Henry Busse Sr. (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was a jazz trumpeter known for work with sweet bands and big bands.
Henry Herman Busse was born to a generational German Band family. Under his uncle who was an Oompah band leader Henry studied violin and then trumpet. At the age of 18, following numerous failed attempts, Busse successfully ran away from the family farm outside of Magdeburg, Germany where he had been forced to play trumpet in his uncle’s band. He sailed to New York landing in the German ghettos there. Rousted by the police for sleeping in Grand Central Station, unable to speak the English he found a job on a boat heading to California. He acquired some English on his trip. 1916, found Busse in Hollywood and working as an extra in Keystone Cop films playing trumpet in a movie theatre pit band. |
Henry Busse with Paul Whiteman’s band (Busse is sixth from the left) |
In 1917, Busse played the trumpet with the ‘Frisco “Jass” Band’. He then formed his own band Busse’s Buzzards (which was the nucleus of the Paul Whiteman orchestra of the mid-1920s) featuring Henry Busse—they made four sides total. Busse was the subject of discrimination due to his German accent, which caused concern among those living in post-World War I America.
Busse was concertmaster for the Whiteman Band when it toured Europe in the ’20s, and there discovered a song written by a German doctor – Robert Katscher. Back in the States, Johnny DeSilvia penned new words and the song’s name was changed to “When Day is Done“; it was a hit, and made Busse
famous. While with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, Busse played alongside brothers Tommy Dorsey and Jimmie Dorsey (who later
left to start their own separate bands). He played with Ray Bolger at the Chez Paree, a night club owned by notorious gangster Al Capone.
 |
| Busse at the Chez Paree |
left to start their own separate bands). He played with Ray Bolger at the Chez Paree, a night club owned by notorious gangster Al Capone.
During 1928 after mastering the English language, Busse. left Whiteman's band and began his own orchestra which enjoyed great success in the ’30s and ’40s. This group was more of a sweet dance band than a jazz band and had a very successful career.
He married Dorothy Drake, a former model and stage actress in 1929. Their only son, Henry Busse Jr., was born in 1931, and was 3 when his parents divorced. In 1935, Busse Sr. married Lorayne Brox, member of the Brox Sisters singing trio.
He married Dorothy Drake, a former model and stage actress in 1929. Their only son, Henry Busse Jr., was born in 1931, and was 3 when his parents divorced. In 1935, Busse Sr. married Lorayne Brox, member of the Brox Sisters singing trio.
Busse’s 1934 re-recording of Wang Wang Blues was one of his earliest hits with Paul Whiteman in 1920. Busse was co-composer of this tune. He hit his peak in 1930-45, playing dance music before the war and swing during it. His music was often
berated by Downbeat magazine, which called his a “sweet” or “Mickey Mouse” band. He and his band appeared in an MGM colour movie in 1935 called ‘Starlit Days at the Lido’ filmed at the Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood (sadly pulled down in 2006 after 85 long years) along with Clark Gable and MGM’s stable of stars and in the movie “Lady Let’s Dance“, in which Busse had a speaking part.
The band appeared in a number of film shorts including Paramount's 'Busse Rhythm' (1938); Universal Pictures 'Shuffle Rhythm' with the Six Hits and A Miss vocal group (1942), and 'Hit Tune Serenade' (1943). During World War II Busse enlarged the band to 19 musicians and appeared regularly on 'The Fitch Bandwagon' and 'Coca Cola Spotlight On Bands' radio shows.
His personal life wound up in gossip columns when he partied one night with a woman at the Hotsy Totsy Club and woke up married. He sought an annulment and during the 18 months to unwind the legal tangle, he toured Europe and staved off arrest for non-payment of alimony.He moved to California after the war; although during the late 1940's and 1950's, most of his work came from the few remaining ballrooms in the South and Midwest. In 1954 his band, with the King Sisters, had a very successful engagement at Catalina Island. He continued to record and perform up until his death in 1955. Busse died at an undertaker’s convention at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee while playing with the Shuffle Rhythm Band.
![]()
Al Hirt and Herb Alpert have remarked they were inspired by the trumpet solo work of Busse, particularly his rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue“. (Edited mainly from Wikipedia)