Biography
John Altwerger, 19 May 1919, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, d. 7 January 1990, Palm Springs, California, USA. Originally an alto saxophonist, Auld found work in the early 30s in New York, where his family had recently moved. In 1936 he switched to tenor saxophone under the influence of Coleman Hawkins and, after leading a small group, joined the big band of Bunny Berigan. In 1939, after two years with Berigan, he was hired by Artie Shaw on the recommendation of Billie Holiday. He persuaded Shaw to recruit Buddy Rich, then, after the Shaw band folded, he worked briefly for Jan Savitt, Benny Goodman and Shaw again, before forming his own modern-sounding big band in 1943. The latter included Serge Chaloff, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Levey. After 1946 Auld worked mostly as leader of bop-orientated small groups but with occasional stints in big bands, including those of Billy Eckstine and Goodman, and he also worked with Count Basie’s 1950 small band. Auld...
Read the Full Biography of Georgie Auld & His Orchestra
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