Joe "Fingers" Carr
| Lou Busch | |
|---|---|
Lou Busch
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Louis Ferdinand Bush |
| Also known as | Joe "Fingers" Carr |
| Born | July 18, 1910 |
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 1979 (aged 69) Camarillo, California |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1930–1979 |
| Labels | Capitol, Warner Bros. |
Louis Ferdinand Busch (July 18, 1910 – September 19, 1979) was an American record producer, musician and songwriter, who was best known for performing as a pianist under the nickname Joe "Fingers" Carr.
Louis Bush was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, during the ragtime era and the jazz age. The family name was Bush, but he later added the "c" largely for the uniqueness. Blessed with an inherent music talent, he was already leading a ragtime and jazz band Lou Bush and His Tickle Toe Four, by the time he was 12 years old.
At 16, he left school and home for a career as a professional musician, playing with the likes of "Hot Lips" Henry Busse, Clyde McCoy and George Olson. After a few years on the road, his desire to learn more about music theory led him to study at the Cincinnati Music Conservatory in Ohio in the early 1930s.
Following his music education break, Busch became the pianist for Hal Kemp's "sweet music" band for the remainder of the 1930s. Lou also honed his arranging skills, being offered an arranging position when arranger John Scott Trotter left the band in 1936. This position was shared with another key arranger, Hal Mooney, and was invaluable experience for them both. After Kemp died in a car crash in 1940 and the group disbanded, Busch and Mooney made their way to California to work as studio musicians and whatever gigs they could find. This was interrupted by World War II, where Lou spent three years in the Army.
After his tour of duty, Busch decided to dive back into the music business. It was around this time that singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer was recruiting artists and employees for his recently formed label, Capitol Records, so Busch was hired for the radio transcription service in 1946. He was in charge of production of promotional radio shows featuring Capitol artists for distribution to stations around the country.
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