The Rhythmic Eight - I'm Speaking Of Kentucky Days

At the age of 13, Bert Firman (né Herbert Feuerman, 1906-1999) got his first job at London's Playhouse Theatre. Subsequently he played in the Midnight Follies Orchestra at the Metropole Hotel. Shortly after beginning this job, the current bandleader was indisposed, and Firman, only 16, allegedly became the youngest bandleader in the world. In 1924, Firman became musical director for Zonophone Records, where he recorded over 750 sides. He performed at the Alhambra Theatre, Leicester Square and the Coliseum Theatre, whilst still also directing the Midnight Follies and later, bands at the Devonshire Restaurant and the Carlton Hotel. In 1929 Firman was given a six-month contract to be a guest conductor at NBC and added music to a large number of Hollywood silents. Firman then formed a band in London, which he took to Les Ambassadeurs restaurant in Paris; in 1937 he returned to London but ended his bandleading career in France. This excellent record, with a vocal by Maurice Elwin, was made in 1930.