Ray Anthony (born Raymond Antonini; January 20, 1922) is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor.[1] He is best known for his tenure as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, from 1940 to 1941 and appearing in the film Sun Valley Serenade.
After returning to professional music in 1945 following a stint in the United States Navy, he became a bandleader in his own Orchestra and had a wrote solo compositions, some of which became chart successes, including "The Bunny Hop", "Thunderbird", "Houseparty Hop", "Trumpet Boogie", "Dream Dancing", "Dream While You Dance", "Dance My Heart", "Let's All Do the Swim", "Big Band Boogie", and "Mr. Anthony's Boogie".[2][3][4][5] He also had an amateur acting career and frequently appeared in the tabloids during his brief marriage to actress Mamie Van Doren.
Anthony continued to tour around the United States in big bands before retiring in 1998. At the age of 103, is the last living member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.[6] He is listed as the oldest living recorded musician.[7][8]
Early life
Anthony was born to an Italian family in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, but moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he studied the trumpet after his father gave him a trumpet when he was five, and as a teenager was influenced by Harry James, later saying of him: "In my opinion, I think Harry James was the greatest trumpet. He had a complete mastery of the instrument and a conception I admired".[9][10]
Anthony played in his family group, The Antonini Family Orchestra.[11]
Career
Music
Anthony made his professional debut in 1940, backing Al Donahue.[11]
He played in the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1940 to 1941.[12] He recalled being teased by the other members for being the youngest member: "He (Glenn Miller) was tough but it’s a business. You don’t have much time to do anything but follow the lines".[9] Reportedly, Anthony was constantly fired by Miller due to him repeatedly suggesting new ideas for the band, but was always rehired again as his "skills were so high"; this led to him being nicknamed "Peck's Bad Boy".[10] Ray appeared in the Glenn Miller movie Sun Valley Serenade.
Anthony (far left on the second row) performing on stage with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1940—1941
Anthony lasted less than a year in the group, leaving without return in 1941 after six months due to him not getting along with Miller.[11] He then briefly played with Jimmy Dorsey[11] before he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 during World War II as Miller also joined the Army, organizing another famous military band before his 1944 disappearance over the English Channel. While in the Navy, Anthony entertained troops in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.[9]
After the war, he remained in the navy for one more year,[11] and upon being discharged formed his own group, The Ray Anthony Orchestra which became popular in the early 1950s with "The Bunny Hop" (#13 on Billboard, #34 on Cash Box), "Hokey Pokey", and the memorable theme from the radio/television police detective series Dragnet, which reached no. 2 on Billboard and no. 7 in the UK.[13] He had a No. 2 chart hit on Billboard with a recording of the tune "At Last" in 1952, which also reached no. 20 on Cash Box; it was the highest charting pop version of the song in the U.S. His 1962 recording "Worried Mind" received considerable radio airplay, reaching no. 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[14]
Anthony performing in 1947
In 1953, Anthony and his orchestra were featured when Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly headlined a summer replacement program for Perry Como's CBS television show.[15]
From 1953 to 1954, Anthony was musical director of the television series TV's Top Tunes. In 1957, Anthony and his orchestra recorded the music score for the film This Could Be The Night,[16] with vocals performed by Julie Wilson.
He continued his musical career and had another hit record with the jazzy drumming theme from the Peter Gunn private detective series featuring Craig Stevens, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with its popularity enduring for decades. The B-side of this single hit "Peter Gun theme" also contains the Norwegian song "Tango for Two" written by Bjarne Amdahl and Alf Prøysen. Among the Anthony band's pianists was Allen "Puddler" Harris, a native of Franklin Parish, in Louisiana, who had been a member of the original rock singer Ricky Nelson's band, and Kellie Greene, who also played the vibraphone.
In the early 1980s, Anthony formed Big Band '80s, with other members of the band including Buddy Rich, Harry James, Les Brown, and Alvino Rey.[17] His later works tended to break away from the big-band jazz style of his earlier days, ranging from MOR and lounge music to blues, film and television themes.
On August 29, 1955, he married actress Mamie Van Doren in Toledo, Ohio.[19] Their son Perry Ray was born on March 18, 1956. After Van Doren filed for divorce in 1958, citing "cruelty" and long absences,[20][21] they finally divorced in 1961, with Van Doren being granted custody of Perry.[22] He lives in Hollywood, in a house he lived in since 1975.[9] Anthony has reported to have suffered from hearing loss in recent years, described as having "diminished considerably".[9]
A house Anthony bought in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles in 1952 and lived in for a few years was listed in 2018 for $4.5 million.[23]
Anthony became the last living member of Glenn Miller's band when trombonist Nat Peck died in 2015.[24][6] He turned 100 on January 20, 2022.[25]
Legacy
Anthony was considered one of the most modern big band leaders.
In the lyrics to "Opus One", which imagine a number of players all performing the song, he is cited along with Les Brown and his Band of Renown:
If Mr. Les Brown can make it renown. And Ray Anthony could swing it for me.
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