1. In 1912, following numerous failed attempts, at age 18, Henry Busse successfully ran away from the family farm outside of Magdeburg, Germany, where he had been forced to play trumpet in his uncle's band.
10 Facts About Henry Busse
1. 2.
Henry Busse initially "jumped ship" in New York City, landing in the German ghettos there.
3.
In 1917, Henry Busse played the trumpet with the "Frisco "Jass" Band".
4.
Henry Busse was the subject of discrimination because of his German accent, which caused concern among those living in post-World War I America.
5.
Henry Busse co-composed several of the band's early hit songs, including "Hot Lips" and "Wang Wang Blues".
6.
Henry Busse was concertmaster for the Whiteman Band when it toured Europe in the 1920s, and there discovered a song written by a German doctor - Robert Katscher.
7.
Henry Busse played with Ray Bolger at the Chez Paree, a night club owned by notorious gangster Al Capone; Busse ran the house band there and worked for Capone.
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Ray Bolger 8.
Henry Busse's music was often berated by Down Beat magazine, which called his a "sweet" or "Mickey Mouse" band.
9.
Henry Busse sought an annulment and during the 18 months to unwind the legal tangle, he toured Europe and staved off arrest for non-payment of alimony.
10.
Henry Busse died at an undertaker's convention at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, while he was playing with the Shuffle Rhythm Band.