Ray Anthony Biography

Home	Music	Video	Stock Footage	Help

Original Recordings by the Original Artists!

Ray Anthony
Big Band | 3 CD Set
Reg. $24.99 ON SALE!
$19.99

Ray Anthony took decent trumpet chops, Cary Grant-like looks, and a relentless energy for self-promotion and turned them into a long and prosperous series of music business enterprises. Anthony began leading his own big band in the western Pennsylvania area before being snatched up by Glenn Miller at the height of the Miller Band's popularity. During World War II, Anthony joined the Navy and led his own band, touring and entertaining troops throughout the Pacific for several years. After returning from the war, Anthony formed his own big band and battled for business in a diminishing market. His biggest hit came in 1954, when, after bugging Jack Webb for months to get him to release the recording rights, he recorded a cover of the theme to Webb's cop show, Dragnet. He also earned a Top 10 hit with a dance tune that sparked a craze even shorter-lived than the Macarena: The Bunny Hop. Anthony's rockin' cover of "Peter Gunn" was probably the best-selling single recording of that tune. Anthony also won a place in the hearts of exotica lovers by marrying buxom B-movie queen Mamie Van Doren. Anthony was a real entrepeneur, running a web of businesses that included a music publishing house, contracted bands (he bought out Billy May's short-lived big band when it folded), and a nightclub in Hollywood. Anthony was also a regular of the Las Vegas circuit, with an act that featured a stand-up comedian and a line of girl singers that included Vicki Carr at one time. Anthony eventually broke up his big band and settled down to work in Vegas and elsewhere with smaller combos. He continues to run his own label, Aerospace, which reissues his recordings as well as those of Glenn Miller and Billy May.

TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP 100% GUARANTEED
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you may return it for a prompt refund, credit or exchange. Click here for details

All Items Usually Ship Within 24 Hours!