lived And Died By)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)