John Hubbard Beecher, also known as Little John Beecher (February 8, 1927 – August 6, 1987) was an American

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

, jazz trumpeter and

valve trombonist A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, ...

, and a singer of

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

s. His band, Little John Beecher and his Orchestra, was active throughout the 1950s, and was booked by National Orchestra Service of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Before forming his own band, he played trumpet with Lee Williams.

Career

Beecher founded and served as bandleader of Little John Beecher and His Orchestra throughout the 1950s. The orchestra was a nonet plus a featured vocalist

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

. Beecher was a large man, weighing 300 pounds in 1955. He promoted the catchphrase "THE BAND with the big front." Beecher booked his gigs through the National Orchestra Service ("NOS"), a territory band agency in

. Royce Stoenner, who had been an executive at NOS, left the agency in 1959 to become a partner with the Dave Brumitt Agency, a territory band booking agency in Atlanta. Beecher followed Stoenner to Georgia and started working through his agency. Shortly thereafter in 1959, the band ended. Jimmy Fuller founded The Cavaliers Orchestra in 1946 and served as bandleader until 1976. Having played trumpet with the Cavaliers since 1973, Beecher became its second bandleader in the spring of 1976. The band was based in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

Former members of Beecher's Orchestra

* 1959–1960: Travis Wayne Jenkins, tenor sax (May 23, 1939

Hockley County, Texas Hockley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,537. Its county seat is Levelland. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1921. It is named for George Washington Hoc ...

– January 11, 2004

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

) * 1950s: Betty Jordan, vocals * Stewart "Dirk" Fischer * Richard "Dick" Vaughn Busey, tenor sax (born 1931) * Russ Long, piano ''(né'' Russell V. Longstreth March 9, 1939 – December 31, 2006) * Robert Fisher * Mel (Oscar) Ross, sax * Carl Greene, horn * Johnny Morre * Larry Brown * Robert Hampson, baritone sax * 1954: Bill Porter, drums * 1958 Don Farrar, Bass

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beecher, John Hubbard American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Swing trumpeters American male jazz composers American music arrangers Jazz arrangers American jazz bandleaders 1927 births 1987 deaths People from Marshalltown, Iowa 20th-century American trumpeters Jazz musicians from Nebraska 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American jazz composers

Career

Former members of Beecher's Orchestra

See also

References