Dixie Dandies set to march in this Sunday
by Mark Hebert
Get that Zoot Suit pressed, have your best gal grab her cloche hat and get ready to swing and jitter bug to your heart’s content, as the Dixie Dandies head to Superior this Sunday to give a free jazz concert on the lawn in front of the county courthouse.
The Dixie Dandies mark the first outdoor concert this summer, sponsored by the Mineral County Performing Arts Council.
“We are excited to bring the Dixie Dandies to Superior,” said MCPAC member Monica Ray. “The Dixie Dandies have played at the Mineral County fair in the past and were well received.”
So what should you expect when the Dandies come rolling in?
“Dixieland jazz and hits from the 20’s and 30’s,” said Bruce Davis, leader of the Dixie Dandies. “We do a little of everything.”
Davis said that he has been playing jazz with big bands since he was a sophomore in high school, and he is “much older than that now.” Davis has been a disc jockey in Spokane – spinning jazz classics – for the last 15 years since his retirement from many years spent as a radio announcer, as well as an entertainment director for hotels in California and Las Vegas.
In 1948 Bing Crosby arranged a job in Los Angeles for Bruce and a band he played in, according to his KPBX bio (the public access radio station where he now spins wax), and he worked as a music director for three television shows. Soon after meeting future wife Patti, they moved to Fresno; from that home base, he was the entertainment director for a chain of hotels and produced commercials for television and radio. In all those jobs, he worked with Nat King Cole, Kay Starr, Steve Allen and other big stars of the day. He also continued to play music professionally.
“I lead the Dixie Dandies and I also lead a smaller group called the Variety Pack,” he said.
Davis said that he lost most of his eyesight 15 years ago, spurring his retirement, but that his loss hasn’t affected his love -- or skill -- of playing jazz trumpet.
“I know a thousand tunes and can just play them” Davis said.
He said that the Dixie Dandies is made up of six members, all from Spokane, and that the formation of the band happened by accident.
“I had hung up the horn and retired,” Davis recalls. “A couple of guys came to me and asked if I would lead their group, and I said ‘why not?’”
Now the group plays at least two gigs per week, although this week marks a busy one for the Dandies.
“This week we have four gigs,” Davis said. “We play together a lot and we’ll be nice and practiced by the time we get to Superior.”
###
Get that Zoot Suit pressed, have your best gal grab her cloche hat and get ready to swing and jitter bug to your heart’s content, as the Dixie Dandies head to Superior this Sunday to give a free jazz concert on the lawn in front of the county courthouse.
The Dixie Dandies mark the first outdoor concert this summer, sponsored by the Mineral County Performing Arts Council.
“We are excited to bring the Dixie Dandies to Superior,” said MCPAC member Monica Ray. “The Dixie Dandies have played at the Mineral County fair in the past and were well received.”
So what should you expect when the Dandies come rolling in?
“Dixieland jazz and hits from the 20’s and 30’s,” said Bruce Davis, leader of the Dixie Dandies. “We do a little of everything.”
Davis said that he has been playing jazz with big bands since he was a sophomore in high school, and he is “much older than that now.” Davis has been a disc jockey in Spokane – spinning jazz classics – for the last 15 years since his retirement from many years spent as a radio announcer, as well as an entertainment director for hotels in California and Las Vegas.
In 1948 Bing Crosby arranged a job in Los Angeles for Bruce and a band he played in, according to his KPBX bio (the public access radio station where he now spins wax), and he worked as a music director for three television shows. Soon after meeting future wife Patti, they moved to Fresno; from that home base, he was the entertainment director for a chain of hotels and produced commercials for television and radio. In all those jobs, he worked with Nat King Cole, Kay Starr, Steve Allen and other big stars of the day. He also continued to play music professionally.
“I lead the Dixie Dandies and I also lead a smaller group called the Variety Pack,” he said.
Davis said that he lost most of his eyesight 15 years ago, spurring his retirement, but that his loss hasn’t affected his love -- or skill -- of playing jazz trumpet.
“I know a thousand tunes and can just play them” Davis said.
He said that the Dixie Dandies is made up of six members, all from Spokane, and that the formation of the band happened by accident.
“I had hung up the horn and retired,” Davis recalls. “A couple of guys came to me and asked if I would lead their group, and I said ‘why not?’”
Now the group plays at least two gigs per week, although this week marks a busy one for the Dandies.
“This week we have four gigs,” Davis said. “We play together a lot and we’ll be nice and practiced by the time we get to Superior.”
###