Richard Himber (20 February 1899 - 11 December 1966) was an American bandleader, composer, violinist, magician and practical joker.
Early life
He was born as Herbert Richard Imber in Newark, New Jersey to the owner of a chain of meat stores. His parents gave him violin lessons, but when they found him performing in a seedy Newark dive, they took the instrument away from him and sent him to military school. In 1915, he stole away into New York City, where Sophie Tucker heard him play and hired him as a novelty act to play with her and the Five Kings of Syncopation where Himber was the highlight of the cabaret act.
He worked his way through Vaudeville and down Tin Pan Alley. He managed Rudy Vallee's orchestra service, which sent out bands for private parties and society functions. A suave salesman and irrepressible idea man, he soon had his own band booking agency. In 1932, he acquired the first known "vanity" telephone number, R-HIMBER, answered 24 hours a day. Later that year, Himber finally formed an orchestra of his own, parlaying a gig at New York's Essex House Hotel into national NBC radio exposure. Among the top-notch professionals in its ranks were Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and many other future stars of the music world.
1935 Richard Himber - If I Should Lose You (Stuart Allen, vocal)
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection of a Robin & Rainger song from the early-1936 Paramount fim release “Rose of the Rancho,” which starred John Boles and Gladys Swarthout.
From Victor 25179 - If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC October 21, 1935
published: 23 May 2019
Richard Himber & His Orchestra with Joey Nash, 1934
Released November 3, 1934
published: 14 Aug 2020
1935 Richard Himber Hi-Fi Transcription: Will Love Find A Way (Stuart Allen, vocal)
From the Rick Colom Collection: “Stags At Bay” was a 1934 Princeton Triangle Club musical that produced both this tune and the well-known “East Of The Sun.”
This is one of eight posted tracks recorded In 1935 by the Richard Himber orchestra that were never issued for consumer purchase but were distributed to radio stations on 33 1/3 Western Electric transcription discs for broadcast use.
As pseudonyms were commonly used on such media by artists who were currently under contract to a commercial record label, Richard Himber and vocalist Stuart Allen were identified on the disc label as “Larry Bradford” and “Stan Abbott.”
See also: Love Is Sweeping The Country, Hunkadola, I’d Rather Listen To Your Eyes, I’d Love To Take Orders From You, Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle, What A Wonderfu...
published: 08 May 2019
1935 HITS ARCHIVE: Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart - Richard Himber (Joey Nash, vocal)
A great track from Joey Nash's final recording session with the Himber band. The revue "Thumbs Up" ran 156 performances and, along with "Zing," featured the Vernon Duke standard-to-be "Autumn In New York" https://youtu.be/EoREpQP62N8
From 78rpm Victor 24868 - Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley) by Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Joey Nash, recorded February 11, 1935 .
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The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of ei...
published: 13 Aug 2019
1935 Richard Himber - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Stuart Allen, vocal)
A Crosby hit from Bing’s Paramount film “Two For Tonight.”
From 78rpm Victor 25119 - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Gordon-Revel) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC August 19, 1935
published: 29 Jan 2021
1938 Richard Himber - Day After Day (Stuart Allen, vocal)
Rather long for a standard-groove 10-inch 78 disc, this one clocks in at 3:45.
The original 78rpm single was issued on Victor 26106 - Day After Day (Himber-Green) by Richard Himber and his Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC November 10, 1938 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down th...
published: 28 Jun 2019
Stuart Allen with Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra – I Wished on the Moon, 1935
Music by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Dorothy Parker. Written for the movie The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935).
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection of a Robin & Rainger song from the early-1936 Paramount fim release “Rose of the Rancho,” which starred Joh...
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection of a Robin & Rainger song from the early-1936 Paramount fim release “Rose of the Rancho,” which starred John Boles and Gladys Swarthout.
From Victor 25179 - If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC October 21, 1935
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection of a Robin & Rainger song from the early-1936 Paramount fim release “Rose of the Rancho,” which starred John Boles and Gladys Swarthout.
From Victor 25179 - If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC October 21, 1935
From the Rick Colom Collection: “Stags At Bay” was a 1934 Princeton Triangle Club musical that produced both this tune and the well-known “East Of The Sun.”
Th...
From the Rick Colom Collection: “Stags At Bay” was a 1934 Princeton Triangle Club musical that produced both this tune and the well-known “East Of The Sun.”
This is one of eight posted tracks recorded In 1935 by the Richard Himber orchestra that were never issued for consumer purchase but were distributed to radio stations on 33 1/3 Western Electric transcription discs for broadcast use.
As pseudonyms were commonly used on such media by artists who were currently under contract to a commercial record label, Richard Himber and vocalist Stuart Allen were identified on the disc label as “Larry Bradford” and “Stan Abbott.”
See also: Love Is Sweeping The Country, Hunkadola, I’d Rather Listen To Your Eyes, I’d Love To Take Orders From You, Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle, What A Wonderful World, and I Found A Dream
Audio recording and label scan from the Bob Merchant collection, provided courtesy of Rick Colom, digitally processed by Bob Moke: Western Electric transcription S-56-A, track 1 - Will Love Find A Way (Bowman-Alexander) by the Larry Bradford Orchestra (Richard Himber), vocal by Stan Abbott (Stuart Allen), issued c. October 1935
From the Rick Colom Collection: “Stags At Bay” was a 1934 Princeton Triangle Club musical that produced both this tune and the well-known “East Of The Sun.”
This is one of eight posted tracks recorded In 1935 by the Richard Himber orchestra that were never issued for consumer purchase but were distributed to radio stations on 33 1/3 Western Electric transcription discs for broadcast use.
As pseudonyms were commonly used on such media by artists who were currently under contract to a commercial record label, Richard Himber and vocalist Stuart Allen were identified on the disc label as “Larry Bradford” and “Stan Abbott.”
See also: Love Is Sweeping The Country, Hunkadola, I’d Rather Listen To Your Eyes, I’d Love To Take Orders From You, Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle, What A Wonderful World, and I Found A Dream
Audio recording and label scan from the Bob Merchant collection, provided courtesy of Rick Colom, digitally processed by Bob Moke: Western Electric transcription S-56-A, track 1 - Will Love Find A Way (Bowman-Alexander) by the Larry Bradford Orchestra (Richard Himber), vocal by Stan Abbott (Stuart Allen), issued c. October 1935
A great track from Joey Nash's final recording session with the Himber band. The revue "Thumbs Up" ran 156 performances and, along with "Zing," featured the Ve...
A great track from Joey Nash's final recording session with the Himber band. The revue "Thumbs Up" ran 156 performances and, along with "Zing," featured the Vernon Duke standard-to-be "Autumn In New York" https://youtu.be/EoREpQP62N8
From 78rpm Victor 24868 - Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley) by Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Joey Nash, recorded February 11, 1935 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
A great track from Joey Nash's final recording session with the Himber band. The revue "Thumbs Up" ran 156 performances and, along with "Zing," featured the Vernon Duke standard-to-be "Autumn In New York" https://youtu.be/EoREpQP62N8
From 78rpm Victor 24868 - Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley) by Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Joey Nash, recorded February 11, 1935 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
A Crosby hit from Bing’s Paramount film “Two For Tonight.”
From 78rpm Victor 25119 - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Gordon-Revel) by Rich...
A Crosby hit from Bing’s Paramount film “Two For Tonight.”
From 78rpm Victor 25119 - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Gordon-Revel) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC August 19, 1935
A Crosby hit from Bing’s Paramount film “Two For Tonight.”
From 78rpm Victor 25119 - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Gordon-Revel) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC August 19, 1935
Rather long for a standard-groove 10-inch 78 disc, this one clocks in at 3:45.
The original 78rpm single was issued on Victor 26106 - Day After Day (Himber-Gre...
Rather long for a standard-groove 10-inch 78 disc, this one clocks in at 3:45.
The original 78rpm single was issued on Victor 26106 - Day After Day (Himber-Green) by Richard Himber and his Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC November 10, 1938 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
Rather long for a standard-groove 10-inch 78 disc, this one clocks in at 3:45.
The original 78rpm single was issued on Victor 26106 - Day After Day (Himber-Green) by Richard Himber and his Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC November 10, 1938 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection of a Robin & Rainger song from the early-1936 Paramount fim release “Rose of the Rancho,” which starred John Boles and Gladys Swarthout.
From Victor 25179 - If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC October 21, 1935
From the Rick Colom Collection: “Stags At Bay” was a 1934 Princeton Triangle Club musical that produced both this tune and the well-known “East Of The Sun.”
This is one of eight posted tracks recorded In 1935 by the Richard Himber orchestra that were never issued for consumer purchase but were distributed to radio stations on 33 1/3 Western Electric transcription discs for broadcast use.
As pseudonyms were commonly used on such media by artists who were currently under contract to a commercial record label, Richard Himber and vocalist Stuart Allen were identified on the disc label as “Larry Bradford” and “Stan Abbott.”
See also: Love Is Sweeping The Country, Hunkadola, I’d Rather Listen To Your Eyes, I’d Love To Take Orders From You, Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle, What A Wonderful World, and I Found A Dream
Audio recording and label scan from the Bob Merchant collection, provided courtesy of Rick Colom, digitally processed by Bob Moke: Western Electric transcription S-56-A, track 1 - Will Love Find A Way (Bowman-Alexander) by the Larry Bradford Orchestra (Richard Himber), vocal by Stan Abbott (Stuart Allen), issued c. October 1935
A great track from Joey Nash's final recording session with the Himber band. The revue "Thumbs Up" ran 156 performances and, along with "Zing," featured the Vernon Duke standard-to-be "Autumn In New York" https://youtu.be/EoREpQP62N8
From 78rpm Victor 24868 - Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley) by Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Joey Nash, recorded February 11, 1935 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
A Crosby hit from Bing’s Paramount film “Two For Tonight.”
From 78rpm Victor 25119 - From The Top Of Your Head (To The Tip Of Your Toes) (Gordon-Revel) by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC August 19, 1935
Rather long for a standard-groove 10-inch 78 disc, this one clocks in at 3:45.
The original 78rpm single was issued on Victor 26106 - Day After Day (Himber-Green) by Richard Himber and his Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra, vocal by Stuart Allen, recorded in NYC November 10, 1938 .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three* MusicProf channels are home to The HITS ARCHIVES, YouTube’s most comprehensive collection of U.S. ‘popular music’ recordings from 1925 thru 1975. Discover thousands of original hit versions, conveniently arranged in year-by-year playlists and sorted alphabetically in your choice of either song title or artist name. Simply visit this channel’s home page (here: https://www.youtube.com/@the78prof72 ), scroll down the rows of playlist categories, choose a favorite year, click on “view full playlist,” and then pick out the songs that you want to hear. Enjoy the music!
* The78Prof The45Prof AnotherProf
Richard Himber (20 February 1899 - 11 December 1966) was an American bandleader, composer, violinist, magician and practical joker.
Early life
He was born as Herbert Richard Imber in Newark, New Jersey to the owner of a chain of meat stores. His parents gave him violin lessons, but when they found him performing in a seedy Newark dive, they took the instrument away from him and sent him to military school. In 1915, he stole away into New York City, where Sophie Tucker heard him play and hired him as a novelty act to play with her and the Five Kings of Syncopation where Himber was the highlight of the cabaret act.
He worked his way through Vaudeville and down Tin Pan Alley. He managed Rudy Vallee's orchestra service, which sent out bands for private parties and society functions. A suave salesman and irrepressible idea man, he soon had his own band booking agency. In 1932, he acquired the first known "vanity" telephone number, R-HIMBER, answered 24 hours a day. Later that year, Himber finally formed an orchestra of his own, parlaying a gig at New York's Essex House Hotel into national NBC radio exposure. Among the top-notch professionals in its ranks were Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and many other future stars of the music world.
Since its 1934 debut, when Richard Himber’s orchestra banged out the first recording as a one-take Hail Mary at the end of a session at the urging of vocalist JoeyNash, it’s proven itself malleable ...
Walking in a winter wonderland can be as lovely as the classic 1934 Richard Himber song indicates, with majestic imagery of soft snowflakes falling atop knitted caps and children making imprints of an... .
(NEXSTAR) - "We'll pretend that he is Parson Brown" is likely a lyric you have sung once or twice in your life ... The song was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith, and originally sung by Richard Himber ... .
The Roanoke Times
06 Nov 2023
The Roanoke Times
06 Nov 2023