MR. UNFORGETTABLE: |
Eddie Beard ~ Born in New London, Ohio, Eddie was a piano prodigy who gave one of his first recitals at nearby Oberlin College while still a youth. After graduating from Oberlin with a degree in business, he took a job in Columbus at the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant. Later, he was a civilian employee at Lockbourne Air Force Base under the command of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, before moving onto North American Rockwell and Western Electric. As an organist and saxophonist, Eddie led a society band in Central Ohio and also served as the longtime secretary of Musician's Local 589. His combos were noted for playing parties at colleges and various social organizations such as the Victory Matron Cotillion, Cavaliers Club Dance, and Twilighters Dance. Eddie Beard and the Sepia Cyclones, which became The Chordtones, was booked through the Howdy Gorman Agency. Although Eddie is no longer with us, he still fondly remembered by those who knew and heard him. Ronald "Ron" Beaver ~ A product of Middleport, Ohio, Ron Beaver began to study piano at age 8, performing at recitals in local churches and schools. While attending North High School in Columbus, he played trombone in the school band and piano and trombone in the dance band. At Ohio State, he studied piano with George Haddad and trombone with Jack Evans and Richard Suddendorf, while performing in the marching band, concert band, the brass choir, and the jazz band. He also found time to gig with local musicians. While still in college, Ron began working at WTVN-TV. His original score for the Midwest Collegiate Art Film competition was awarded first prize for most original soundtrack. In 1961, he joined the Chuz Alfred Quartet at the Gloria Night Club, the Driftwood, The Gaslight, and other clubs. During the next few years, he backed such headliners as Dionne Warwick and the Inkspots, while continuing to perform with local bands, including Paul Cousar's Band at the Captain's Quarters. For 3 months, he led his own trio at The Gallery, but had to give it up after three months due to the demands of attending law school. Over the years, Ron has performed with the Vince Evans Trio, Ron Beavers/Vince Evans duo, Rusty Bryant and Gary Carney's Boss Five, the Meg Murphy Quartet, the Rusty Bryant Quintet, the Ron Beaver/Terry Douds Duo, and as a solo. He has recorded with Meg Murphy, Chuz Alfred, Cornell Wiley, and his own trio. Robert H. "Bob" Bechtel ~ A Canton native, Bob graduated from Mansfield Senior High and took his bachelor's from Ohio State and his master's from Ohio University. During college, he was first trombonist with the Columbus Philharmonic under the direction of Izler Solomon. Joining the Air Force during World War II, Bob traveled throughout Europe as a member of the band. Afterwards, he toured extensively with San Francisco's Ran Wild Band and Omaha's Jack Cole Band. Returning to Central Ohio, he played gigs wherever he could, including a stint at the downtown burlesque theater. He also played lead trombone in Doc Everhart's band just as it was getting underway. Beginning his teaching career in Fairfield County, where he taught first at Amanda High School, then the Boys Industrial School, Bob also joined Lancaster's Dick Trimble Band. Bob relocated to Mount Vernon in 1957, where he became the school band director and formed the Mellow Jackets. During this time, Bob also began his longtime association with the Riley Norris Band. Among the other bands with which Bob appeared were those of Chuck Selby, Dale Groves, and Don Crawford. Although Bob has passed away, he still exercises a strong musical presence through his many students. Harry Epp ~ Harry grew up in the Linden area of Columbus. At the age of three or four, he had already started fooling around with the piano and began formal lessons at eight. He later took up the flute, piccolo, and clarinet, but the piano remained his primary instrument. Entering Ohio State with the intention of studying law, he was drafted into the Army toward the end of World War II. Soon, he was playing boogie-woogie piano at Forts Benning and Bragg to earn extra money. When Harry returned to Columbus following his discharge, Rex O'Neal, who had played with Jean Goldkette, began teaching him to play the banjo. In 1949, he chanced to hear Gene Mayl's Dixieland Rhythm Kings and immediately formed a copycat band that he called the Columbus Rhythm Kings. Changing the name to the Muskat Ramblers, he worked Benny Klein's Steak House and the Grandview Inn. The band also hit the road for Canada, Chicago, and Detroit. Harry's specialty was "real good, hard driving Dixie"that is to say, up-tempo Dixieland. Owing to the competition from rock & roll, he folded the band in 1961 and went to work for Gene Mayl. In the 1970s, he went to work for Florida-based Frank Hubbell's Stompers. Hubbell, a trumpet player, had led the popular Village Stompers which had a hit with "Washington Square." Harry also worked with Eddie Bayard's band on the riverboat Mississippi Queen. Then in 1977, he settled into a three year Friday-Saturday gig with bassist Gene Greco at the Ground Round in Fort Lauderdale. During this period, he became a featured guest on the Some of That Jazz TV series, a member of the board of trustees of the Hot Jazz & Alligator Gumbo Society, and led the society's house band, Everglades Drainage Krewe. Ray Eubanks ~ A native of Cambridge, Ray began playing trumpet professionally while still in the 8th grade. Attending Ohio State on a trumpet scholarship, he earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree. While working his way through college singing "doo wop", he and fellow student Ladd McIntosh combined forces to reform the jazz band in 1963. He also began making a name for himself playing trumpet with the Columbus Symphony and the bands of Al Waslohn, Don Carr, and Howdy Gorman. After two years of teaching in the public school system, Ray helped Ladd put together The Live New Breed Big Band, drawing upon the talents of many former jazz workshop players. In 1969, he rejoined the Columbus Symphony and a year later accepted a position at Capital University as instructor of trumpet and assistance director of Bands. Jerry Kaye then offered him the lead trumpet position in the Scot's Inn Show Orchestra, which was garnering a reputation as a first rate band and toured with Paul Anka, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme, and Doc Severinsen. For a time, he also was assistant conductor of the Capital University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, led by Richard J. Suddendorf. In 1976, Ray founded the Midwest's first baccalaureate degree program in jazz studies. Through the '70s, Ray taught and still maintained a heavy schedule as one of the region's most in-demand players. Jack Gorham ~ Woody Herman once said that Jack 's combo had the "Tightest rhythm section in this country today." Born in Athens, Jack moved to Columbus with his family at age 5. While attending Worthington High School, he studied drums with Al "Rags" Anderson and began playing professionally at age 16. He returned to Athens, graduated from high school, then moved to New York where he attended the Gene Krupa-Cozy Cole school of drumming. In 1955, Jack came back to Columbus, where he began working with Carl Sally and out of town gigs with Rusty Bryant. A year later, he joined the Cincinnati-based Tommy Wills Band and continued to play with him, off and on, until the present. In 1958, Jack joined the Sonny Harris Rhythm and Blues Band in Boston. A year or so later, he came back to Columbus and joined with Bill Newkirk, Ola Hanson, and Dick DeGray to do club work. In the early 'sixties, Jack worked the Gene Fullen television show as a member of the Andy Launer Trio. During the same period, he worked with Gene Walker and Roland Kirk, and went on the road with Al Belletto and Kirby Stone. In the seventies, while working five nights a week with Rusty Bryant, he also went into the pizza business. Leaving the business to his son, he relocated to Florida where he played with Lester Lanin, Al Kline, and Tommy Wills who was leading the Ted Weems Band at that time. In 1995, Jack returned to Columbus. He currently works with such local groups as those led by Anne Young, Elson LeFever, Gary McKaig, Tommy Wills, and his own group. Dr. Clarence "Sonny" McBroom ~ Originally, from Wheeling, WV, Sonny came to Columbus in 1948. His parents, who were former classmates of the great "Chu" Berry, had given him a C-melody sax for Christmas when he was 9 years old and he learned to play along with his father's Basie and Ellington records. By the time he graduated from South High School, Sonny had already started performing professionally with Archie "Stomp" Gordon's quartet. At Ohio State, he earned a B.S. in Music Education, and an M.A. in Theory and Composition, and also played in and recorded with the OSU Jazz Forum. Sonny then began a lengthy career as an administrator for the Columbus Publish School system, serving as principal at several local high schools. In the mid-seventies, Sonny attended Walden University in Naples, FL, to earn his Ph.D. in Educational Administration. When Ray Eubanks approached him about joining a big band he was forming, he had to decline due to the time commitment he was giving his doctoral dissertation. Three years later, however, in 1976, he became a member of the Jazz Arts Group (now the Columbus Jazz Orchestra) and the band representative to the JAG Board of Directors. He accompanied the band on its trips to Spain and New Orleans. Sonny continues to practice three hours a day. He has also worked with the Don Haines Quartet, Hank Marr, Tom Carroll, and other local combos, while he has also been called upon to sub in the Count Basie Orchestra. Andy Oliva ~ By all accounts, Andy should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame before this. After all, many of the members of the WBNS Radio Studio Band have already been recognized in previous years and Andy's musicianship was the equal of theirs. However, Andy had the misfortune of passing away in 1975 and, as a result, has probably been overlooked. Born in Columbus, Andy was the product of an extremely musical family. He left school at age 16 to play professionally in the "pit" band at the Palace Theater and was the youngest member of that highly regarded ensemble. A clarinetist who doubled on sax and flute, he found work with many of the most respected bandleaders in Central Ohio, including Henry and Ray Cincione and Joe Weisberg. As a result, he played in nearly every ballroom, nightclub, and theater in the area, as well as with touring shows such as the Ice Capades. Although Andy supported his family from his earnings as a musician, he made it a point not to accept any jobs that would require him to travel. Therefore, he welcomed his five year stint with Walter Knick and Snook Neal in the WBNS Radio Studio Band. He also led his own combos for many years. Wesley "Wes" Orr ~ Born in Columbus in 1943, Wes began playing the trumpet at age ten. He went to Whitehall Yearling High School and played in the school band, but was discouraged by his father, a trumpeter and a singer, from taking up music as a career. At age 17, he was asked to play a gig with the Johnny Rogers Big Band in Washington Court House. It took some convincing, but finally Wes's father relented and allowed him to play. That gig, paying only $10, was the beginning of Wes's professional career. After graduation, Wes continued to Capital University to receive his B.A. in Music Education (and later an M.A. from Ohio State). During this time he traveled to Philadelphia to study with one of the nation's finest brass instructors, Dr. Donald S. Rhinehart, principal trumpeter for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Wes fondly remembers that Dr. Rhinehart changed his life by altering his trumpet technique. Wes taught at Columbus Public Schools for 31 years and part-time at Reynoldsburg City Schools for four years. When fellow trumpeter Ray Eubanks conceived of a "big band" (i.e. The Jazz Arts Group) that would utilize the best players in town, he gave Wes a call. Throughout the years, Wes has played with many wonderful entertainers, including Paul Anka, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lewis, Lena Horne, and Rosemary Clooney. Nicholas J. "Nick" Perrini ~ A native of Columbus, Nick graduated from Central High School, then went on to earn his bachelor's and master's from The Ohio State University. Although he plays piano and violin as well, he is best known for his expertise on the French horn. A professor of music at Capital University's Conservatory of Music for 43 years, many of Nick's former students have performed with major symphony orchestras and many occupy important college teaching positions. Nick is also a highly regarded conductor, having studied with the late Evan Whallon and Gary Sheldon. In addition to conducting the Capital University/Bexley Community Orchestra, a position that he has occupied since 1979, and the Capital University Horn Choir, Nick also conducted a benefit concert of the Columbus Symphony in 1986. Currently, he is the interim conductor of the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra. For 35 years, Nick was a member of the Columbus Symphony, 26 as principal horn. During this period he worked with virtually all of the great musical figures of our time. He was featured soloist with the Columbus Symphony on several occasions, performing concerti by Richard Strauss, Mozart, and Vivaldi. He has performed with a number of orchestras including the Wheeling, WV, Springfield, Mansfield, Licking County, and Welsh Hill Symphonies, and since its inception the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. Dr. Donald "Don" Tate ~ Born in South Columbus in 1929, Don was in the 1948 graduating class of South High School, two years behind Archie "Stomp" Gordon. He began playing trumpet with Stomp while still in high school and by age 14 had started acquiring some professional savvy. With the World War II draft taking many bandsmen away to the services, Don had the opportunity to join the Chick Webb Band for a one-nighter at Buckeye Lake. This led to his joining the group, with his father's permission, for the entire summer of 1944. After high school, Don married, took a day job, and began studying elementary education at Ohio State. This eventually led to his teaching at Southmoor Elementary School while pursuing his master's in educational counseling. Still, as a trumpeter, valve trombonist, and member of Musician's Local 589, Don found weekend work jobbing with Raleigh Randolph's Sultans of Swing, the Phil McDade Orchestra, Al Freeman, Boyd Moore, Sammy Hopkins, Cleve Good, and Eddie Beard. In the mid 'fifties, he moved his instrumental focus to the tenor sax and formed the Don Tate Quintet. When he later added keyboards, he changed the name of the group to the Don Tate Organ Combo. Don led his own groups for nearly two decades, but the demands of his public school duties eventually led to his reluctantly stepping away from music. Richard "Dick" Trimble ~ Born in Lancaster in 1905, Ohio, Dick learned to play the clarinet and sax. During the middle 'thirties, he was the featured alto saxophonist for the Dick Fidler Orchestra at the Neil House in Columbus. Just prior to World War II, he started his own dance band. However, this venture was interrupted by four years of military service. Upon his discharge, he returned home to Lancaster, where he opened a music store, Dick Trimble's House of Music. He also reformed his band. From then until his death in 1966, Dick established the Dick Trimble Band as one of the most respected territory bands in Central Ohio. Featuring area musicians such as Chuz Alfred, Jim Booker, Bob Hightshoe, Glenn E. Wilson, Bob Bechtel, Dave Graf, Charlie Timberlake, Webb Ricketts, Jimmy Claar, Dano Estell, Kenny Carpenter, Paul Kumler, Dick Behrens, and Dick himself, they played fraternal organizations, country clubs, festivals, and high school proms. They also were heard during their frequent broadcasts over WHOK radio. He continued working until his death in 1966. In addition to having given many Lancaster musicians their first opportunity to play, Dick was also known as a mentor, teacher, and friend. Wallace Brothers Band ~ Moving to Columbus from their native Alabama, the Wallace Brothers Walter, Jeff, and DeForest began their rhythm and blues band in 1955, after graduating from Dr. Ted Turner's music program at East High School. The band was created to fill a need for a group to back up some of the prominent singers of the era, including Aretha Franklin, The O'Jays, The Temptations, and Otis Redding. Over the years, the Wallace Brothers Band included such local stars as Malcolm Mahan, Dr. Allen Tucker, Bobby Alston, James "Sweet Mouth" Hams, Hank Lyman, Neal Cobb, Donald Payne, and Bobby Taylor who had a hit record with his own band, The Vancouvers, and is credited with having discovered the Jackson Five. The band particularly thrived during the 'sixties and 'seventies when they contracted with the Holiday Inn hotel chain. They also did some recording and where quite excited the first time they heard their record played on the legendary Randy's Record Shop program out of WLAC Radio, Nashville. Their song, "What-cha Feel Is What-cha Get" is a highly sought after collector's item, especially in Europe. Jack Widner ~ Pianist Jack Widner was born in Kokomo, IN, where he won several talent shows, earning him appearances on local radio and television. While attending high school, he formed a 10-piece orchestra. After graduating from Indiana University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's, Jack worked fulltime as the leader of a jazz trio which traveled throughout the Midwest and Canada. In 1961, he was musical director of Tongue In Chic, an off-Broadway show in Chicago. Settling in Columbus a year later, he began performing at Benny Klein's Steak House with his trio and the Edmond Sisters. In 1966, he cut his first album while performing at the Bistro. For ten years, he performed both solo and with a trio at the Pacific Club. Throughout his career, he has been much in demand for various events and functions throughout the US and Canada. Nowadays, you can catch his regular gig at the Clarmont Restaurant, his twice monthly performances at the Salvation Army, or his increasingly popular appearances as one-half of the Andrew Jackson Pianoforte. He formed this piano duo in 1991 with his good friend Andy Launer and since then they have performed across the country on the American Oriental Express luxury train and appeared on a 45-minute special broadcast over WOSU-TV. Recently, they were picked up by the same booking agency that handled Ferrante & Teicher up until their retirement. Patricia "Pat" Wilson ~ For someone who claims to have no career drive, Pat has had a remarkable career. Although she is originally from Cincinnati, she spent much of her childhood in Columbus on her grandparents' farm. She also graduated from The Ohio State University, where she was active in the Campus Strollers dramatic group. For several years, Pat worked in local television as the spokesperson for Columbia Gas, appearing nightly on Chuck Long's "Looking With Long" news broadcasts. However, the bright lights of Broadway were beckoning. Soon was Pat originating the leading role of Marie in the musical Fiorello!, earning a NY Drama Critic's Circle nomination for best actress. On television, Pat portrayed Trixie (Art Carney's wife) in "The Honeymooners" skits on Jackie Gleason's American Scene Magazine. She also had the recurring role of Mrs. Philpott on "Designing Women", "Mrs. Miller" on Days of Our Lives, and "Mrs. Willis" on "Misfits of Science". Among the featured films in which she has worked were The Nutty Professor, The Sting, and A League of Their Own. As a singer-comedienne, Pat has headlined New York's Blue Angel, Village Vanguard, and St. Regis Maisonette, the Colony in London, Ritz Carlton in Montreal, Aruba Carribbean, the Chase in St. Louis, Cork Club in Houston, and Rancho Don Carlos in Winnipeg. She now makes her home in California. Dr. Ernest "Ernie" Wolfle, Jr. ~ Although Ernie has not lived in Columbus for many years, he still manages to keep track of the local music scene, returning once or twice a year and even performing on occasion. While a student at Ohio State where he earned a bachelor's and a master's in music education and theory, he led his own group, Music for Moderns, with Jim Gary, Dick Cone, and Paul Holderman. He also played trumpet and bass with the Al Longstreth Orchestra in West Jefferson, as well as with Chuz Alfred, Al Waslohn, Dave Wheeler. He worked at the Grandview Inn with Fred Gump and Jan August and at Ciro's with Red Stamets and Ray Racle. In 1956, he took time off to tour with the Ted Weems Orchestra. While teaching high school in Cincinnati, he played in the bands of Barney Rapp, Clyde Trask, and Will Hauser at such night cpots as the Lookout House, Coney Island, and the Beverly Hills Super Club. There were also stints with the orchestras of Ralph Flanagan, Vaughn Monroe, Ralph Marterie, and Bill Potts. After earning his Ph.D. in music education, conducting, and trumpet at Indiana University, Ernie became professor of music at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, retiring after 26 years. Currently musical director of the Richard Bray Orchestra, performing throughout the Washington D.C. area, he has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Cherry Blossom Festival, Glen Echo Park, and Roseland Ballroom. Bruce Woode ~ Moving to Columbus with his family when he was still a youth, Bruce attended Champion Junior High and studied the violin. By chance, he landed in the juvenile detention center for fighting and met Archie "Stomp" Gordon. They became friends when they were paired up for wrestling lessons at the center. Following his release, he spotted Stomp driving around town in a car that advertised his band. He mentioned that he had been "messing around" with the guitar and Stomp told him if he could get a bass he could earn $75 a week playing. Bruce found work backing a pair of dancers, Silk & Satin, then went on the road with Ida Clark and the Darktown Scandals. After three months, Bruce returned home and joined Stomp's band, touring throughout the Midwest. Bruce left the group in Minneapolis before they went onto Anchorage and met up with Billie Holliday. However, went Stomp was working his way back, he gave Bruce a call from Green Bay, WI, where he rejoined the group. After leaving Stomp, Bruce formed his own group, Bruce Woody and The All-Stars. Eventually, he married and settled down. Currently, he has a jazz trio in New Jersey where he resides. Dr. Jon R. Woods ~ For more than a quarter of a century, Jon has been on the directing staff of The Ohio State University Marching Band. He has served as its full-time director more than 18 years, the longest tenure of anyone. Dr. Woods is a nationally known clinician on band techniques and show design, and frequently travels around the country serving as an adjudicator of band competitions. When he became director of the band, he introduced the use of the computer in charting formations, one of the first bands in the country to do so. Under his directorship, the band received the esteemed Sudler Trophy and a full-page write-up in USA Today. Among the other changes he has made during his tenure was to replace the Eb alto horns with F horns or "mellophones" because of their wider availability and brighter sound. He also added several bass trombones to augment the low-brass sounds of the band. His strong emphasis on recruiting, rehearsal discipline, and adherence to band policies has ensured that The Ohio State Marching Band maintains its tradition of excellence and its reputations as "The Best Damn Band In The Land." THE MUSIC MAN AWARD Ray Eubanks ~ In 1973, Ray founded the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, which evolved from a Sunday afternoon rehearsal band into the premier jazz repertory orchestra in the United States. From its formation until 2002, Ray served as the Artistic Director of this non-profit organization. The Jazz Arts Group's mission is to preserve and promote the growth of jazz, preserve old jazz compositions and commission new works, and offer educational programs. In doing so, JAG has been responsible for bring hundreds of jazz greats to Central Ohio to perform with The Columbus Jazz Orchestra. There literally is nothing like it anywhere else in the country. JAG has served as the model for a growing number of similar enterprises throughout the United States. For this reason, in addition to his accomplishments as a musician, the late Robert D. "Bob" Thomas chose Ray Eubanks as the beneficiary of The Music Man Award for 2003. THE GOLDEN NOTE AWARD William R. "Cozy" Cole ~ Born in East Orange, NY, in 1909, Cole died in Columbus in 1981. In between, he enjoyed an illustrious career as one of the most influential drummers of his generation, as well as a noted bandleader, prolific recording artists, and, always, an educator. Before moving to Columbus, Cozy had worked with the likes of Jelly Role Morton, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Stuff Smith, Cab Calloway, Paul Whiteman, Andrews Sisters, Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong all the greats. While working as the staff drummer for the Arthur Godfrey show, Cozy scored an unexpected hit with the tune "Topsy," the largest selling drum solo record in history. He then performed on various State Department tours before joining trumpeter Jonah Jones from the late 'sixties until 1976. Although semi-retired, Cozy and his wife moved to Columbus at that point so he could become both the artist-in-residence and a fulltime student at Capital University. This reflected his lifetime interest in both learning and teaching. Sadly, he had to leave school in the fall of 1979 after being diagnosed with cancer. Capital University thereupon awarded him an honorary doctorate in musical arts. We are honoring Cozy Cole with The Golden Note Award for his historic accomplishments and contributions to music in his adopted hometown. THE ENTERTAINER AWARD Eddie Colston ~ Eddie was born in North Carolina in 1913, relocating to Columbus with his family in the 1920s in order to escape a life of tobacco farming. By age 20, he was a Pullman porter trainee, working on the trains that ran between Columbus and Chicago. Inspired by such tap dancers at Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, and the Step Brothers, he formed the Three Flames and went on the road with Lionel Hampton's Band. However, owing to a heart condition, he had to give up performing and returned to Columbus to become an entertainment booker, promoter, and journalist. As Eddie Colston Entertainment, he was actively promoted records, publicized appearances by local entertainers, and hosted a "Who's Who" of national headliners, bebop stars, blues singers, and exotic dancers. His column, "Around Town", for the Ohio State News and the Ohio Sentinel, documents the post war era of music in Columbus better than any other source. Unfortunately, Eddie's heart condition continued to worsen and he passed away in 1960 at the age of 47. He has been awarded The Entertainer Award posthumously for his efforts in promoting the Central Ohio music scene. |
CLASS OF 2003 |
EDDIE BEARD RON BEAVER BOB BECHTEL HARRY EPP RAY EUBANKS JACK GORHAM SONNY MCBROOM ANDY OLIVA WES ORR NICK PERRINI |
DON TATE DICK TRIMBLE WALLACE BROTHERS JACK WIDNER PATRICIA WILSON ERNIE WOLFLE BRUCE WOODE JON WOODS COZY COLE EDDIE COLSTON |
MUSIC MAN AWARD GOLDEN NOTE AWARD ENTERTAINER AWARD |
MR. UNFORGETTABLE: |
