The ''Cities Service Concerts'' were musical broadcasts which had a long three-decade run on radio from 1925 to 1956, encompassing a variety of vocalists and musicians sponsored by

Cities Service Citgo Petroleum Corporation, or Citgo (stylized as CITGO), is a United States–based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area ...

. The concerts began with trial broadcasts in the New York area during 1925 and 1926. Graham McNamee was the announcer and the

Goldman Band The Goldman Band was an American concert band founded in 1918 by Edwin Franko Goldman from his previous New York Military Band. Both bands were based in New York City. It was Goldman's contention that the New York symphony and orchestra musici ...

conducted by founder

Edwin Franko Goldman Edwin Franko Goldman (January 1, 1878 – February 21, 1956) was an American composer and conductor. One of the most significant American band composers of the early 20th century, Goldman composed over 150 works, but is best known for his March ...

performed when the hour-long program began February 18, 1927, on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

; it changed to a symphonic sound with

Rosario Bourdon Joseph Charles Rosario Bourdon (March 6, 1885 – April 24, 1961) was a French Canadian cellist, violinist, conductor, arranger and composer. He was a child prodigy skilled with many musical instruments. Bourdon worked much of his life for the V ...

conducting a 30-piece NBC house orchestra that summer along with the Cavaliers Quartet. On January 3, 1930,

Jessica Dragonette Jessica Valentina Dragonette (Born Jessica Valentina Dragonetti; February 14, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a singer who became popular on American radio and was active in the World War II effort. Early life Born in Calcutta, India, or Philadelp ...

brought her repertoire of 500 songs to the series, often doing duets with Frank Parker and generating top ratings during the 1930s. She was replaced by soprano Lucille Manners in 1937. Other performers during this period were Robert Simmons and

James Melton James Melton (January 2, 1904 – April 21, 1961), a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932–35. His singing talent was similar to ...

. Along with the Cities Service Singers, baritone Ross Graham arrived in 1939. Graham was also heard on ''Show Boat''. Maestro Dr. Frank Black headed the show from at least 1938Advertisement on 1938 Cities Service Road map to 1942 along with Manners and Graham. The title changed to ''Highways in Melody'' in 1944 when Paul Lavalle was the orchestra leader. Lavalle continued after the show was retitled yet again as ''The Cities Service Band of America'' which experimented with simulcasting (audio broadcast separately over the radio) in 1949 and 1950. The series came to an end on January 16, 1956.

Critical response

A review in the trade publication ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the 1948 version of the program as having "gone back practically to the Gay '90s" in offering music that was often heard in public squares three or four decades earlier "and which since has retained a certain following in a number of small towns." The review went on to question whether such music was popular enough to hold an audience for the summer.

References

{{Reflist 1920s American radio programs 1930s American radio programs American music radio programs NBC radio programs Citgo