Jack Sperling
Jack Sperling (August 171922 - February 262004) was an American Big Band, television and studio drummer. He was a recording artist, versatile jazz combo and dynamic Dixieland musician.
Career
In 1941 he played with trumpeter Bunny Berigan. After the end of World War II Jack, along with a young pianist Henry Mancini, joined Tex Beneke when he took the popular Glenn Miller big band on the road (1946-1949), following Miller's death. Sperling first gained distinction with the Beneke recording of St. Louis Blues (1948), becoming know for his pioneering, propelling double bass drum solos, his trade mark throughout his career. When he played a solo, the melody line remained part of his drum work. His styling understated and restrained with tight snare drum rolls and tasty ride cymbals behind the big band sounds set Sperling apart, the ultimate driving powerhouse.
Jack soon became a main stay with Les Brown and His Band of Renown, then regulars on the Bob Hope radio program in 1949, which they followed with the recording "Over the Rainbow " (1951). Sperling left to play with Bob Crosby's Bobcats (1954-57 appearing on his regular television series), then performing with Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, and becoming most known for his styling rhythms behind clarinetist Pete Fountain. He recorded with Dave Pell Octet, "Plays Irving Berlin" (1953), and on The Original Reunion of the Glenn Miller Orchestra (1954).
In 1958, Mancini became friends with producer Blake Edwards, who had an idea for a television show that eventually became the “Peter Gunn” series. Mancini wrote all the music for the show which became an immediate best seller. The session musicians were John Williams on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Jack Sperling on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar. The same lineup was featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series. Sperling recorded with Henry Mancini on film soundtracks "Peter Gunn" (1959), " Charade" (1963) and "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962). Jack can be heard on the title tunes to the shows "Bewitched" and "Hogan's Heroes".
In 1959 through 1972 Sperling was under contract with the NBC Orchestra playing variety shows as "Bob Hope", "Dean Martin", "Andy Williams" as well as "
Discography
Bunny Berigan
- Bunny Berigan And His Orchestra 1938 - 1942 RCA
- Sophisticated Swing (1947)
Tex Beneke & The Glenn Miller Orchestra
- St. Louise Blues March (1948) RCA Victor (Featuring Jack Sperling)
- Cherokee Canyon (1948) RCA Victor
- Palladium Patrol (1970) CD Aero Space
- Dancers Delight (1996) CD Magic
- Best Of Tex Beneke (1999) CD Collector's Choice
- Live At The Edgewater (2000) CD Jerden
- Tex Beneke & His Orchastra 1946-1949 (2001) CD Nostalgia Arts
- In Glenn Millers' Footsteps: Blues Serenades & Marches (2001) CD Jasmine
- Five Minutes More: A Tribute (2001) ASV Living Era
- It's Magic 1947-48 (2002) CD Magic
- Memories (2005) CD Sounds of yesteryear
- Gary Steven's Sings (2005) CD
- Midnight Serenade (2006) CD Sounds of yesteryear
- Beyond The Sea (2007) CD Sounds of yesteryear
Les Brown & His Band of Renown
- Connee Boswell and Les Brown (1950) Short Film (15 min.)
- Connee Boswell I Don't Know (1950)
- Connee Boswell Martha (1950)
- Over the Rainbow (1951)
- My Heart Belongs To Daddy (1952) Coral
- Back In Your Own Backyard (1952) Coral
- Palladium Concert (1953) (2005) CD Group 7
- Live at the Hollywood Palladium (1954)
- The Best of Big Bands: Les Brown and His Great Vocalists (1941)
- Les Brown & His Orchestra, Vol. 2 (1949) Hindsight
- Radio Days Live(2001) CD (Early Radio Recordings)
- Les Brown & His Band Renown (1957) Coral
- Swinging Song Book (1957) Coral
- Live at Elitch Gardens 1959 (1959)
- Bandland/ Revolution In Sound (1960)(2001) CD Collectables
- Digital Swing (1986) (1990)CD Fantasy
- Anything Goes (1994) CD USA
- America Swings (1995) CD Hindsight
- Sentimental Thing (with Bing Crosby & Billy Eckstine) (2003)CD Sounds of Yesteryear
- No Name Bop
- A Good Man Is Hard to Find
- Thank You for Your Fine Attention
- The Les Brown All-Stars (2006) Group 7 Music
Doris Day
- From This Moment On (1950) Columbia
- It's Magic (2002) CD Proper Pairs
The Modernaires
Dave Pell Octet
- Plays Irving Berlin (1953) Capitol
- Burke and Van Heusen (1953) Capitol
- I Had the Craziest Dream (1955) Capitol
- Say It With Music (2004) CD Group Seven
Tom Talbert Jazz Orchestra
- The Warm Cafe (1955) (1991) CD Modern Concept
- Duke's Domain (1955) (1993) CD Sea Breeze
Scatman Crothers
- Oh, Yeah! (1956) Tops
- Rock and Roll with Scat Man (1956) Tops
John Towner
- Jazz Beginnings-Fresh Sound (1956)
- The John Towner Touch (1957) Kapp
Rosemary Clooney
- Jazz Singer (1952) (2003) CD Sony
- Many a Wonderful Moment (1958) RCA
Ella Fitzgerald
Pete Fountain
- Pete Fountain's New Orleans (1959) Coral
- Pete Fountian Day (1960) Coral
- Pete Fountain Salutes The Great Clarinetists (1960) Coral
- Pete Fountain's French Quarter (1961) Coral
- Live In Santa Monica (1961)Hindsight
- Jack Sperling and his Fascinatin' Rhythm (1961)Coral
- Plenty Of Pete (1963) Coral
- Mr. New Orleans (1963) MCA
- The Best Of Pete Fountain (1970) Coral
- The Best Of Pete Fountain (1972) MCA
- The Best Of Dixieland:Pete Fountain (2001)CD Verve
Henry Mancini
- Fallout/ Music from Peter Gunn (1959) RCA
- The Blues and the Beat (1960) RCA
- Uniquely Mancini (1963)RCA
- Mancini '67 (The Big Band Sound of Henry Mancini) (1967) RCA
- Mancini Salutes Sousa (1972) RCA
Frank Sinatra
- Guys and Dolls (1963) Reprise (with Dean Martin)
- We Open In Venice (1963) Reprise (with Dean Martin & Sammy Davis jr.)
Dean Martin
- Bianca (1963) Reprise
- If this Isn't Love (1963) Reprise
- Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (1964) Capitol
Bobby Darin
- From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie (1964) Capitol
- Broadway Bag (1965) Atlantic
- Magic of Bobby Darin (1965) Atlantic
- The Shadow of Your Smile (1965) Atlantic
- Breaking Point/Silver Dollar (1966) (singles) Atlantic
- Swingin' the Standards (1999) CD Atlantic
Music of Bob Freedman
- Tender Loving World (1973) CD Temponic
- When It's Time to Tell (1973) CD Temponic
- That's Love (1973) CD Temponic
- How Could I Go On (1973) CD Temponic
- Sleepy Baby (1973) CD Temponic
Abe Most
- Abe Most Live! (1994)
- I Love Yo Much Too Much (2007) CD Camard
Paul Cacia
- Paul & His New Age Jazz Orchestra (2003)CD
- Cacia: Portrait (2003) CD (Featuring Jack Sperling)
Various Artist
- Dinah Washington The Definitive Dianah Washington 1943-1962 Verve
- Teresa Brewer Music, Music, Music (1950) (2005) CD ASV Living Era
- Billy May Glenn Miller Orchestra Reunion (1954)
- Walter Gross Walter Gross plays his own great songs (1956) ABC/ Paramount
- George Van Eps Mellow Guitar (1956) Corinthian
- Jo Stafford & Paul Weston The Original Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards, Vocals by Darlene Edwards. (1957)
- The Kirby Stone Four Man I Fliped (1957) Cadence
- The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen and 5 Guitars (1957) Capitol
- The Kingston Trio (1958) Capitol (Bongos, Conga)
- Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte Sings the Blues (1958) RCA
- Sheb Wooley The Purple People Eater (1958) RCA
- Chet Atkins Chet Atkins In Hollywood (1959) RCA
- Ralph Marterie And The All Star Men Big Band Man (1959) Mercury
- Paul Smith Saratoga (1959)
- Benny Goodman King of Swing 1958-1967 (1960) (1995) CD ERA
- Wynona Carr Wild Wonderfull Wynona (1962) Reprise
- Lena Horne
- Peggy Lee
- Mel Torme
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Ann Margret (1961)
- Bonanza A Ponderosa Party (1962-1966) Bear Family
- Bob Crosby Mardi Gras Parade (1966)
- Charlie Barnet Charlie Barnet Big Band: 1967 (1966)
- Carmen McRae Portrait of Carmen (1967) Reprise
- Bob Florence Pet Project (1967) World Pacific
- John Sheridan Stairway to Paradise (1975) Atlantic
- Peanuts Hucko Peanuts Hucko with His Pied Piper Quintet (1979)
- Eddie Miller
- My Rifle, My Pony and Me (1994) Bear Family (Western Sound Tracks)
- The Ultimate Lounge Shaken Not Stirred (1996) Ryko (Bongos, Conga)
- The Man Who Robbed the Bank at Santa Fe (2002) CD Bear Family
- Don Fagerquist Don Fagerquist: Portrait of a Great Jazz Artist (2005) CD Fresh Sounds of Spain
Soundtracks
- The Five Pennies (1959) Paramount Pictures
- Peter Gunn (1959) MGM
- Mr. Lucky (1959) CBS
- Rawhide (1959) Paramount Pictures
- Days of Wine and Roses (1962) Warner Bros.
- Bonanza (1962) Paramount (Percussion)
- Charade (1963) Universal Pictures
Early Musical Short Films
- Les Brown (1948) (10 min) dir: Jack Scholl
- Les Brown and His Band of Renown (1949) (15 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Art Lund-Tex Beneke-Les Brown (1948) (10 min) dir: Jack Scholl
- Connee Boswell and Les Brown's Orchestra (1950) (15 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Crazy Frolic (1953) (19 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Dance Demons] (1957) (14 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Rockabilly Baby] (1957) (81 min) dir: William F.Claxton
Television
- Bob Hope Show (1949-1954) NBC Radio
- Colgate Comedy Hour (1952) NBC
- Bob Crosby Show (1954-57) CBS
- Peter Gunn (1958-1961) MGM
- Mr. Lucky (1959-1960) CBS
- Rawhide (1959) Paramount Pictures
- Bob Hope Show (1959-1962) NBC
- The Steve Allen Show (1959) NBC
- Star Time: The Swingin' Singin' Years (1960) NBC (Featured)
- Bobby Darin and Friends (1961) NBC
- Andy Williams Show (1962-1967) NBC
- Bonanza (1962-1966) Paramount Pictures
- Bewitched (1964) Screen Gems (Title Song)
- Bob Hope Thanksgiving Show (1964) NBC
- Hogan's Heroes (1965) Paramount Pictures (Tilte Song)
- Dean Martin Show (1965-1972) NBC
- Dean Martin Summer Show (1966) NBC
- Movin' With Nancy (1967) NBC
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1972) NBC
- Rowan & Martin At The Movies (1968) NBC
- Dean Martin and The Golddigger's (1968) NBC
- The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (1968) NBC
- NBC Staff Drummer (1959-1971) NBC Burbank
External Links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
