CHARLIE SPIVAK - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 203765

CHARLES SPIVAK
B/w photo by James de Kriegsmann of Charles Spivak in a suit and tie and cradling a trumpet, signed "Sincerely"
Photograph signed "Sincerely/Charlie Spivak".Pencil notations on verso in unknown hand. B/w, 8x10 overall, 7¼x8¾ image, one surface. Photo by James de Kriegsmann and the William Morris Agency. Captioned: "CHARLIE SPIVAK/And His Orchestra". Spivak (1905 or 1907-1982) was an American trumpeter and band leader of the big band era. He did his apprenticeship playing in the orchestras of the Doresy brothers, Ben Pollack, Jack Teagarden and others during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as a radio and studio musician with Glenn Miller and other band leaders. After a false start in 1939, Spivak took over the Bill Downer's band in 1940, and it remained successful until 1959. He helmed a straight dance band, despite his jazz roots. Spivak's main influence is from the number of influential musicians that he had as sidemen, including drummer Davey Rough, bassist Jimmy Middleton, trumpeter les Elgart, trombonist Nelson Riddle and singers Garry Stevens, June Hutton, Tommy Mercer, Jimmy Saunders and Irene Dave. Spivak continued to lead bands in Florida from 1959 to 1963, when illness forced a temporary retirement, and then another band based in Las Vegas, Nevada and Greenville, South Carolina from 1967 until his death. Lightly toned, cracked, creased and bowed. Errors in negative and developing errors were reproduced in photo. Light scratches on image (not visible head-on). Otherwise in fine condition.