Earl Burtnett (February 7, 1896 – January 2, 1936)Earl Burtnett at ParlorSongs.com
/ref> was an American bandleader, songwriter and pianist who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

Life and career

Burtnett was born in

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He attended Pennsylvania State College but left after two years. He began having songs published, including " Canadian Capers" (1915) and "Down Honolulu Way" (1916), and in 1918 joined Art Hickman's touring band. Shortly afterwards, promoter

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...

heard the band in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and featured them on Broadway in the '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1920''.Earl Burtnett at Big Bands Database
/ref>Earl Burtnett, ''Lyrics Vault''
Retrieved 5 November 2022 After they moved back to California, Burtnett continued as lead arranger and writer for the Hickman orchestra, his successful songs including "

Sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

", "Leave Me With A Smile" (1921), "Mandalay" (1924), and "If I Should Lose You" (1927). In 1929, he took over as band leader on Hickman's retirement. His band then had a residency at the Biltmore Hotel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and recorded for

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

backing the Biltmore Trio. They also appeared in two films, ''The Flying Fool'' (1929) and ''The Party Girl'' (1930), billed as "Earl Burtnett and his Hotel Biltmore Orchestra and Trio". They played across the country in the early and mid 1930s, with periods at both the Rice Hotel in

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(from 1933), and later at the Drake Hotel and other venues in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where their concerts were often broadcast on WGN radio. Burtnett recorded for Columbia from 1926 through 1928 when he signed with Brunswick and recorded prolifically through mid-1931. There was a further session in Chicago in May, 1934 for Columbia. During that break, his band was apparently making transcriptions, but none have ever turned up.

Death

On Christmas Eve, 1935, Burtnett underwent an

appendectomy An appendectomy (American English) or appendicectomy (British English) is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedur ...

at Illinois Central Hospital in Chicago. However,

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

set in after the operation, and he died on January 2, 1936, at the age of 39.

References

External links

* * Sheet music fo
"Leave Me With a Smile"
New York: Waterson-Berlin & Snyder Co. Fro
Wade Hall Sheet Music Collection

Earl Burtnett recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists Songwriters from Pennsylvania Musicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1896 births 1936 deaths American big band bandleaders Pennsylvania State University alumni 20th-century American conductors (music) Brunswick Records artists Columbia Records artists 20th-century American songwriters {{US-composer-19thC-stub