Henry Busse
| Henry Busse Sr. | |
|---|---|
Henry Busse c. 1943
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| Background information | |
| Born |
May 19, 1894 Magdeburg, Germany |
| Died | April 23, 1955 (aged 60) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Trumpet |
| Associated acts | Paul Whiteman |
Henry Busse Sr. (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was a German-born jazz trumpeter. A 1948 review in Billboard magazine said that Busse had "a keen sense of musical commercialism".
Born May 19, 1894, in Magdeburg, Germany, to a generational German Band family, Henry Busse studied violin and then trumpet (after a finger he had broken was set incorrectly) under his Oompah Band leader uncle. In 1912, following numerous failed attempts, at age 18, Busse successfully ran away from the family farm outside of Magdeburg, Germany, where he had been forced to play trumpet in his uncle's band. Henry initially "jumped ship" in New York City, landing in the German ghettos there. Rousted by the police for sleeping in Grand Central Station, unable to speak English, he found a job on a boat heading to California. He acquired some English on his trip. 1916 found Busse in Hollywood working as an extra in Keystone Cop films and playing trumpet in a movie theater pit band.
(The American Big Bands reference book says, "When Henry Busse was a teenager, his family immigrated to the United States from Germany and settled in Ohio.")
In 1917, Busse played the trumpet with the "Frisco "Jass" Band". He then formed his own band, Busse's Buzzards (which was the nucleus of the Paul Whiteman orchestra of the mid-1920s), featuring Henry Busse — they made four sides in total.
Scott Yanow wrote in Classic Jazz: Third Ear - the Essential Listening Companion that Busse "first joined Paul Whiteman's dance band in 1918, originally being co-leader before ceding the ensemble to the more charismatic Whiteman."
Busse was the subject of discrimination because of his German accent, which caused concern among those living in post-World War I America.
At one point, eight out of the top ten sheet music sales spots belonged to the band. During his peak with them, Busse was earning $350 weekly, while fellow band member Bing Crosby was earning just $150. Busse co-composed several of the band's early hit songs, including "Hot Lips" and (with Gussie Mueller) "Wang Wang Blues". The latter sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc in 1920.
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