Spike Jones

Lindley Armstrong " Spike" Jones is a musician and American actor born the December 14th 1911 with Long Beach in California and dead on May 1st 1965.

Biography

His/her father was an agent of the railroads of the company Southern Pacific. It was so thin, that one appears it with a nail of rail: “rail spike” in English. At the eleven years age, it receives its first battery. Teenager, it plays in groups which it even formed to him. In a restaurant of station, a Cuisinier learns how to him to make pans, forks, knives and spoons of the musical instruments. In the years 1930, it integrates the Victor Young Band and is invited to play in various radio programs, in particular that of Bing Crosby: Kraft Music Hall .
De 1937 with 1942, it is Percussionniste for the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, who exploited the first recording of the song White Christmas of and by Bing Crosby. In 1940, it appears a few moments in the film Give Us Wings , without being quoted with the credits. With the singer LED To carry it occurs with Los Angeles, successfully. In 1941, the violonist Carl Grayson joined the group. In 1942, it holds the high-speed motorboat in four vidéos musical, called soundies , intended to be played on paying terminals in arcades or bars. Among these vidéos: Not the Cookies, Mirandy, in which it appears as a peasant.

Other members integrate the group: George Rock'n'roll (song and Trumpet), Mickey Katz (Clarinet and song), Doodles Weaver (song) and Red Ingle (song). They become the group of accompaniment of Spike Jones: The City Slickers . The saxophonist ED Metcalfe plays with Spike Jones for a time. Jones was married with the singer Helen Grayco, who occurred sometimes with the radio with him. They sign a contract with the recording company RCA Victor in 1941, and record a great number of discs until the middle of the years 1950. They also present a weekly television program on NBC.

Jones had four children: Spike Jr., Linda, Leslie and Gina. Leslie is today the director of the film music for George Lucas with the Skywalker Ranch.

Der Führer' S Face

In 1942, Walt Disney carries out a Cartoon propaganda entitled Donald Duck in Nutzi Land . It contains the song of Spike Jones Der Fuerher' S Face which was a great success. One even says that Hitler had heard it. It is in fact the success of the disc which inspired Disney, which had the idea to make a cartoon carrying the title of the song. Spike Jones reaches seven times the signal ten of the record sales between 1942 and 1949, whereas a strike of the American federation of the musicians prevents any recording during one year.

In 1945, it has its own radio program. It receives there, in more than sixty emissions, of the guests such as Groucho Marx, Frankie Laine and Burl Ives. The Parody which makes Spike Jones of Ghost Riders in The Sky , the song of Vaughn Monroe is quickly withdrawn from the sale and cease to be diffused, because of the dissatisfaction with Monroe (the parody imitated an alcoholic singer and ridiculed Monroe in its last stanza). This very rare recording is very required. Frank Sinatra is invited in the emission in October 1948 and Lassie in May 1949. At the end of the years 1940 and to the beginning of the year 1950 the group turns to the the United States and the Canada under the name of “The Musical Re-examined Depreciation”. The group passes from seven to sixteen members. Spike Jones also appears in a dozen films, always playing its own part. Into 1957 the name of the group “City Slicker” is changed into “The Band That Plays For Fun”.

The massacre of the traditional ones

One of its older recordings is an adaptation of the Liebesträume of Liszt, played of a tone enjoué on unusual instruments. The opening of the Guillaume Tell of Rossini, as for it, was played with kitchen utensils. During its concerts, Spike Jones accepted the applause while saying solemnly: “Thank you music lovers” (“Thank you with you, in love with the music”). Twelve of these interpretations of pieces of music traditional are joined together on the same disc left in 1971 entitled Spike Jones Is Murdering The Classics ( Spike Jones massacres traditional the ).

White Mel, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other characters of cartoons of the company Warner Brothers records his hoquet for the song Clink Clink Another Drink . Glasses were also used as instruments in this song. In December 1945, Jones records a version of the Casse-Noisette of Tchaïkovski arranged by Joe " Country" Washburn and of the words To carry Carlino. In 1948 Spike records All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth which is number one of the record sales in January 1949. Dora Bryan is a success in 1963 with its recovery: All I want For Christmas has Beatle .

The Soundies

The group carries out in 1942 a series of short musical films called “soundies”; intended to be viewed on kinds of Jukebox. Later, in other films one can see Spike Jones hopping while agitating bells of cows, playing of the Klaxon, of the Foghorn, then Xylophone to end up drawing in the air with a Pistolet. One their instruments was called a “latrinophone”: a seat of basin of toilets with cords. The group animates its own variety programme on NBC then on CBS, of 1954 with 1961.

The years 1950

During the years of war, Frank Sinatra which was known little, found to be occupied at the sides of Spike Jones. Once celebrates, it will pay homage to Jones by inviting it in his emission in 1958. In 1956, Jones recorded its first album Dinner Music For People Who Aren' T Very Hungry . Towards 1959 him and its group started to be obsolete, and were less active. Smoker since his youth, Spike Jones dies of Emphysème to Beverly Hills in California on May 1st 1965 at the 54 years age. He is buried with the Holy Cross Cemetery of Culver City in California.

Radioland Murders

In 1994, Mel Smith carries out a film according to a Scénario of George Lucas. Radioland Murders is held in 1939 and puts in scene the characters of Spike Jones and Frank Sinatra. Two members of the group of Spike Jones play their own part in this film: Billy Barty (1924 - 2000) and " Mousie" Garner (1909 - 2004).

Influence

Spike Jones was clearly influenced by the Hoosier Hot Shots and the Marx Brothers. It as for him influenced Stan Freberg, Gerald Hoffnung, Peter Schickele 'S P.D.Q. Bach, The Goons, the Beatles, Frank Zappa, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Mystic Knights off the Oingo Boingo, and The Roto Rooter Goodtime Christmas Band. Jones is mentioned in the song of The Band Up one Cripple Creek . The writer Thomas Pynchon is one of his admirors and wrote the booklet of a compilation of the most extravagant titles of Spike Jones (entitled Spiked! ) appeared in 1994 (BMG Catalyst).

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