Jan Garber
b. 5 November 1897, Morristown, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 5 October 1977, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. Known as ‘The Idol of the Air Lanes’, Garber led both sweet and swing bands, though he is generally remembered as a creator of saccharine sounds. He attended the University of North Carolina and later became a violinist with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. After military service in World War I he formed a band with pianist Milt Davis and during the early '20s founded his own band which performed much of the then popular ‘hot’ jazz style. When Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians began making the headlines in the late '20s, Garber took over Freddie Large's Orchestra, yet another Canadian sweet band, and headed down the Lombardo path to success, offering syrupy saxes, muted brass and a few comedy routines in an effort to win friends and influence radio stations. The band became a popular attraction, gaining a coveted spot on the Burns And Allen radio series. In 1942 Garber did a backflip once again and headed into the world of swing, employing Gray Rains to write some fine arrangements, with vocals being provided by Liz Tilton, sister of Martha Tilton, and her male counterpart Bob Davis. Not even an appearance in the film Here Comes Elmer which also featured Nat King Cole, gained Garber's new sound a substantial following. It was no surprise then when, four years later, he reverted to the sweet format once more in 1945. In 1949 the Garber band was back on film in Make Believe Ballroom alongside Charlie Barnet and Jimmy Dorsey. They also had two hit records that year with You're Breaking My Heart and Jealous Heart. As the big band era faded, Garber continued to record, but by the '60s was only working occasionally mainly on the West Coast.