Alex Hyde (February 17, 1898 – July 7, 1956) was an American

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bandleader and violinist.

Biography

Hyde was born in Hamburg, Germany, on February 17, 1898. His family emigrated to the U.S in April 1898. He was tutored by a professional violinist. He founded his own dance band, the Romance of Rhythm Orchestra, and played with them locally in

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(1919–22) and throughout

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(1922–23). After World War I, Hyde visited Germany and entertained U.S. military personnel in the then-occupied

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. The Romance of Rhythm Orchestra first recorded in 1923, and when touring

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in 1924, they released material on

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. Among Hyde's soloists for these recordings are Howard McFarlane, pianist Walker O'Neill, and saxophonist Eddie Grosso. He recorded as a leader with a different band in 1924-25, also in Germany; Gene Sedric plays on some of these recordings. Hyde met Michael Danzi in New York and Danzi joined Hyde's newly-formed Alex Hyde Orchestra. Upon his return to the U.S., he ran his own talent agency, composed music for

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s in the

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, and did work in the studios in Hollywood. He also co-managed an insurance company with his brothers. One of his brothers was talent agent Johnny Hyde. Hyde died on July 7, 1956, in

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Biography

References

Further reading