George Paxton

George Paxton led a very good band from 1944 until about 1949.  He got his start in the late 1930's as an arranger and saxophonist for George Hall's Orchestra. At that time, George Hall was turning over the reigns of his band to his popular vocalist, Dolly Dawn, and Paxton's excellent arrangements helped make the transition a success.

In the early 1940's, Paxton began arranging music for Bunny Berigan, Charlie Spivak, Vaughn Monroe and Sammy Kaye.  His top shelf arrangements also played a large role in the comeback of bandleader Ina Ray Hutton.

In 1944, Paxton stepped out of the background and formed his own band. George Paxton and His Orchestra went on to enjoy a good level of success and popularity.  The band toured the eastern part of the United States and reached a national audience via broadcasts from the Roseland Ballroom.  

His band featured some pretty big names including Nick Fatool on drums, Doc Goldberg on bass and vocalists Alan Dale and Liza Morrow to name just a few.

George Paxton later went on to influence the music of the 1960's with a record label he co-founded called Coed Records.

Listen to: "I Begged Her" by George Paxton and His Orchestra from July of 1942

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The Four Knights

The Four Knights were a fantastic vocal group from Charlotte, North Carolina that enjoyed some national success in the late 1940's and throughout 1950's.  The original lineup included: Gene Alford, Oscar Broadway, Clarence Dixon and John Wallace.  They formed the group in 1943 under the name The Southland Jubilee Singers.  By 1944, they were receiving regional exposure on a radio program called Carolina Hayride.  They also appeared on a handful of transcription discs for Lang-Worth Records and at that point decided to change their name to The Four Knights.

In 1948, The Four Knights caught their big break as a regular appearing act on The Red Skelton Show (Raleigh Cigarettes Program).  This gig gave them the national exposure they needed and they became a popular fixture on the show.  They performed on the Red Skelton Show for over two years and many of the songs that you hear on Swing City Radio is from that library of music performances.

Listen to: "Sugarfoot Rag" by The Four Knights from April of 1950

Sadly, in late 1950 the Red Skelton Show parted ways with The Four Knights due to a contract dispute.  The group then fired their manager because they now had lost their national exposure.  A couple of years later, with new representation, the group renewed their contract with Skelton for his new TV Show.

The Four Knights eventually went on to have a major hit in 1954 called "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)" which awarded them a gold record for selling over a million copies worldwide.  They recorded many songs that appeared on the charts throughout the 1950's, but as the 1960's rolled in, music styles were changing, and soon the Four Knights fizzled out.  The group officially disbanded in 1966. 

Their music has been compared to the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots by some.  I feel they had a much fuller sound that could really swing at times.  The songs they performed on The Red Skelton Show are a great example of that.  The music really had a good groove to it. Especially the songs where the house orchestra led by David Rose provided accompaniment.

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