Cappy Barra Harmonica Band

The Cappy Barra Harmonica Band was an American harmonica ensemble — originally a trio, then a quartet, then two groups — that played big band arrangements. Cappy Barra flourished from 1935 to 1945.

History

1938 to 1942

Cappy Barra was assembled by promoter Maurice Duke. The name was derived from "capybara," the largest extant rodent in the world, native to South America. In 1940, Sam Scheckter and Sam Sperling left the group, George Fields replaced Schekter.^[1] Shortly after, the act split into two groups. The first unit worked primarily in the Chicago area. A second unit, based in New York, formed around Phil King, who enlisted newcomers George Fields, Charley Leighton, Alan Greene and Pro Robbins (né Irving Rubenstein).

The Chicago unit, a trio, disbanded in 1942 when Nat Bergman and Cappy LaFell enlisted in the Armed Forces. Don Ripps returned to Freeport, Texas.^[2]

The New York unit worked steadily in vaudeville and in nightclubs through the war years. George Fields left in 1941 to move to California, and the group played as a trio, with Charles Leighton handling the lead, Alan Greene playing chord harp and singing, and Pro Robbins on bass harp. Phil King booked the band, played an occasional Polyphonia, did comedy bits, and fronted the group. The group disbanded in 1944.^[3]

Post World War II

Around 1945, Duke reorganized Cappy Barra as a quartet and moved it to Los Angeles with the aim of getting Hollywood studio work. The performers were Charley Leighton on lead, George Fields on second, Pete Petersen on third, and Pro Robbins on fourth.^[4][5][6]

Performing members

• Cappy LaFell (né Leon S. Lehrfeld; 1913–2002)^[7]
• Joe Mullendore (aka Raymond Joe Sanns, né Joseph Milton Mullendore Jr.; 1914–1990)
• Nat Bergman (aka Nate Burton, né Nathaniel Bergman; 1916–1994)^[8]
• Phil Solomon
• Don Ripps (1918–1965)
• Samuel Scheckter (1913–1995)^[9]
• Sam Sperling
• George Joseph Fields (1921–2005)^[10]
• Charley Leighton (1921–2009)
• Alan Greene
• Pro Robbins (né Irving Rubenstein)
• Pete Petersen
• Milton Freeman
• Eddie Shu (né Edward Shulman; 1918–1986)

Non-performing members

• Maurice Duke (1910–1996).^[11][12]
• Phil King, served as spokesman and leader, but not a musician
• Harry Morton (1912–2004), comedian^[13][14]
• Henry Nemo (1909–1999), composer & arranger

Filmography

• Musical Airwaves (1936, a 10-minute short), Milton Edward Schwarzwald (1891–1950), director, Universal Pictures
• Mad About Music (1938), Universal Pictures^[15]

1. I Love to Whistle, by Jimmy McHugh & Harold Adamson (lyrics) (1938), sung by Deanna Durbin with the Cappy Barra Harmonica Band at party (audio clip)

• Pot o' Gold (1941) (video clip; Cappy Barra is dubbed)
• Rockin' in the Rockies (1945) (video clip)
• Radio Stars on Parade (1945) (video clip)
• Bowery Boy (1945)

Musical film shorts

The 1942–44 musicians' strike banned musicians from recording with major labels. A year earlier (1941), the motion picture industry began producing short music films, which were not banned. The films were the early version of music videos — known as "soundies. Cappy Barra performed on the following soundies:
The Smoothies (vocal group) and The Cappy Barra Harmonica Boys
Smoothies personnel: Babs (Blanche Redwine?) and the two brothers, Charlie & Little Ryan (né Reinhart)

1. Showbar Frowlics, assembled and released by Soundies Distributing Corporation of America, Program 1107 (February 22, 1943), re-issued at Program 1187 OCLC 423356297^[16][17][18]
2. Rosie the Riveter, directed by John C. Graham OCLC 423340319 (February 2, 1943)
3. Lalapaluza Lu OCLC 423101609

Discography

Cappy Barra Harmonica Swing Ensemble

• Recorded April 5, 1937, Variety Recordings (600)

M359 Voo Doo OCLC 78101562

M356 Stardust, by Hoagy Carmichael OCLC 79110814

• 78 rpm, 10-inch (1937)

Casa Loma Stomp, by Gene Gifford OCLC 33255776

Solitude, by Duke Ellington, arranged by Gene Gifford

Sheet music

• Nocturne in Blue, by Al Greene (lyrics) & Raymond Joe Sanns (né Joseph Milton Mullendore Jr.; 1914–1990) (music), © February 11, 1941; 249699 (Joseph Milton Mullendore Jr., Philadelphia)
• Voo Doo, by Raymond Joe Sanns (né Joseph Milton Mullendore Jr.; 1914–1990), Leon Lafell (né Leon S. Lehrfeld; 1913–2002), and Maurice Duke (1910–1996), © June 10, 1937; 62625 (Exclusive Publications, Inc., New York)
• It's Nature All Around Me, by Joseph Milton Mullendore Jr. (1914–1990), © January 18, 1934; 81496 (Leon Lafell; né Leon S. Lehrfeld; 1913–2002)

See also

• The Harmonica Gentlemen
• List of harmonicists

Other harmonica ensembles

United States

• The Harmonica Gentlemen
• The Harmonica Rascals
• The Harmonica Scamps
• The Harmonicuties
• The Harmonica Harlequins
• The Philharmonicas
• The Harlemonicats
• The Three Harpers (see Stan Harper)
• The Harptones
• The Stagg McMann Trio
• The Harmonica Hi-Hats
• The Harmonica Lads
• The Don Henry Trio
• The Harmonica Gang
• The Stereomonics
• The Big Harp

The Netherlands

• The 5 Hotchas

Eddie Sernee, Joop Heijman, Geert van Driesten, Cor Belder, Wim Belder

Ireland

• The Bachelors

France

• Trio Raisner

Hong Kong

• King's College Harmonica Band

References

General references

1. The Cappy Barra Story, by Art M. Daane, from the memoirs of Nat Bergman, self-published by Duane Bergman, Helmond, The Netherlands (2003)
2. Sam Scheckter collection: Cappy Barra ensemble music arrangements OCLC 122687147
3. Tin sandwich anyone? A history of the harmonica (DVD) with Jake Yapp & Roger Pomphrey (2008) OCLC 778893553

Inline citations

1. Kim Field, Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument, Cooper Square Press (2000) OCLC 265451277 ISBN 0815410204 ISBN 9780815410201
2. Club Talent; Chicago, Billboard Magazine, June 6, 1942, pg. 17
3. John H. Broecker (born 1949), Milwaukee Harmonica Club (2010)
4. Jaine Rodack (born 1944), Be of Good Cheer: Memories of Harmonica Legend Pete Pedersen pg. 123, AuthorHouse (2006) ISBN 9781425960063
5. Alfred V. Smith (born 1932), Confessions of Harmonica Addicts, self published by Al Smith, Richfield, Ohio (2008)
6. Peter Krampert, "The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica," Tatanka Publishing (Mel Bay; Pacific, Missouri) (2002) OCLC 50556559 ISBN 0786658959 ISBN 9780786658954
7. Obituary: Lehrfeld, Leon S "Cappy," 89, Chicago Tribune, August 26, 2002
8. Obituary: Frances Bergman, 84; Ret. Admin. Secretary, Sullivan County Democrat (Callicoon, New York), September 29, 2006
9. Obituary: Samuel Scheckter, was musician and teacher: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice, Union News (Springfield, Massachusetts), December 20, 1995, pg. B7
10. Obituary: Fields, George Joseph; 83; Brooklyn; Palm Springs The Desert Sun, February 2, 2005
11. Harris M. Lentz III, Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1996: Film, television, radio, theatre, dance, music, cartoons and pop culture, McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina (1997) OCLC 37328425 ISBN 0786403020 ISBN 9780786403028
12. Myrna Oliver, Obituary: Maurice Duke; Colorful Movie Producer, Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1996
13. Harry Morton, Manager, agent, Variety (magazine), July 9, 2004
14. Look Out For Harry Morton (stories told by Harry Morton) LP, United Artists Records (1962) OCLC 13167701
15. Roy Liebman, Musical groups in the movies, 1929–1970, McFarland & Company (2009) OCLC 335189431
16. Movie Machine Reviews: Program 1107, Billboard Magazine, pg. 64, March 20, 1943
17. Maurice Terenzio, Scott MacGillivray, Ted Okuda, The Soundies Distributing Corporation of America: A History and Filmography of Their "Jukebox" Musical Films of the 1940s, McFarland & Company (April 1, 1991) OCLC 22543173 and 468460185 ISBN 0899505783 ISBN 9780899505787
18. Soundies Distributing Corporation of America photographs, 1940-1946 (archival material), Margaret Herrick Library, Beverly Hills, California OCLC 801268308