Leo Reisman and His Orchestra

Society dance band formed in Boston in 1919 by the violinist Leo Reisman. Also known as the Hotel Brunswick Orchestra, it was one of the most popular musical organisations on the East Coast in the 1920s and early 30s. Reisman made extensive recordings for Columbia (1923-29), Victor (1929-33) and Brunswick (1933-37). The band's theme song was "What Is This Thing Called Love". Reisman's major hits included Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'", Cole Porter's "Night and Day", Con Conrad's "The Continental", "Bright Eyes", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and "With A Song In My Heart". He frequently employed Broadway stars and composers as his vocalists, among them Fred Astaire, Harold Arlen and Clifton Webb. He discovered the pianist Eddy Duchin and the singer Dinah Shore. Other singers with the band have included Smith Ballew, Lee Wiley, Frank Luther, Anita Boyer, Larry Stewart, Lee Sullivan, George Beuler, Bernice Claire, Dick Robertson, Frances Maddux, Philip Steele, Sally Singer and Frank Munn. Reisman's sidemen included at various times Joe Yukl, Bubber Miley, Adrian Rollini, Jack Shilkret, Mitch Miller, Max Kaminsky, Nat Brandwynne, Fran Frey, Ernie Mathias, Arthur Schwartz, Ned Cola, Lew Conrad, Andrew Quenge, Carl Prager, Lew Sherwood, Frank Petrilli, Art Quenger, Dave Goldfarb, George Borres, Felix Slatkin, Harry Atlas, Jess Smith, Harry Sigman, Ernie Gibbs, Joe Poretta, Ben Kanter, Martin Black, Don Howard, Pete Eisenberg, Cliff Heather, Raymond Pugh, Bernie Ladd, Frank Hasselberg,Bert Williams, Leo Kahn, Harry Katzman, Bill Tronstein, Hillard Lubre and John Helfer.