Edwin LeMar "Buddy" Cole (December 15, 1916 – November 5, 1964), was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist, organist, orchestra leader, and composer. He played behind a number of pop singers, including Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby.

Biography

Cole was born in Irving, Illinois, on December 15, 1916 and the family moved to California when he was two. One of his two sisters - Bertie - played for silent movies and Buddy would watch as a little boy. At the age of ten, he deputised on the theater piano for someone who had not turned up. He started his musical career in the theater playing between movies and his first keyboard job was as theater organist at Los Angeles' Figueroa Theater. He was recruited to be part of

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

's band at the age of 19. In Hollywood in the second half of the 1930s Cole played in dance bands, including those led by

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and

Frankie Trumbauer Orie Frank Trumbauer (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) was an American jazz saxophonist of the 1920s and 1930s. His main instrument was the C-melody saxophone, a now-uncommon instrument between an alto and tenor saxophone in size and pitch. He a ...

. He married Yvonne King, member of the King Sisters, in 1940 and they had two daughters, Christine and Cathleen. They divorced in 1953. He married Regina Woodruff (known as Clare) on November 12, 1955 in Las Vegas but they separated on July 6, 1956 prior to a divorce on September 20 the same year. As soon as the divorce became final, Cole and Clare remarried in Los Angeles on November 12, 1957. From the 1940s, his main work was as a studio musician, utilising piano, electric organ, celeste, harpsichord and Novachord. In 1947, Cole joined the

John Scott Trotter John Scott Trotter Jr. (June 14, 1908 – October 29, 1975), also known as "Uncle John", was an American arranger, composer and orchestra leader. Trotter was best known for conducting the John Scott Trotter Orchestra which backed singer and ...

Orchestra working for Bing Crosby on his radio shows and he remained with Trotter until 1954. Crosby then dispensed with the services of a large orchestra and instead employed Cole and his trio to support him on his radio programs such as The Bing Crosby Show and The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show. Cole performed on Bing Crosby's hits " In a Little Spanish Town" and " Ol' Man River", and on the albums '' Some Fine Old Chestnuts'' and ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the ...

''.Gramophone 2003- Volume 81 - Page 122 "Crosby brought a jazzman's phrasing and sense of improvisation to much of what he did, whether in the company of Armstrong or a non-specialist jazz group like the Buddy Cole Trio whose album, New Tricks, exemplifies his relaxed approach... Cole also played on Rosemary Clooney's radio program; some recordings from the show were released on the album '' Swing Around Rosie''. In his capacity as a studio musician, Cole worked with

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

, who used his Hammond organ sound for the sound track to the TV series " Mr. Lucky". Cole also recorded several organ albums for

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, Columbia, Alshire and Doric. Cole played most of the piano parts in the 1951 film '' Young Man with a Horn'', subbing for

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

, who appeared on screen. Cole also wrote the music for the television game show ''

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''. He died in Hollywood on November 5, 1964.

References

External links

Buddy Cole recordings
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Buddy 1916 births 1964 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists American music arrangers American male organists People from Irving, Illinois Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Theatre organists King family (show business) 20th-century American pianists 20th-century organists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians American organists