1. Freddy Nagel's band frequented dance halls throughout the United States during the big band era and reached a wide audience on national CBS and Mutual Radio big band remotes throughout the 1940s.
14 Facts About Freddy Nagel
1. 2.
Freddy Nagel taught himself to play the harmonica and other instruments at a young age.
3.
Freddy Nagel's sisters graduated from Tam High, Audrey in 1928, and Faith in 1935.
4.
Freddy Nagel transferred to Stanford University, where he majored in electrical engineering and was a member of Sigma Nu.
5.
Freddy Nagel formed a campus orchestra, which became the first incarnation of his band.
6.
In doing so, Freddy Nagel eliminated the violins and replaced most of the band members.
7.
Freddy Nagel joined the military in 1943 and entertained the troops with a military band.
8.
The third and best-remembered incarnation of the band came about when Freddy Nagel returned to civilian life and the band late in 1945.
9.
Freddy Nagel adopted a new signature song, Will Hudson's "Sophisticated Swing".
10.
Freddy Nagel disbanded the band in 1950, though he would occasionally perform publicly throughout the rest of his life.
11.
Freddy Nagel moved to Susanville, California, where he and his wife, Barbara, raised three children and owned a ranch.
12.
Freddy Nagel died on June 6,1999, in Lassen County, California.
13.
Freddy Nagel signed with Vitacoustic within a month of its start in March 1947 and recorded several singles.
14.
When Vitacoustic folded less than a year later, Freddy Nagel purchased the masters for $800.