Gertrude Baum (Standard Music Roll Co.)

 Gertrude Baum
(Standard Music Roll Co)

Born: 12 January 1892, New York City, NY
Died: 8 May 1920, New York City, NY

Mother: Teresa Hyman
Father: Julius Baum (b Germany)

Third of four children, and the only daughter. Father was a dry goods salesman.

By 1917 she was in the professional department at Jos W. Stern & Co, alongside Connorized roll artist Minnie Blauman and composer L. Wolfe Gilbert.

Mother Teresa is listed in 1910 census as also a recital pianist. (Separated by then although claimed to be widowed - supported herself as a piano teacher).

Aged 27, she married Harry Fleischer, a clerk and jewelery salesman (father Gustave) 6th July 1919. At that time her residence was 2273 85th St. The couple moved to 1838 71st St, Brooklyn.

Admitted to hospital on 1st May 1920, and died on the 8th, aged just 28. Cause of death was acute epidemic encephalitis.

Buried Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, NY.

Reg Lewis (Mastertouch)

Reg Lewis
Born: 1908 Sydney, Australia
Died: 16 November 1977, Sydney, Australia
Labels: Mastertouch

Reginald Rice Lewis was born in Sydney. He intended to make engineering his career, regarding music as a mere hobby.  He taught himself to play the piano, made his radio debut in 1932, and worked with small combinations until he was engaged to play at the Embassy cabaret in Melbourne.  Getting the hunch that there would soon be a big demand for the musical arranger,  he taught himself the art of orchestration, arranging, etc. He was engaged by Frank Coughlan to join his band for the Trocadero in Sydney as pianist and arranger.  

Mr. Lewis was music manager for the publishing house of D. Davis and pianist for band leaders Bob Lyon, Dick Freeman, and Abe Romain until 1941,  when he became musical director for a leading Sydney commercial station.  He formed the Modem Music Club - the first club of its kind in Australia - and organised a seventeen-piece band which gave public swing recitals.   
During the war years his band played twice weekly for dances arranged by the American Red Cross.  He subsequently took over the conductorship of the band at the Prince Edward Theatre and he and Charles Field were also favourites of the clientele of Princes' Restaurant, where they played duo-piano work on the two Steinway grands.

In 1936 he married Barbara James, (1908-2004), who was arguably Australia’s leading popular vocaliste for three decades. With Reg, she made several recordings, and from the late 1940s into the mid-1950s, the couple toured Britain, Europe and east Asia. They featured in a number of London variety shows and had regular guest spots on both BBC radio and television. Back home too, radio was a great medium for the couple, and they were frequent guests on both the ABC and 2GB. During the early 1960s, they even had their own weekly program on Sydney radio. ‘Between You and Us’, their piano and vocal show, ran for fifteen minutes. 

He joined Mastertouch in 1964 and recorded for them sporadically until 1973.

Phil Schwartz

 
Phil Schwartz

Labels: Imperial, Standard, QRS

Born: 3 November 1889, Chicago, Illinois

Died: 22 July 1964, Los Angeles, California

A prolific composer in the popular genre, Schwartz maintained his 'day job' as a garment manufacturer in his father's business until at least 1917 - although listing himself as a composer of music in the 1910 census, this is above a crossed out entry of 'manager - clothing store', and in the WW1 draft he describes himself as 'manufacturer - ladies dresses - D Schwartz & Son' - a business run by his Polish Jewish parents, who had arrived in the USA 5 years before his birth.

Working in the professional department of Victor Kremer Co. in 1906-7, by1908, described as "the popular young piano player", he had joined Remick & Co's Chicago office and shortly afterwards moved to Shapiro, back to Remick, and by 1911 to Laemelle Music Co.

He served in WW1 and by 1919 was at Witmarks, where publicity mentions his 'skill at the ivories made possible his admission to the ranks of real American composers when he was still in his 'teens'. Amongst his colleagues was Zez Confrey and Imperial roll artist Al Eldridge.

He accompanied Ruth Etting for four years, including on some Columbia records. In the mid to late 1920s he was also beloved by Station KYW Chicago listeners as 'Uncle Phil', pianist and announcer.

He married Amelia Lippe (b.1906) in 1939 and adopted her daughter Rose. In 1935 they're listed as living in Kings, NY but by 1940 were in Jackson Heights, Chicago.

During Korean War, as general manager and accompanist for the Hollywood Coordinating Committee, he worked with many stars of the time, such as Howard Keel, Shirley Temple, and Bob Hope.

Still active as an accompanist as late as 1964, a young singer recalled him in the 1950s as a "little man who spoke in a deep, gravely 'dat, dem, an' dose' voice while perpetually holding a large unlit cigar firmly between his teeth". In 1962 he was accompany Rudy Valee in night clubs 

He died in Los Angeles, but is buried with his parents at Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.