Search - B.A. Rolfe :: Edison Laterals 6

B.A. Rolfe -- so round, so firm, so fully packed

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 01/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The pleasantly rotund Benjamin Aldolphus Rolfe had one of the earliest coast-to-coast network radio shows. Rolfe's long musical career began at age 6, when he played solo piccolo at an ice rink. His youth was spent as a clown-musician in a circus, after which he emulated his dad and became an orchestra leader. Next B.A. owned a silent movie company. When that business eventually failed, Rolfe and his cornet returned to orchestral work. In 1926, he and his aggregation landed a contract with NBC radio and the "Lucky Strike Dance Hour" went on the air. The show ran five years.



In 1928, Rolfe signed with the EDISON company to record some electrical transcriptions for them. For various reasons, very few EDISON laterals were ever released. Thus, most of the songs on B.A ROLFE AND HIS LUCKY STRIKE ORCHESTRA are one-of-a-kind test pressings or limited run unissued material. It's evident from these twenty tracks that Rolfe fronted a fine group-- their placement on nationwide radio during the Twenties dance band craze was more than justified.



Sound quality throughout is very good, especially when considering the material's age and rarity. The album includes a nicely detailed eight page booklet. Recording dates for all selections are given.



TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 66:50"