This is the table of contents for the interview of Gilbert Bowers. It is part of the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive which is located in Lovejoy Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
For a complete contents list of all musician interviews for the oral history project, please click on this link: Oral History and Research Materials.
If interested in reviewing these materials from the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive, please contact Therese Dickman, Fine Arts Librarian.
Tape # Side |
Time |
Subject |
1 a |
001-131 |
Biographical, parents, family, employment |
1 a |
132-325 |
Early interest in music, lessons, favorite bands, high school band, bands played with in teens |
1 a |
326-339 |
Friendship with Rod Cless |
1 a |
340-405 |
Husk O'Hare's Wolverines visit Des Moines |
1 a |
406-426 |
Local bands in Des Moines |
1 a |
427-518 |
Move to Chicago, jobs, clubs |
1 a |
519-648 |
Listening to Jazz bands in Chicago, clubs, personnel, types of tunes played |
1 a |
649-748 |
Decision to move to New York, getting a job, Mike Speciale Band, clubs, personnel, tunes |
1 b |
003-096 |
Rosemont Ballroom, Bert Stock Orchestra |
1 b |
097-190 |
Jefferson Ballroom, Detroit, first recording date |
1 b |
191-377 |
Return to New York, joining Ben Pollack |
1 b |
378-415 |
Summit House, Baltimore |
1 b |
416-490 |
Hollywood Restaurant, Cleveland |
1 b |
491-554 |
Band personnel and arrangers |
1 b |
555-567 |
Radio broadcasting |
1 b |
568-600 |
Playing with Pollack, hours, pay Pollack as a leader |
1 b |
601-626 |
Special Friends in band |
1 b |
627-659 |
First recording job with Pollack band |
1 b |
660-722 |
Interim jobs in New York |
1 b |
723-752 |
Mastbaum Theater, Philadelphia |
2 a |
003-055 |
Mastbaum Theater, cont'd |
2 a |
003-124 |
Forest Club, New Orleans |
2 a |
125-173 |
Ray Bauduc |
2 a |
174-208 |
Other musicians in New Orleans |
2 a |
209-242 |
Review of Pollack Band personnel |
2 a |
243-264 |
Lowry Hotel, St. Paul, MN |
2 a |
265-295 |
Chez Paree, Chicago |
2 a |
374-399 |
K-9, after-hours club |
2 a |
400-405 |
Hines Band |
2 a |
406-419 |
Other names that band worked under |
2 a |
420-476 |
Creations of Dick Morgan |
2 a |
477-504 |
Other bands in Chicago |
2 a |
505-532 |
Shows and musicians at Chez Paree |
2 a |
533-572 |
Sophie Tucker |
2 a |
573-604 |
Other acts at Chez Paree |
2 a |
605-636 |
Playing through Long Beach, Calif. earthquake |
2 a |
637-648 |
Recreation outside of music |
2 a |
649-661 |
Leaving Chicago, new personnel in band |
2 a |
662-730 |
Style of Pollack band, arrangements, solos, capabilities, individual musicians- Spivak, Rodin, Miller, Bose, Matlock |
2 b |
003-055 |
Playing requests, improvising |
2 b |
056-081 |
Later Pollack bands |
2 b |
082-137 |
New York, recording, changes, band breaking up |
2 b |
138-179 |
Belle Rive Hotel, Kansas City |
2 b |
180-203 |
Ben Thigpen (by Havens) |
2 b |
204-238 |
Kansas City bands |
2 b |
239-287 |
White Bear Lake, St. Paul |
2 b |
288-370 |
Billy Rose Casino, New York, 1934 |
2 b |
371-402 |
Clubs and musicians in Harlem |
2 b |
403-447 |
Charity benefits played in New York |
2 b |
448-472 |
Smith and Dale comedy act, Gypsy Rose Lee |
2 b |
473-494 |
Stride piano players |
2 b |
495-562 |
Recording dates as back-up for vocalists, Judy Garland, Andrew Sisters |
2 b |
563-611 |
Recording Date, 1934 with Wingy Manone, "Isle of Capri" |
2 b |
612-630 |
Additional recording as back-up for vocalists |
2 b |
631-637 |
Gap |
2 b |
638-694 |
Other recording dates, musicians 1934 |
2 b |
695-738 |
Break-up of Pollack band, Fall 1934, Starting of Bob Crosby band, return to New York |
3 a |
001-060 |
Return to New York cont'd |
3 a |
061-124 |
Incorporation of "Clark Randall" Band; other names used in recording |
3 a |
125-172 |
Personnel of band |
3 a |
173-186 |
Substituting with Dorsey Brothers Orchestra |
3 a |
187-238 |
Rockwell-O'Keefe agency; musicians who were clients |
3 a |
239-253 |
Bob Crosby becomes leader or "front" man for band |
3 a |
254-271 |
First money received as member of "Crosby" band |
3 a |
272-313 |
Role of Crosby with band; how band was run |
3 a |
314-327 |
Decisions on tunes played etc. |
3 a |
328-343 |
Vocalists with band |
3 a |
344-378 |
Left Crosby band; study with Herman Wasserman; playing radio shows |
3 a |
379-422 |
Cy Walter; forms two-piano team with NBC, clubs etc. |
3 a |
423-435 |
pianists who followed Bowers with Crosby band |
3 a |
436-463 |
Recording work-NBC; with singers |
3 a |
464-486 |
Marriage to Marian Manners, vocalist with Whiteman |
3 a |
487-514 |
With Abe Lyman Band |
3 a |
515-553 |
Pay for various jobs; saving money |
3 a |
554-604 |
Abe Lyman Band, engagements, personnel |
3 a |
605-680 |
Swing-bands; big bands heard and worked with, Isham |
3 a |
681-722 |
Jones Orchestra; Vincent Lopez; recording Travelingwith Lyman |
3 a |
723-739 |
Stay in Los Angeles; Mocambo Club with Eddie |
3 b |
009-109 |
Billy Rose's Clubs; black performers |
3 b |
110-139 |
Lena Horne |
3 b |
140-233 |
Abe Lyman Orchestra 1940, New York City, Florida |
3 b |
234-311 |
Return to West Coast, tour to Huston, Peck Kelly Orchestra |
3 b |
312-354 |
Los Angeles, early years, 1926; Harry Owens |
3 b |
355-437 |
Los Angeles, 1940; Eddie Le Baron, San Ysidro Ranch, Harbor Restaurant, Santa Barbar |
3 b |
438-458 |
December 7, 1941; closing of Harbor Restauranta |
3 b |
459-512 |
Los Angeles, Eddie Le Baron, clubs played |
3 b |
513-562 |
Fox Studio preliminary call, late Fall 1941 |
3 b |
563-664 |
Permanent job at Fox Studios-staff pianist job description |
3 b |
665-715 |
Work on film-"Francis the Mule" |
3 b |
716-742 |
Film-"Cover Girl" |
4 a |
005-055 |
"Cover Girls" cont'd; synchronizing music to action |
4 a |
056-070 |
Teaching finger motions for piano playing to stars-Betty Grable |
4 a |
071-184 |
"Oklahoma" filming on location-Nogales, Ariz. |
4 a |
185-209 |
Filming "Mother Wore Tights" |
4 a |
210-224 |
Synch for "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City" |
4 a |
225-274 |
Job description-orchestrating, arranging, sketching out ideas for musical numbers and scenes |
4 a |
275-294 |
Other studios-Eagle Lion, Universal |
4 a |
295-410 |
Filming "Can-Can"; rehearsal piano work; coordinating choreography; composing for special effects 1960-62 |
4 a |
411-432 |
Composing for dancers-Ann Miller |
4 a |
433-474 |
Short Musicals about bands-Universal, Lawrence Welk, Armstrong, Teagarden, Bigard, Chubby Checker |
4 a |
475-488 |
"Glenn Miller Story" |
4 a |
489-545 |
Working with Red Nichols, 1950's at Sardi's Restaurant personnel, tunes |
4 a |
546-588 |
Marian's work during this period |
4 a |
589-665 |
Other work outside studio; Hollywood Canteen, Joe Yukl |
4 a |
666-676 |
Sneak previews-theaters |
4 a |
677-690 |
World premier, Dallas, "It's A Joke Son" |
4 a |
691-733 |
Artists and bands playing in Los Angeles on tour |
4 a |
734-750 |
"Resident" bands in L.A. |
4 b |
005-062 |
Other bands heard in L.A.-Stan Kenton |
4 b |
063-123 |
Boyd Raeburn, Matty Malneck, Spike Jones |
4 b |
124-190 |
Individual jazz players that Bowers heard or knew |
4 b |
191-284 |
With Ted Fiorito Orchestra early 50's; personnel |
4 b |
285-320 |
Playing at Johnny Mathis' first show 1960 or 1961 |
4 b |
321-350 b |
L.A. as entertainment center; moderate effect of Be-bop |