1. Benjamin Bernard Selvin was an American musician, bandleader, and record producer.
18 Facts About Ben Selvin
1. 2.
Ben Selvin was known as the Dean of Recorded Music.
3.
Ben Selvin's output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles.
4.
Ben Selvin was born in New York City, United States, the son of Jewish Russian immigrants.
5.
Ben Selvin started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player in New York City night clubs.
6.
Ben Selvin was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America that was presented to Selvin on his retirement on March 14,1963.
7.
Ben Selvin proceeded to record for almost all record companies at the time including Paramount, OKeh, Emerson, Lyric, Arto, Cardinal, Vocalion, Pathe, Federal, Brunswick, Grey Gull, Banner, and Columbia.
8.
From 1927 to 1934 Selvin was artists and repertoire director for Columbia Records, where his many productions included musicians Mannie Klein, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, and Bunny Berigan.
9.
The new venture was called the World Broadcasting System, with newly-constructed recording facilities in Manhattan called Sound Studios, Inc Haenschen persuaded Ben Selvin to leave Brunswick to accept an offer from Columbia Records to become the company's Artists and Repertoire director while serving as a silent partner in the World Broadcasting venture.
10.
Ben Selvin, who was known for his ability to write orchestral arrangements rapidly and to oversee multiple recording sessions, became a central figure in the success of World Broadcasting.
11.
Ben Selvin was musical director of Majestic Records beginning in 1947.
12.
In 1953, Ben Selvin left his post as general manager in the Southern Music Publishing Co.
13.
In 1954 Ben Selvin recruited another artist from the realm of easy listening music for the RCA Thesaurus library - George Melachrino.
14.
Ben Selvin served as a musical consultant to Top of the Fair venue at the New York World's Fair in 1964.
15.
Ben Selvin died at his home at 112 Reni Road in Flower Hill, New York, on July 15,1980.
16.
Ben Selvin was 82 years old at the time of his death, which had been caused by a heart attack.
17.
The Guinness Book of World Records states that Ben Selvin made a record 9,000 recordings as either a bandleader, violinist or recording manager from 1919 to 1966.
18.
In recognition of his achievements, Ben Selvin was awarded a gold disk by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1963.