Posted by AW on March 05, 2004 at 08:24:56:
In Reply to: "Country" Washburne posted by Steve Shoop on March 04, 2004 at 15:55:29:
Country Washburne certainly sounded great in the many Spike Jones & His City Slickers recordings he participated in. He also was an arranger for the band. There is a book that contains an appendix with some biographical information on Jones' band members: "Spike Jones Off The Record" by Jordan R. Young (Past Times Publishing Co.). I will quote:
"Washburne, Country (Joseph Howard Washburne), tuba, arranger. Born Dec. 28, 1904, Houston TX. Washburne won local fame playing bass horn in John "Peck" Kelley's Galveston band in the '20s. Before joining Spike, he was best known for his 1931-42 stint with Ted Weems, who featured him on the band's Bictor, Decca and Columbia recordings; he also recorded with Jimmy McPartland's Squirrels, Wingy Manone, Eddie Skivanek, Nappy Lamare and LaVere's Chicago Loopers during his career. Country played tuba and string bass for the City Slickers on an irregular basis for four years (1942-46), and wrote special material for Spike (notably for "The Nutcracker Suite"). He later recorded with Red Ingle's Natural Seven for Capitol, and was featured with Marvin Ash and Pete Daily on the same label. Radio listeners heard him on such shws as "The Great Gildersleeve", "Fibber McGee and Molly" and "Roy Rogers (with his own band); beginning in 1950, Washburne led the band on Curt Massey's CBS radio and NBC TV shows for more than a decade, hiring a number of former Slickers as sidemen. In his later years he operated a music studio. A gifted composer, Country wrote or collaborated on such songs as "Oh, Mo'nah" (featured by Weems), "One Dozen Roses" (a hit for the Mills Brothers), "Them Durn Fool Things" (featured by Ingle) and "Lawrence Welk Polka" (for Jones' "Hi Fi Polka Party" album). Less known was his genius as an arranger, which shone brightest in the Slickers' renditions of "Cocktails for Two" and "Chloe", and Ingle's parody of "Tim-Tayshun." Died Jan. 21, 1974, Newport Beach CA, age 69; of a heart attack."
I would like to hear of any other information you manage to dig up on this fine musician.
Allen Walker
pipes2000 AT theatreorgans.com