Athos C. Brigode (January 5, 1893 – February 3, 1960) was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 dance band leader who enjoyed his greatest popularity in the 1920s.

Ace Brigode was born in Illinois. His band began playing professionally in early 1921 as "Ace Brigode & His 10 Virginians"; a bit later they were renamed "Ace Brigode & His 14 Virginians"; this name stuck although the band varied between having 9 to 19 members over the years. The band played in the moderately jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

-influenced peppy dance band style called "Collegiate Hot" that to many people exemplifies the music of the "Roaring Twenties". The most noted musician who played with Brigode was trombonist Abe Lincoln.

Brigode hosted the "White Rose Gasoline Show" on radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

, featuring his band. The band also made gramophone record

Gramophone record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

s for various record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

s, including OKeh

Okeh Records

Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...

, Edison

Edison Records

Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...

, Cameo

Cameo Records

Cameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...

 and Pathé Records

Pathé Records

Pathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...

; their biggest hit was a 1925 version of "Yes Sir, That's My Baby

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" is a U.S. popular song from 1925.The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was a hit for Ace Brigode in 1925 and for Eddie Cantor in 1930. It was later a hit for Rick Nelson in the 1950s and Frank Sinatra in the 1960s...

" for Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

. The band's theme song was "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland , an African American minstrel who wrote over 700 folk songs...

". Dwight Eisenhower was among the band's fans.

Brigode himself played violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 and clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

, but mostly acted as master of ceremonies. The band toured widely around the United States. Brigode kept the band current with newer style arrangements in to the early swing music era, before disbanding the group in 1945.

After this Ace Brigode worked as promotions manager for Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

's Chippewa Lake Park, and also did television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 commercial voice work.

See also

• Ace Brigode Recordings
  Ace Brigode Recordings
  Ace Brigode’s band varied in number and players. His band included Eddie Allen, Ignaz Berber, Fred Brohez, Nick Cortez, Lucien Criner, Al Delaney, Penn Fay, Mark Fisher, Cliff Gamet, Billy Hayes, Gene Fogarthy, Jeremy Freshour, Don Juille, Teddy King, Abe Lincoln, Bud Lincoln, Happy Masefield,...