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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGIBBONS, Carroll(b '03, Clinton MA; d May '54) Piano, bandleader. Went to England '24, played piano in the Boston Orchestra, a relief band at the Savoy Hotel for the Savoy Orpheans; it incl. Americans Howard Jacobs on alto sax (worked with Gibbons for many years), Joe Brannelly on banjo (later with Ambrose for 10 years). He took over the Orpheans '27, they toured in Germany, disbanded '28 as Gibbons went to HMV as Director of Light Music: led New Mayfair Dance Orchestra on records, with various small groups accompanied Noel Coward, Paul Robeson, Gracie Fields, many others incl. George Metaxa, a Rumanian-born musical-comedy star (a hit in Coward's Bitter Sweet, '29). Assistant Ray Noble took over when Gibby went to the USA to work in films; he returned to England '31, reformed the Orpheans and led them for the rest of his life. Band-within-a- band was "Carroll Gibbons and his Boy Friends'. Records and broadcasts were extremely popular and his drawling sign-off "G'night, everybody' was very familiar. |