Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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JONES, Spike

(b Lindley Armstrong Jones, 14 December 1911, Long Beach CA; d 1 May 1965, Los Angeles) Drummer, bandleader. He played in orchestras on the radio (Al Jolson, Kraft Music Hall etc), then formed Spike Jones and his City Slickers with the accent on comedy and funny noises, using bells, whistles, pistols, sneezes, hiccups, belches, cowbells, foghorns etc; the act was always a delight and the comedy worked partly because the band was tight: the musical values were always there. He signed to Victor, on Bluebird at first; he had instant success with own composition 'Der Fuehrer's Face', first of seven top ten hits '42-9, included sendups 'Cocktails For Two', 'Chloe', 'Hawaiian War Chant', 'William Tell Overture' and no. 1 two-sided hit 'All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth'/ 'Happy New Year' '48. 'Dance Of The Hours' '49 was followed by several more lesser hits '50-3. 

The band was on the radio in the late '40s; he began featuring his wife, vocalist Helen Grayco; had TV show Spiketaculars, appeared in several films '43-54; the popular touring show was called the Musical Depreciation Review. Key elements in the band's heyday included vocalists Doodles Weaver, Red Ingle, vocalist/ trumpeter George Rock; after murdering a pop tune or a classic he would acknowledge applause with a straight face: 'Thank you, music lovers.' They were billed as The Band that Plays for Fun from '57; became the New Band of Spike Jones '63, playing folk songs and dixieland. LPs on Verve early '50s included A Christmas Spectacular and Dinner Music For People Who Aren't Very Hungry; the last band made three albums on Liberty. There were compilations on RCA, Pair and ASV; two volumes of Radio Years and two-CD Music Depreciation Society were all on Rhino.

From 1954 to 1961 The Spike Jones Show was on TV, first on NBC, then on CBS. In 2009 a 3-DVD set was released by Infinty Entertainment/SJ2 Entertainment: The Best Of Spike Jones: The Craziest Show On Earth! included over 60 songs from the TV shows, chosen and sequenced by Spike Jones Jr, who was there.