Frankie Carle (born Francis Nunzio Carlone, March 25, 1903 – March 7, 2001) was an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard" for his

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

skills. " Sunrise Serenade" was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No. 1 in the US in 1938 and selling more than one million copies.

Early life

Carle was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, on March 25, 1903. The son of a factory worker who could not afford a piano, he practiced on a dummy keyboard devised by his uncle, pianist Nicholas Colangelo, until he found a broken-down instrument in a dance hall. In 1916, a teenage Carle began working with his uncle's band as well as a number of local bands in the

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

area. To ease acceptance with the public, Carle did what many others with immigrant backgrounds did, he Americanized his name from Carlone to Carle.

Career

Carle started out working with a number of mainstream dance bands. His earliest known recordings and performances were with the Edwin J. McEnelly Orchestra from 1924-1929. He wrote many of the arrangements for McEnelly as well as played piano. In 1934, he joined Mal Hallett and his orchestra. In 1935, he had his own orchestra and was billed in an ad for one night club as "America's Greatest Pianist." He received attention when he joined Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights in 1939. He later became co-leader of the band. The popularity he attained while with Heidt's band allowed him to leave in 1944 and form his own, The Frankie Carle Orchestra. When his daughter, Marjorie Hughes, sang with his band, he did not reveal their relationship until

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

published it. His band disbanded after 1955 and he performed mainly as a soloist thereafter. From the 1950s until the 1980s, Carle performed as a single artist and maintained a close following of loyal fans. Frankie Carle and Others

During World War II, he participated in the V-Disc program, making recordings which were released by the U.S. War Department. He introduced V-Disc No. 210A which featured his new composition "Moonlight Whispers". "Sunrise Serenade" was released as a V-Disc by the U.S. War Department in July, 1944 as No. 230A in a new recording by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra.

Radio

Carle had early exposure on radio as pianist for The Four Belles singing group in transcribed programs distributed by the World Broadcasting System. In the mid-1940s, Carle and singer Allan Jones starred in the ''Old Gold Show'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio. Carle also was featured in ''Pot o' Gold'', ''Treasure Chest'', and '' The Chesterfield Supper Club''.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 49.

Compositions

Carle's music was known for being light because of his buoyant touch; this resulted in romantic, danceable melodies which were very popular. His major compositions included " Sunrise Serenade", "Falling Leaves", " Oh! What It Seemed to Be", "Roses in the Rain", both recorded by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, "A Lover's Lullaby", "Swing and a Miss", "Syncopated Doll", "This Day", "Travelin' Mood", "When Your Lips Met Mine", "Why Oh Why", "You Are There", "You and the Stars and Me", "Carle Boogie", "Sunrise Boogie", "Sunrise in Napoli", "Georgianna", "Blue Fantasy", "I Didn't Know", "The Golden Touch", "The Apple Valley Waltz", and "Moonlight Whispers" released as V Disc 210A in 1944 by the U.S. War Department.

Later years and death

Carle died of natural causes in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

, in 2001, a few weeks shy of his 98th birthday and is buried at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills is one of the six Forest Lawn cemeteries in Southern California, United States. It is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. History The first Fo ...

. A

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, Carle had a Mass of Christian burial at Holy Cross Church in Mesa, Arizona. He is survived by his daughter, Marjorie Hughes Wahl, granddaughter Susan Zimmerman, grandson Richard Douce, and great-granddaughter Veronica.

Legacy

In 1989, Carle was Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame alongside such other greats as

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

and

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

. In 1968, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. On February 8, 1960, he received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

(on the West Side of the 1700 Block of VINE, across from the Capitol Records Bldg.) The legendary pianist and educator Joanne Brackeen has credited him with inspiring her early self-studies on the instrument. In April 2016, Carle was posthumously inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame (RIMHOF).

Discography

Biggest hit singles

* A Little on the Lonely Side (vocal by Paul Allen) (1945) * Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week) (vocal Phyllis Lynne) (1945) * Oh! What It Seemed to Be (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1946) * One More Tomorrow (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1946) * Rumors Are Flying (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1946) * It's All Over Now (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1946) * Roses in the Rain (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1947) * Beg Your Pardon (vocal Marjorie Hughes) (1948) * Cruising Down the River (vocal Marjorie Hughes & Sunrise Serenaders) (1949)

Albums

*''Frankie Carle At the Piano, Columbia (C-23 78 RPM Set, 1942)'' *''Frankie Carle Encores, Columbia (C-70 78 RPM Set, 1943)'' *''Carle Comes Calling, Columbia (CL-6002 10" Lp, 1948)'' *''Roses In Rhythm, Columbia (CL-6032 10" Lp/C-174 78 RPM Set, 1949)'' *''Frankie Carle and his Girl Friends, Columbia (CL-6018 10" Lp/C-97 78 RPM Set, 1948)'' *''Frankie Carle Dance Parade, Columbia (CL-6047 10" Lp, 1949)'' *''At The Piano, Columbia (CL-6075 10" Lp, 1949)'' *''Carle Meets The Masters, Columbia (CL-6085 10" Lp, 1950)'' *''Frankie Carle Plays Honky Tonk, RCA Victor (LPM-26, 1951)'' *''Top Pops, RCA Victor (LPM-3024, 1952)'' *''For Me And My Gal, RCA Victor (LPM-3059, 1952)'' *''Frankie Carle's Piano Party, Columbia (CL-531, 1953)'' *''Honky Tonk Piano, RCA Victor (LPM-1188, 1956)'' *''Cocktail Time with Frankie Carle, RCA Victor (LPM-1221, 1956)'' *''Frankie Carle's Sweethearts, RCA Victor (LPM 1222, 1956)'' *''Mediterranean Cruise, RCA Victor (LPM-1275, 1956)'' *''Frankie Carle's Finest, RCA Victor (LPM-1153, 1957)'' *''Around The World, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-1499, 1958)'' *''37 Favorites For Dancing, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-1868, 1958)'' *''Ridin' High, Vocalion (VL 3622, 1958)'' *''The Piano Style of Frankie Carle, RCA Camden (CAL 478, 1959)'' *''Show Stoppers for Dance Time, RCA Victor (LPM-1963, 1959)'' *''The Golden Touch, RCA Victor (LPM-2139, 1959)'' *''Take Me Along, RCA Victor (LSP-2142, 1959)'' *''A Carle-Load of Hits, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2148, 1959)'' *''Top Of The Mark (Featuring Darryl Stevens), RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2233, 1960)'' *''The Fabulous Four Hands of Frankie Carle RCA Victor (LSP-2288, 1961)'' *''The Fabulous Frankie Carle (HL 7140, 1961)'' *''Honky-Tonk Hits by the Dozen, RCA Victor (LSP-2491, 1962)'' *''30 Hits of the Flaming '40s, RCA Victor (LPM-2594, LSP-2594, c1963)'' *''30 Hits of the Tuneful '20s, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2592, 1963)'' *''30 Hits of the Thundering '30s, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2593, 1963)'' *''30 Hits of the Fantastic '50s, RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2881, c1964)'' *''Roses in Rhythm, Columbia (CL 913, 1963)'' *''Plays Cocktail Piano, RCA Custom (CPM/CSP-112, 1964)'' *''Frankie Carle Plays the Big Imported Hits, RCA Victor (LSP-2920, 1964)'' *''Frankie Carle Plays the Great Piano Hits, RCA Victor (LSP-3425, 1965)'' *''The Tropical Style of Frankie Carle, RCA Victor (LPM 3609, 1966)'' *''The Best of Frankie Carle, RCA Victor (LSP 3469, 1966)'' *''Frankie Carle, Dot (DLP 25789, 1967)'' *''Somewhere My Love, Dot (DLP 25802/25804, 1967)'' *''Sunrise Serenade, Harmony (HS 11217, 1967)'' *''Era: The 30s, Dot (DLP 25847, 1968)'' *''Era: The 40s, Dot (DLP 25877, 1968)'' *''Era: The 50s, Dot (DLP 25928, 1969)'' *''The Best Of Frankie Carle, RCA (ANL1-1079(e), 1975 reissue of LSP-3469)'' *''The Golden Touch Of Frankie Carle, Good Music Records (GMR80032, p1984)''

Bibliography

*Lagumina, Salvatore, et al. (2000). ''The Italian American Experience''. Westport: Greenwood Press. *Walker, Leo (1989). ''The Big Band Alamanac''. Hollywood: Da Capo Press.

References

External links

* ''New York Times'' obituary
"Frankie Carle, 97, Band Leader Who Wrote 'Sunrise Serenade'"
by William H. Honan, March 10, 2001
Frankie Carle
at Solid!

at Space Age Pop Music
Frankie Carle
at Musicmatch Guide
Frankie Carle and his orchestra play in a scene from the film ''Variety Time''.

Frankie Carle Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Carle, Frankie 1903 births 2001 deaths RCA Victor artists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) American big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 20th-century male pianists 20th-century American male musicians Catholics from Rhode Island Columbia Records artists