Gray Gordon
Gray Gordon, born Jerome Rohkar (May 4, 1904, Freeport, Illinois – July 18, 1976, New York City) was an American saxophonist and big band leader active in the 1930s and 1940s. Gordon first led a band called the Pretzel Five when he was still in high school. He moved to Chicago in the mid-1920s, where he played with the Seattle Harmony Kings and Elmo Mack's Purple Derby Orchestra. He led a band which played the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. In 1936 he relocated to New York City, where he founded his first professional band, taking the stage name Gray Gordon during a touring engagement at the Hotel Chase in St. Louis. Gordon called his band the Tic Toc Rhythm, based on the distinct clock-like rhythmic figure played on temple blocks by his percussionist Frank Adams. This was often accompanied by a trombone figuration prior to the beginning of songs, which helped identify the band to listeners during radio performances. For several years from 1939, he held a six-month engagement at the Hotel Edison in New York, whose performances were broadcast nightly on radio, and toured the other half of the year. His group started as a smaller ensemble – three brass instruments, three saxophones, and three rhythm instruments – but in 1940 he expanded it to twelve musicians or more, plus vocalists. He recorded several times for Bluebird and Victor during the period 1940–41; he also recorded four sound films in 1941 playing swing jazz. One of his signature songs, "I Am an American", was a popular tune at war bond rallies during World War II. He married dancer Noel Carter in 1941; they divorced in 1949. Gordon dissolved his band in 1945 and later worked in artist and repertory in the music business, including for Les Paul, Mary Ford, and King Guion. He also worked in public relations for hotels in Miami. He was living in New York City in 1976 when he died of cancer at St. Luke's Hospital. He is buried at Oakland Cemetery in his home town of Freeport. |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 4, 1904 (Freeport), Died July 18, 1976 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: director, songwriter, vocalist, composer, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 105 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-037406 | 10-in. | 5/31/1939 | The last trip on the old ship | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-037407 | 10-in. | 5/31/1939 | You are my dream | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-040488 | 10-in. | 10/10/1939 | Goody goodbye | Gray Gordon ; Shirley Lane ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-040490 | 10-in. | 10/10/1939 | Bless you | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-040491 | 10-in. | 10/10/1939 | If what you say is true | Gray Gordon ; Shirley Lane ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-040492 | 10-in. | 10/10/1939 | I like to recognize the tune | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-040493 | 10-in. | 10/10/1939 | To you sweetheart, aloha | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041590 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | Mexiconga | Victoria Córdova ; Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041591 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | Just for a thrill | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041592 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | Old mill wheel | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041593 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | Ling'ring on your doorstep | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041594 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | It's all over town (We're thru) | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-041595 | 10-in. | 8/21/1939 | It's funny to everyone but me | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-046089 | 10-in. | 1/9/1940 | I love me (I'm wild about myself) | Gray Gordon ; Rita Ray ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-046090 | 10-in. | 1/9/1940 | Ain't you ashamed | Gray Gordon ; Rita Ray ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-046091 | 10-in. | 1/9/1940 | Gone with the wind | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-046092 | 10-in. | 1/9/1940 | Way back in 1939 | Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-047738 | 10-in. | 3/4/1940 | I was watching a man paint a fence | Gray Gordon ; Rita Ray ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-047739 | 10-in. | 3/4/1940 | No more rain | Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra ; Johnny Victor | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-047740 | 10-in. | 3/4/1940 | You gorgeous dancing doll | Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra ; Johnny Victor | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-047741 | 10-in. | 3/4/1940 | The kitten with the big green eyes | Gray Gordon ; Rita Ray ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-048974 | 10-in. | 4/30/1940 | Blackout—hold me tight | Meredith Blake ; Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-048975 | 10-in. | 4/30/1940 | It wouldn't be love | Meredith Blake ; Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-048976 | 10-in. | 4/30/1940 | Clear out of this world | Gray Gordon ; Art Perry ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-048977 | 10-in. | 4/30/1940 | I love to watch the moonlight | Meredith Blake ; Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gordon, Gray," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104827.
Gordon, Gray. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104827.
"Gordon, Gray." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Gray Gordon
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Gordon, Gray - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85038176
Wikidata: Gray Gordon - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1544035
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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