My Friends Henry and Ginny Mancini

 

Henry Mancini was born on April 16, 1924 in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Mancini's father made his only child begin piccolo lessons at the age of eight. When Mancini was 12 years old, he began piano lessons.

In 1942, Mancini attended the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York. In 1943, after roughly one year at Juilliard, his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. Upon discharge, Mancini entered the music industry. In 1946, he became a pianist and arranger for the newly re-formed Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by Tex Beneke.

In 1952, Mancini joined the Universal Pictures music department. During the next six years, he contributed music to over 100 movies, including The Glenn Miller Story, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination, and the Benny Goodman Story.

In 1958  he scored the television series Peter Gunn for writer/producer Blake Edwards, the genesis of a relationship which lasted over 35 years and produced nearly 30 films. Mancini's scores for Blake Edwards included Breakfast at Tiffany's, with the standard "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses" among numerous others.

Henry Mancini - Moon River

He won a record number of Grammy Awards (20), including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995 and back-to-back Academy Awards for the songs "Moon River" from the Blake Edwards film Breakfast at Tiffany's and "Days of Wine and Roses" from the 1962 film "Days of Wine and Roses".

Mancini recorded over 90 albums, in styles ranging from big band to classical to pop. Eight of these albums were certified gold by The Recording Industry Association of America. Mancini was also a concert performer, conducting over fifty engagements per year, resulting in over 600 symphony performances during his lifetime. Among the symphony orchestras he conducted are the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mancini was nominated for an unprecedented 72 Grammys, winning 20. Additionally he was nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning four. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmys.

Mancini was married to his wife of 43 years, singer Virginia "Ginny" O'Connor, with whom he had three children. They'd met while both were members of the Tex Beneke orchestra, just after World War II.

Henry Mancini-The Pink Panther & Baby Elephant Walk

Please visit the Henry Mancini website at this link: http://www.henrymancini.com/

Henry Holloway writes:

I was recently honoured in the USA to perform as Grand Marshall on the Grand Parade at the annual Glenn Miller Birthplace Society's Festival. Another highlight of this trip for me was a dinner given in my honour in LA by Ginny Mancini, widow of the legendary composer and bandleader, Henry Mancini.

Ginny Mancini and Henry Holloway

Ginny is a Board Member of the ASCAP Foundation, and the Co-Founder, Past President and Chairman of the Society of Singers, just two affiliations of a dozen important American organizations. She enjoyed a flourishing singing career, performing with Mel Tormé, the Mel-Tones and the Tex Beneke Orchestra before marrying Mr Mancini in 1947.

It is almost bizarre, but I never met Henry Mancini in person, although I had been in touch with him and Ginny since the 1980s. During my regular visits to the west coast of America during the first half of that decade, our schedules always seemed to move in different directions. We did correspond and spoke on the telephone. It was only in 2003 that I visited Ginny at her marvellous penthouse in Los Angeles. She paid me an awesome compliment in 2009 by hosting a sit-down dinner for twenty music legends at that penthouse in my honour. And followed that with the ultimate honour--the incredible Endorsement herewith.

Henry Holloway

http://henryholloway.co.za/usatrip.php

Peanuts Hucko - A Big Little Giant

by Henry Holloway
Occasional Contributor
The first time I met Peanuts Hucko in person was in a hotel lobby in Glasgow in November 1976. My wife-at-the-time, the internationally-renowned singer, Eve Boswell, was about two-thirds through a 40-concert series, starring with the Million Airs Concert Orchestra, in a recreation of Captain and later Major Glenn Miller's peerless AAF/AEF Orchestra, in most of the major cities in England, Scotland and Wales. Peanuts had been contracted to co-star with Eve for the final 15 concerts, starting with the one in Glasgow.

Eve and I walked up to the desk, and this short-statured man, who was signing the register, looked up as we approached. I immediately recognised him, and almost shouted out: "Peanuts !" He seemed non-plussed for a moment, but proper introductions soon settled things down.

From that moment on we spent a lot of time together for about a month, because Eve, Peanuts and I travelled in the car of Tony Wild,with his co-promoter, Doug le Vicki, making up the fifth occupant.

The concerts were fantastically successful, with the two highlights at the Royal Albert Hall in London on December 15th and the Corn Exchange in Bedford on December 21st 1976.

For the record, Miff King directed the marvellous Million Airs Orchestra, but the real genius behind it was Bryan Pendleton, who took all the Glenn Miller scores off note for note for each of the 40-odd instruments by hand and ears !

During the tour Eve, Peanuts and I started talking of him coming to South Africa for a performance tour, and it finally came to fruition in 1982.




Peanuts Hucko and Henry Holloway in 1982 upon Peanuts' arrival
at Johannesburg Airport for his South African tour.
It was so successful that Peanuts (this time with his wife, Louise Tobin) came to South Africa again in 1984. If at all possible, that second tour was even more successful than the first one.

I organised various big band and small-group concerts and the venues were packed on each occasion. Of course, Eve and Louise sang on a number of these concerts.

I worked like a slave to promote these tours, and it must be remembered that I still did my 51 part Glenn Miller series on radio in 1984, which took exhaustive research. At the end of that 1984 tour, Peanuts said to me (and I remember it vividly): "Henry, no one has ever promoted me better than you did". Coming from Peanuts, that was high praise indeed !!

Oh, I almost forgot: In 1981, Peanuts and Louise took me and my then 11-year-old daughter, Samantha, to Disneyland. Needless to say, Sam enjoyed every moment of it immensely. The humorous highlight for me was when Peanuts took me to the bandstand, where Freddy Martin and his band were playing. They were just "taking five", and Peanuts said to me: "Come with me and just watch". He walked up to Freddy, approaching him from the rear. He tapped Freddy on the shoulder, and said: "Do you play requests ?" Freddy swung around in anger, but before he could say anything, he saw that it was Peanuts, and they both broke up laughing !!!

Something else will stay with me as long as I live. In one of our largest auditoriums in Johannesburg, we held a concert featuring a big band chosen from the top men available, directed by George Hayden, with Peanuts and Eve starring. When it came to my turn to introduce Peanuts, I said: "Ladies and gentlemen, if I had to tell you this evening that our special guest here tonight played with Benny Goodman, what would you say?" The full-house crowd roared. I then said: "Or if I told you that he played with Louis Armstrong's All Stars?" Again they roared. Then I said: "Or if I told you that he was Captain and later Major Glenn Miller's star clarinet soloist?" The roar was even greater. Finally I said: "But, I am delighted to tell you that our special guest tonight was all that, and even led his own groups for many years. Mr. Michael Andrew "Peanuts" Hucko !!" Well, the roof almost came down from the roar !! And Peanuts did NOT let them down......

Just ONE thing got to him: Johannesburg is 6,000 feet above sea-level, and his reed squeeked !!! He said to me: "It's just like Denver, Colorado". But he soon sorted it out.

I can tell many many stories about Peanuts Hucko, but my space has run out. We stayed in touch until his death in 2003, always most cordially.



Muskrat Ramble - Tribute to Louis Armstrong
Peanuts Hucko, Randy Sandke, Al Grey, John Bunch
Jack Lesberg, Jake Hanna, Louise Tobin




Henry Holloway
Caledon, Cape Province, South Africa
0027-28-2122315
Henry's Web Sites:
1.   Henry Holloway
2.   Listen to Henry's biweekly radio show Swing Sing and All That Jazz on Fine Music Radio and Tuxedo Junction
Email Henry

My Friend Paul Tanner

by Henry Holloway

I have been most fortunate in being invited to enter the charmed world of many music legends, and Dr. Paul Tanner, who played trombone in the Glenn Miller Civilian Band from mid-1938 to September 1942, and then went on to become Professor of Jazz at UCLA, is the one person who has "helped" me more than anyone else in this regard.

Henry Holloway, Paul Tanner, Tex Beneke, and Billy May
When I founded the Glenn Miller Appreciation Society of South Africa in November 1974, I started writing to Glenn Miller alumni, inviting them to become Honorary Life Members of my Society. Paul Tanner was one of the first to respond, and we continued corresponding. I, of course, sent him my "IN THE MOOD" newsletter every month, as I did with other ex-Glenn Miller associates/musicians/friends.

When I made my first trip to the USA in 1981, Paul Tanner was one of the first persons whom I visited. Paul and his most charming wife, Bunny, welcomed me most warmly into their Los Angeles apartment, and we spent a most wonderful couple of hours chatting about those marvellous Miller years, and then also about his years after Glenn had given up his civilian bandleading career to enter Uncle Sam's service.

While I was with Paul and Bunny, he called Tex Beneke and made an appointment for us to visit at Tex's Costa Mesa home the following day. Paul drove me there, and we spent another marvellous time with Tex, his mother, his aunt, and his fiance, Sandi, who later of course became his wife. Tex told me about a concert that he and his band were due to give in a few days' time, and invited me along as his guest.

The concert was, needless to say, outstanding, and so my friendship with Tex grew as well.

This "snowball effect" continued, because Tex called Billy May, and within a day or two, I was visiting Billy ay his Tarzana home. Billy told me, among many other things, that he had a standing arrangement with Frank Sinatra: "Frank set an open door for me to do arrangements for him of songs which he might like to sing and record, and over the years this good arrangement continued".





Billy May and Henry Holloway
Paul Tanner also called Johnny Best, and soon we were on our way to visit him and wife Mary Lou at their home in La Jolla. We started out early one morning, because on the way Paul had arranged for us to stop over at the lovely home of Paula Kelly and her husband, Dick Turner, on the sea slopes in Laguna Beach. Paula and Dick were so nice to me that I visited them a number of times at their home in the next few years.

May I for a moment backtrack to that initial visit to Paul and Bunny in Los Angeles?

Bunny expressed a desire to visit me in Johannesburg, where I was living at the time with my then-wife, the singer Eve Boswell. Well, sadly Bunny died not too long after my visit of 1981, and Paul wrote to me and said that he would like to fulfill the late Bunny's wish, and that he would like to visit me. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity to show Paul some of our typical South African hospitality.

Town Crier Paul Kendrick, Eve Boswell, Paul Tanner, and Mrs. Paul Kendrick

During his two week visit in January 1983, we really showered him with love and kindness, not only at our home, but also through my Glenn Miller Society. I organised a special recital, and it went on longer than any other meeting we had ever had before (and would ever have again!). Paul brought his private 16 mm movies of those Glenn Miller years (which Bunny had filmed, by the way) and together with his sparkling commentary, it had our members in raptures. In fact, that 30th day of January 1983 was so wonderful that I announced that henceforth, January 30th of every year would be "Paul Tanner Day", and so it continued to be.

I had Paul as my special guest on one of my "Back to the Big Bands" radio programs, a series which ran for six years, allowing the South African public to hear the charm of Paul Tanner flowing through the air.

The best is yet to come!!!! We told Paul that I would be leading a tour of swing/sing/jazz fans to the USA in August and September, so he said that he would arrange and be involved in various things for us in Southern California.

Well, what happened was unbelievable! We had hardly booked into our Los Angeles hotel when Paul was there to meet us! He had driven all the way up from San Diego, to where he had moved after Bunny's death, and he parked his Mercedes in a parking garage opposite our hotel. He soon said to me: "I've found a small bus in Venice, after many telephone calls, so you and I must go and fetch it." Little did I realise that I would not be permitted to drive the bus, so Paul said to me: "You drive my Mercedes back to the parking garage. Just follow me!" I was dead scared I would have an accident with Paul's car. Anyway, I drove to the parking garage safely.

Then Paul said to me: "Tomorrow, we'll go to Tex's house, and from there to Disneyland, where Louis Bellson's big band is playing. I'll introduce you to Louis. The next day we're going to visit your friend, George Montgomery, and then we're going to visit Sammy Cahn, whom you also know, of course". I was almost shaking!!!

Paul continued: "Then we're going to the NBC studios in Burbank to attend a recording of the famous "Tonight" TV show. Joan Rivers is the Guest Hostess, and Doc Severinson's big band is playing. Then, after dinner, we're going to Carmello's to listen to some good jazz". I was all a-quiver!

To settle my nerves, Paul said: "I'll drive the bus, so you all can relax". Thank the Lord!

It all happened exactly as Paul had planned and arranged it. And much more! You do get the picture?

I must just add that the time at Tex's house was thrilling for us, not only because Billy May was waiting with Tex (and you all know what a superb sense of humour Billy can bring to every gathering), but to have three former Glenn Miller alumni (who all became world famous in their own rights afterwards) at that get-together, especially for my little group's benefit. Well, it was just too too much for words! And all arranged by Paul Tanner!

Through the years, Paul telephoned us regularly, without fail, during our recital on "Paul Tanner Day", and THAT is also something very few human beings would ever do. Imagine getting up in the wee small hours of the morning (do remember the time difference between the American west coast and South Africa), to phone that group of Glenn Miller nuts! I told Paul more than once that he was my most favourite human being on this planet.

In 1986, I took my new wife, Marilyn, to introduce her to my American music legend friends, and when we arrived at San Diego airport, who was there waiting to welcome us? You guessed it...Paul Tanner! He took us to his home at Carlsbad, and introduced Marilyn to HIS charming new wife, Jan, whom I had met in 1984. Paul and Jan immediately invited us to laze around in their heated swimming pool, while sipping some of their best wine. I DO have a picture somewhere to prove it. We stayed with them for a day or two before Paul drove us to Los Angeles to continue our journey.

Up to this very day I have kept in touch with Paul, and in one of his books he mentions me at length (also Marilyn)

Paul Tanner -- What a fantastic human being! Long may he live, and go for his century!!!!

In great appreciation,


Henry Holloway
Caledon, Cape Province, South Africa
Henry's Websites:
1. Henry Holloway
2. Basildon
Emain Henry: Drop Henry a Line!

Listen to Henry's "Swing, Sing, and All That Jazz"
on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009

Click here to listen to Henry's previous shows.
I add a new one after Henry does his show very other Saturday.

Les Brown and His Band of Renown

by Henry Holloway
Of all the famous big band leaders, I knew Les Brown best. I first met him in person at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium in July 1981. Of course, I had corresponded with Les for years before that, and I had played his marvellous Band of Renown recordings on my radio programmes since I began broadcasting in 1974.

But that balmy July evening in San Francisco was a watershed for me. The Brown band played (and dear JoAnn Greer sang) beautifully for the first half of the evening, and then the Band of Renown backed Helen Forrest during the second half. Great stuff!!!

After the concert I chatted with Les, Helen, JoAnn and a number of the musicians (I remember Jack Sperling and Rolly Bundock in particular). Les was most gracious, and invited me to his apartment for an interview the next morning. We spent about two hours together, chatting about....everything.




Les Brown and Henry Holloway
Les invited me to play golf with him the following week (when I was due in Los Angeles) at the Bel Air Country Club, which was a most enjoyable experience for me (especially as Les picked up the tab!!!). During drinks after the game, a gentleman walked in, and Les said: "Henry, I want to introduce you to my card-playing partner, Paul Weston." I was thrilled to shake the hand of another giant of the Golden Age!!! Why oh why did I not have our picture taken ????? (Especially as Les and I posed for the cameraman in front of the Bel Air crest shortly before Paul arrived).

Les and I kept our corresondence going, and during my 1982 visit to Southern California, JoAnn took me to the lovely home of Les and Claire in Pacific Palisades for tea and another long chat, PLUS photographs!!!

That same year brought a BIG highlight, courtesy of Les. Frank Sinatra was singing at an outdoor concert (only the stage was covered) in Orange County and Les invited me along. JoAnn was my cheauffer!!!

During the second half (the Band of Renown played the first half and accompanied Frank during the second half), it started raining softly, and Frank stopped proceedings, and called his wife, Barbara, backstage. After the concert I went backstage (Les had told me beforehand to do so) and I was awestruck when Les introduced me to Mr Sinatra!!! He shook my hand briefly and then turned away. BUT that was enough for me!!!

I saw more of Les during my 1983 and 1984 visits, but one of the musical highlights of my life took place on September 28, 1999 when I was invited by the National Acadamy of Recording Arts and Sciences to attend a tribute to Les at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel's ballroom for attaining 60 years of leading his Band of Renown -- and thus entering the Guinness Book of World Records.

Steve Allen, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the Les Brown tribute function, had invited me for lunch on that same day, and he told me that I would be seated at his table that evening. There were two VIP tables, one for Les and his family (Les, Jr. conducted the Band of Renown onstage) and the MC's table. I was delighted to be seated between Jack Jones and Larry Gelbart (of "Mash" television fame). Next to Larry was his wife, Pat, and then Steve Allen.

At precisely 8 p.m. Steve got up, and waddled to the podium ( I say this most lovingly ). He had told me that day that he was 77 years old, and sadly I was never to see him alive again. Steve cracked two jokes to warm the thousand-strong audience, then he said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, firstly I'd like to welcome a man who's come ten thousand miles from South Africa to be here. He has broadcast the music of Les Brown and our other peers on his radio programs for the past 25 years, internationally. Mr Henry Holloway".

Well, the place erupted!!! The floodlights and TV cameras swung to me as I bowed, waved, smiled, bowed again, and thanked those American music VIP's for applauding this fellow from far away so warmly!!! It went on and on. I really could not believe it!!!!!

During the evening Jack Jones, Melissa Manchester, Pat Boone, Bobby Caldwell, and The Manhatten Transfer sang, accompanied by the Band of Renown. Dinner was sumptuous, and at the end of a memorable evening, many pictures were taken, and the one of Les and yours truly in tuxedos can be seen with this article.

When Les Brown died on Januart 4, 2001, I decided to do a 60-part series on him to equal his Guinness record. SIXTY ONE-HOUR programs!!! I suggested to Guinness that that was also a world record, and I was supported by many knowledgeable experts, but Guinness was not interested!!! Les, Jr. sent me a recording in which he stated: "Henry, this is surely the longest radio series on any one musician in the history of this planet". I of course used it in my Les Brown series.




I stayed in touch with Les, Jr. while he was in Southern California, and with JoAnn Greer until her sad death. I'm still in regular touch with Stumpy Brown, and I was delighted to be photographed with Butch Stone on March 2, 2003 when I received my "Golden Bandstand Award" from the Big Band Academy of America for promoting the American big bands on my radio programs during the previous 30 years (at that time). Just as an aside, there are up to the present about 60 music legends who have been honoured with this award. Only two people in history on this list are non-Americans...a Briton and moi. I am humbly very proud (is that an oxymoron???)

No matter what anyone may say, I will always rate Les Brown's Band of Renown in my Top Ten.

Henry Holloway
Caledon, Cape Province, South Africe
Henry's Websites:
1. Henry Holloway
2. Basildon
Email Henry: Drop Henry a Line!



Les Brown Playlist 1


Les Brown Playlist 2