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Bandleader, Composer and trumpeter, Henry Busse, who had a "wah wah doo" style of blowing.
Very early in the 1920s, Busse had played trumpet in Paul Whiteman's orchestra, and Whiteman even released a record under the title of Busse's Buzzards, all of the "Buzzards" being part of the Whiteman orchestra. Henry, a German-American, first started his own "successful" orchestra in the 1930's. (Parenthetically, when Whiteman, formed his own very first band, the pianist and arranger was his friend Ferde Grofe. And it was both Grofe, and the pianist/arrangers who followed him, -men such as Lennie Hayton and Ray Turner- together with Whiteman's genius for matching good men and good music that made the band such a success.) It was the Whiteman band that helped so many musicicans, - such as Busse, the Dorsey Brothers, Bix, Bing, and others - to find fame.
Busse's band had a long stay in Chicago's Chez Paree. In 1938, the band moved into the Hotel New Yorker sporting it's 'six-eight-time' shuffle rhythm beat. Henry remained active in the band business right up to the time of his death in 1955
While still a teenager, Busse's family immigrated to the U.S. settling in Ohio. In 1918, he moved to San Francisco and formed a band with Paul Whiteman, with Whiteman very soon becoming the leader because Busse was not fluent in English. While with Whiteman, he composed "Hot Lips" which became one of his theme songs when he formed his own band.
In 1928, Busse left Whiteman to form his own band (Joe Venuti recorded with the band). In the early 1930's he was based in Chicago's 'The Chez Paree' where he developed what was called a "shuffle rhythm" style of music. Busse eventually moved on to New York City where broadcasts from The New Yorker Hotel spread the band's fame.
The band appeared in a number of film shorts including Paramount's 'Busse Rhythm' (1938); Universal Pictures 'Shuffle Rhythm' with the Six Hits and A Miss vocal group (1942), and 'Hit Tune Serenade' (1943). During World War II Busse enlarged the band to 19 musicians and appeared regulary on 'The Fitch Bandwagon' and 'Coca Cola Spotlight On Bands' radio shows. He moved to California after the war; although during the late 1940's and 1950's, most of his work came from the few remaining ballrooms in the South and Midwest. In 1954 his band, with the King Sisters, had a very successful engagement at Catalina Island.
Among other vocalists that appeared with the band over the years are Bob Hannon, Carl Grayson, Elaine Bauer, Roberta Lee, Billy Sheman, Skip Moor, and Phil Gray. Busse recorded for the Victor, Columbia, Decca, Cosmo, and Coral labels.
Henry died of a heart attack in 1955 while his band was working at, of all things, an undertaker's convention in Memphis, TN.
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