Jack Sperling
Encyclopedia
Jack Sperling was an American Big Band
, television and studio drummer
. He was a recording artist, versatile jazz combo and dynamic Dixieland
musician.
. After the end of World War II
Jack, along with a young pianist Henry Mancini
, joined Tex Beneke
when he took the popular Glenn Miller
big band on the road (1946–1949), following Miller's death. Sperling first gained distinction with the Beneke recording of St. Louis Blues (1948), becoming known for his pioneering, propelling double bass drum solos, his trademark throughout his career. When he played a solo, the melody line remained part of his drum work. His styling, understated and restrained with tight snare drum rolls and tasty ride cymbals behind the big band sounds, set Sperling apart.
Jack soon became a mainstay with Les Brown
and His Band of Renown, then regulars on the Bob Hope
NBC radio program in 1949, which they followed with the recording "Over the Rainbow" (1951). Dave Pell
, the tenor sax soloist with Brown's band formed his own octet in 1953 with musicians from Brown's big band and the combo was often featured during Les Brown concerts before it broke away on its own in 1955. The Dave Pell Octet in its prime included Sperling on drums, whose day gig then was playing with Bob Crosby
's Bobcats (1954–57) appearing on his regular television series. The "Bobcats" at that time consisted of Ray Sherman
, Eddie Miller, Jack Sperling, Morty Corb
, Charlie Teagarden
, Elmer Schneider and Al Hendrickson. Jack would go on to perform with Benny Goodman
, Charlie Barnet
, the Page Cavanaugh Septet and perhaps becoming most known to a new generation of jazz fans for his styling rhythms behind clarinetist Pete Fountain
's Quartet. He recorded with the Dave Pell Octet on Plays Irving Berlin (1953), and on The Original Reunion of the Glenn Miller Orchestra
(1954).
In 1958, Mancini became friends with producer Blake Edwards
, who had an idea for a television show that eventually became the Peter Gunn
series. Mancini wrote all the music for the show which became an immediate hit. The session musicians were John Williams
on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Sperling on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar. The same lineup was featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series.
Sperling recorded with Henry Mancini on the film soundtracks Peter Gunn (1959), Charade (1963) and Days of Wine and Roses
(1962). He was featured along with other seven percussionists, including Shelly Manne
, Milt Holland
, Larry Bunker
, playing African instruments on John Wayne
's Hatari!
(1962). Sperling can be heard on the pilot title tracks of the television series "Bewitched
", and on "Hogan's Heroes
" Jack was the featured solo percussionist.
In 1962 Sperling left the Peter Gunn series and joined the Tonight Show Band and was under contract from 1959-1972 with the NBC Orchestra playing variety shows as "Bob Hope", "Dean Martin
", "Andy Williams
" as well as "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". He also recorded with Ella Fitzgerald
on Get Happy! (1957), Elvis Presley
on "Elvis (1968 TV program)" (1968), Lena Horne
, Peggy Lee
, Bobby Darin
, The Four Freshmen, Frank Sinatra
, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney
, Doris Day
and Mel Torme
.
(Les Brown's Band featured on 4 dance band numbers, filmed 1951)
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, television and studio drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. He was a recording artist, versatile jazz combo and dynamic Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
musician.
Career
In 1941 he played with trumpeter Bunny BeriganBunny Berigan
Rowland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was an American jazz trumpeter who rose to fame during the swing era, but whose virtuosity and influence were shortened by a losing battle with alcoholism that ended in his early death at age 33. He composed the jazz instrumentals "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues"...
. After the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Jack, along with a young pianist Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, joined Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee Beneke , professionally known as Tex Beneke, was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gorme...
when he took the popular Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
big band on the road (1946–1949), following Miller's death. Sperling first gained distinction with the Beneke recording of St. Louis Blues (1948), becoming known for his pioneering, propelling double bass drum solos, his trademark throughout his career. When he played a solo, the melody line remained part of his drum work. His styling, understated and restrained with tight snare drum rolls and tasty ride cymbals behind the big band sounds, set Sperling apart.
Jack soon became a mainstay with Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
and His Band of Renown, then regulars on the Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
NBC radio program in 1949, which they followed with the recording "Over the Rainbow" (1951). Dave Pell
Dave Pell
Dave Pell is an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader born in New York City.Pell first played in his teens with the big bands of Tony Pastor, Bob Astor, and Bobby Sherwood, and then moved to California in the middle of the 1940s. There he played on Bob Crosby's radio show in 1946, and was a...
, the tenor sax soloist with Brown's band formed his own octet in 1953 with musicians from Brown's big band and the combo was often featured during Les Brown concerts before it broke away on its own in 1955. The Dave Pell Octet in its prime included Sperling on drums, whose day gig then was playing with Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
's Bobcats (1954–57) appearing on his regular television series. The "Bobcats" at that time consisted of Ray Sherman
Ray Sherman
-College career:Sherman played college football at Fresno State as a wide receiver and defensive back. In 1974, he took a job as graduate assistant for San Jose State...
, Eddie Miller, Jack Sperling, Morty Corb
Morty Corb
Mortimer G. "Morty" Corb was an American jazz double-bassist.Corb had a long career as a jazz musician, playing with Gus Bivona, Pete Fountain, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Claude Thornhill, Jess Stacy, Kid Ory, Jack Teagarden, and Benny Goodman, as well as...
, Charlie Teagarden
Charlie Teagarden
Charlie Teagarden was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of Jack Teagarden....
, Elmer Schneider and Al Hendrickson. Jack would go on to perform with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Charlie Barnet
Charlie Barnet
Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "Southland Shuffle".-Early life:...
, the Page Cavanaugh Septet and perhaps becoming most known to a new generation of jazz fans for his styling rhythms behind clarinetist Pete Fountain
Pete Fountain
Pete Fountain , is an American clarinetist based in New Orleans. He has played jazz, Dixieland and Creole music.-Early life and education:...
's Quartet. He recorded with the Dave Pell Octet on Plays Irving Berlin (1953), and on The Original Reunion of the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...
(1954).
In 1958, Mancini became friends with producer Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
, who had an idea for a television show that eventually became the Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
series. Mancini wrote all the music for the show which became an immediate hit. The session musicians were John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Sperling on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar. The same lineup was featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series.
Sperling recorded with Henry Mancini on the film soundtracks Peter Gunn (1959), Charade (1963) and Days of Wine and Roses
Days of Wine and Roses (film)
Days of Wine and Roses is a film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller adapted from his own 1958 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name....
(1962). He was featured along with other seven percussionists, including Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
, Milt Holland
Milt Holland
Milt Holland was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnic musicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene who pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percussion styles in jazz, pop and film music, traveling extensively on those continents to collect instruments and to...
, Larry Bunker
Larry Bunker
Lawrence Benjamin "Larry" Bunker was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. He also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.-Biography:...
, playing African instruments on John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's Hatari!
Hatari!
Hatari! is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. The title means "danger" in Swahili, which was mentioned in the film as well...
(1962). Sperling can be heard on the pilot title tracks of the television series "Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
", and on "Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
" Jack was the featured solo percussionist.
In 1962 Sperling left the Peter Gunn series and joined the Tonight Show Band and was under contract from 1959-1972 with the NBC Orchestra playing variety shows as "Bob Hope", "Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
", "Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
" as well as "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". He also recorded with Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
on Get Happy! (1957), Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
on "Elvis (1968 TV program)" (1968), Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
, The Four Freshmen, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
and Mel Torme
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
.
Soundtracks
- Bewitched (1964)1964 in televisionThe year 1964 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1964.For the American TV schedule, see: 1964-65 American network television schedule.-Events:...
Screen Gems (Pilot Title Track) - Hogan's Heroes (1965) Paramount (Soloist Pilot Title Track)
- Elvis (1968 TV program) (1968) NBC Studios
Early musical short films
- Les Brown (1948) (10 min) dir: Jack Scholl
- Les Brown and His Band of Renown (1949) (15 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Art Lund-Tex Beneke-Les Brown (1948) (10 min) dir: Jack Scholl
- Connee Boswell and Les Brown's Orchestra (1950) (15 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Crazy Frolic (1953) (19 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Dance Demons (1957) (14 min) dir: Will Cowan
- Rockabilly Baby (1957) (81 min) dir: William F.Claxton
- Snarder Telescriptions: The Big Bands Vol.2 (1958) (47 min)
(Les Brown's Band featured on 4 dance band numbers, filmed 1951)
