Barney Rapp
American bandleader and musician (1900–1970)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barnaby Rappaport (March 25, 1900 – October 12, 1970) was an American bandleader and jazz musician known for his work with singer Doris Day.
March 25, 1900
Barney Rapp | |
|---|---|
Rappaport in a 1935 publication of the Indianapolis Times | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Barney Rappaport March 25, 1900 |
| Died | October 12, 1970 (aged 70) Cincinnati, Ohio, US |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Bandleader, musician |
| Labels | RCA, Bluebird |
Spouse | |
Biography
Barnaby Rappaport[1] was born on March 25, 1900,[2] in New Haven, Connecticut. His younger brother was singer Barry Wood. He organized his first band—an orchestra—in the early 1920s, in Connecticut. In 1936, he married Ruby Wright, a vocalist in his orchestra, having four children together.[3]
Rappaport and Wright later moved to Cleveland, where he broadcast his music on local nighttime radio, which led to him signing to RCA and Bluebird Records. While searching for a singer for his planned club in Bond Hill, Cincinnati—called the Sign of the Drum[1]—he met singer Doris Day in a restaurant in 1938. Two weeks later, he selected her as his singer from a pool of 200 contestants.[4][5] He also suggested Day's stage name, because her surname was too difficult to pronounce; the suggestion began a trend of alliteration in women's stage name in pop music.[6] Rappaport seduced and manipulated Doris, paying her only $50 per week to sing in his band the New Englanders, with half being stolen by her manager.[7] In 1947, he suggested singers Betty and Rosemary Clooney to bandleader Tony Pastor;[3] he also seduced Rosemary.[1]
He also founded the Reds' Rooters Fan Club for the Cincinnati Reds, once performing a band at a stadium for the team.[8]
At some point, Rappaport visited California and appeared in a movie. He died on October 12, 1970,[2] aged 70, in Cincinnati,[3] and was interred at Spring Grove Cemetery.[2]