Buddy Cole (musician)

Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical artist Edwin LeMar "Buddy" Cole (December 15, 1916 – November 5, 1964) was a jazz pianist, organist, orchestra leader, and composer. He played behind a number of pop singers, including Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby.

Biography

Cole was born in Irving, Illinois, on December 15, 1916<ref name="AM">Template:Cite web</ref> and the family moved to California when he was two. One of his two sisters - Bertie - played for silent movies and Buddy would watch as a little boy. At the age of ten, he debuted on the theater piano, filling in for someone who had not turned up.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He started his musical career in the theater playing between movies<ref name="AM" /> and his first keyboard job was as theater organist at Los Angeles' Figueroa Theater.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He was recruited to be part of Gil Evans's band at the age of 19.<ref name="Crease">Template:Cite book</ref> In Hollywood in the second half of the 1930s Cole played in dance bands, including those led by Alvino Rey and Frankie Trumbauer.<ref name="AM" /> He married Yvonne King, member of The King Sisters, in 1940<ref name="Tumpak">Template:Cite book</ref> and they had two daughters, Christine and Cathleen. They divorced in 1953.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He married Regina Woodruff<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> (known as Clare) on November 12, 1955 in Las Vegas but they separated on July 6, 1956 prior to a divorce on September 20 the same year.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> As soon as the divorce became final, Cole and Clare remarried in Los Angeles on November 12, 1957.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> From the 1940s, his main work was as a studio musician, utilizing piano, electric organ, celeste, harpsichord and Novachord.<ref name="AM" />

In 1945 his own album Piano Cocktails reached No. 5 in the US.<ref name="Whitburn">Template:Cite book</ref> Later in 1947, Cole joined the John Scott Trotter Orchestra working for Bing Crosby on his radio shows and he remained with Trotter until 1954. Crosby then dispensed with the services of a large orchestra and instead employed Cole and his trio to support him on his radio programs such as The Bing Crosby Show and The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cole performed on Bing Crosby's hits "In a Little Spanish Town" and "Ol' Man River",<ref name="AM" /> and on the albums Some Fine Old Chestnuts and New Tricks.<ref>Gramophone 2003- Volume 81 - Page 122 "Crosby brought a jazzman's phrasing and sense of improvisation to much of what he did, whether in the company of Armstrong or a non-specialist jazz group like the Buddy Cole Trio whose album, New Tricks, exemplifies his relaxed approach...</ref> Cole also played on Rosemary Clooney's radio program; some recordings from the show were released on the album Swing Around Rosie.<ref name="GiddinsJazz">Template:Cite book</ref>

In his capacity as a studio musician, Cole worked with Henry Mancini, who used his Hammond organ sound for the soundtrack to the TV series Mr. Lucky.<ref name="AM" /> Cole also recorded several organ albums for Warner Brothers, Columbia, Alshire and Doric.<ref name="AM" />

Cole played most of the piano parts in the 1951 film Young Man with a Horn, subbing for Hoagy Carmichael, who appeared on screen.<ref name="Whitehead">Template:Cite book</ref> Cole also wrote the music for the television game show Truth or Consequences.<ref name="AM" /> He died in Hollywood on November 5, 1964.<ref name="AM" />

External links

• Buddy Cole recordings at the Internet Archive