Carlos Jesus "Buddy" Moreno (July 14, 1912 – November 29, 2015) was an American musician during the

swing era The swing era (also frequently referred to as the big band era) was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been arou ...

and radio and television personality. In his book, ''The Big Bands'', jazz writer George T. Simon described Moreno as "a grinning, seemingly ever-joyous guitarist ... who on novelty and uptempoed ictunes projected a pleasant personality and voice to match." Moreno was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

as the only child to a Spanish father and an Irish mother. He was reported to be a cousin of actress

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

. He attended the University of California before leaving to join the orchestra of

Anson Weeks Anson Weeks (February 14, 1896, Oakland, California – February 7, 1969, Sacramento, California) was an American pianist and the leader of a popular west coast dance band from the late 1920s through the 1960s, primarily in San Francisco. He made ...

. His career began in 1929 when he sang in a vocal group. His big breakthrough came in 1933 when he joined Griff Williams's band in San Francisco as a singer and guitar player. Later he became a part of popular bandleader

Dick Jurgens Richard Henry Jurgens (January 9, 1910 – October 5, 1995) was an American swing music bandleader and composer who enjoyed great popularity in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Life and early career Dick Jurgens was born in Sacramento, Californ ...

' orchestra. Moreno and Jurgens recorded many songs through the label

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

, charting the number one hit "One Dozen Roses" in 1942. Moreno changed band once more, in 1943, when he joined

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

' band. Moreno appeared in the films '' Two Girls and a Sailor'' (1944) and ''

Bathing Beauty ''Bathing Beauty'' is a 1944 musical film starring Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone, and Esther Williams, and directed by George Sidney. Although this was not Williams' screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The film was initially to be ...

'' (1944) along with the rest of the band. He formed his own band in 1947 with his wife, singer Perri Mitchell and others. Beginning June 30, 1958, Moreno had a local television program, ''The Buddy Moreno Show'', on

KMOX-TV KMOV (channel 4) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Circle owned-and-operated station KDTL-LD (channel 16). The two stations s ...

in St. Louis, Missouri. He relocated to St. Louis in the 1950s, when his band was selected to be the house band in The Chase Park Plaza Hotel's Chase Club, which led to a national radio program, ''Saturdays at the Chase''. As he approached his 60s, he switched to radio and worked for the local stations WIL-FM, WEW and WSIE. In the 1960s, Moreno traveled with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

to entertain American military personnel around the world.

Personal life

In 1950, Moreno wed Perri Mitchell, whom he had hired as a singer for his band in 1947. They were married until her death in 1998.

Death

Moreno died at a Florissant, Missouri, assisted-living facility on November 29, 2015 at the age of 103. He was buried at

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery is an American military cemetery located in St. Louis County, Missouri, just on the banks of the Mississippi River. The cemetery was established after the American Civil War in an attempt to put together a fo ...

References

External links

*
Recordings of Buddy Moreno's orchestra from YouTube
1912 births 2015 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians Musicians from Los Angeles Okeh Records artists American radio bandleaders {{US-musician-stub