Chuck Foster & His Orchestra

Very popular American big band. In the 1960s and 1970s, the band played west of Chicago, Illinois at the Melody Hill Ballroom, the Biltmore Bowl in Los Angeles, the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, the Roosevelt in New Orleans, the Muehlbach Hotel in Kansas City, and the Aragon Ballroom and the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago. The band was labeled "Music in the Foster Fashion" and their theme song was "Oh, You Beautiful Doll". Besides his own abilities, what helped Foster to remain popular into the 1970s was the fact that he had loyal, talented musicians working for him. Most of the personnel in his band stuck around for a long time, including trumpeter Don Crawford; trombonist Dick Arant; lead alto saxophonist Bill Gee; tenor saxophonist Wayne Harden; another saxophonist, Jimmy Castle (who also sang); pianist Hal Pruden; bassist Stewart Strange; drummer Bob Simpson; and vocalists Dorothy Brandon or Dottie Dotson. It was stated that in 1941-42 Foster and his orchestra traveled more than 50,000 miles in private automobiles and played in 28 states, mostly one-night stands or theaters, with a few steady gigs in hotels and ballrooms.

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