Kay Kyser
Biography
Kay Kyser couldn't read a note of music, and spent nearly as much time doing comedy as music on radio. But for over 15 years, from 1933 until the end of the 1940s, he was one of the most popular bandleaders and music personalities in America, and delighted tens of millions of listeners. Born into a family of academics, Kyser was supposed to pursue a career in law, but abandoned this after he took over the campus band at his college from its leader, Hal Kemp. He became so popular as a personality that he was on the road by the time he graduated.
In order to compensate for his lack of musical training, he hired arranger/composer George Duning (later the author of film scores for movies such as Picnic), a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Kyser and his band became nationally known following a series of radio broadcasts from the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica -- a group of gimmicks, such as having the vocalist sing the titles of the songs to be performed, interrupting a chorus for the band's theme, "Thinking of You," and announcing the singer's name, made his group stand out on the radio, and an engagement at the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago made Kyser a star.
Selected Discography
Kay Kyser was the epitome of alternate music choices if you wanted to stray from the Swing Bands that predominated the radio music programs. It was an organization that centered on entertainmen t , such as, "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge".S a m
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Kay Kyser's orchestra was indeed known as a "sweet" band who popularized a bunch of novelty songs. But he had some bona fide jazz sides too (listen to "Pushin' Sand" for an example). And he gave the world some of the most beloved vocalists of the post-war era, like Ginny Simms and Mike Douglas (yes, every afternoon TV watcher's favorite host from the 60s into the 80s).
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I was always under the impression,a s a child and young adult, that Kyser's was a "Mickey Mouse " band.Isn't this the same Kay Kyser who recorded "The Bad Humor Man" and "Three Little Fishies" with Ish Kabible as the featured singer and Sully Mason backing him up? If I'm mistaken please correct me. I wonder if "His Feet Too Big For The Bed" would be so revered if recorded by Kay Kyser and not Stan Kenton?
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