Will Osborne & His Orchestra - London On A Rainy Night
  • 14 years ago
Canadian-born Osborne was the son of Lord Oliphant which made him the heir to a barony in Scotland. He started his bandleading career in 1924 and received recognition on network radio in 1929 when he took over for Rudy Vallée at New York's Heigh-Ho Club when Vallée left for Hollywood to star in the film The Vagabond Lover. Osborne retired from bandleading in 1957 and became the entertainment director at Harvey's Casino in Lake Tahoe. The Osborne band had a "big band" sound which was combined with stylistic trombone effects that Osborne called "slide music" In fact, in 1935 his six-man brass section employed three (slide) trombones and three (slide) cornets. Starting out as a drummer, Osborne had also become known for his singing, drawing in the late 1920s some comparisons with Rudy Vallée. This lovely record was made in 1934 or 1935. Vocal by Osborne himself.