Larry Wagner was an American arranger, composer, and bandleader.
12 Facts About Larry Wagner
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Larry Wagner worked for the band of Paul Whiteman and was long associated with Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra.
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Larry Wagner was born in Ashland, Oregon, on September 15,1907.
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Larry Wagner graduated from Ashland High School in 1926, and went on to attend the University of Oregon, majoring in journalism.
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Larry Wagner dropped out of college in 1930 to play trumpet in the West Coast territory band of Johnny Robinson at Jantzen Beach Amusement Park.
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Larry Wagner moved with the band to Seattle during their tenure at the Olympic Hotel.
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Larry Wagner moved to New York and existed in subsidence mode as a freelance arranger, including work for Cass Daley, George Hall, and the publishing company of Clarence Williams.
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Larry Wagner was a member of Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra, doing arranging and composing for the band between the years 1938 and 1942.
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Larry Wagner served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and was part of an entertainment unit serving in the Pacific Theater.
10.
The Casa Loma outfit disbanded around 1950, leaving Larry Wagner to pursue other projects, such as writing musicals intended for high-school performance, fronting a studio band featuring Billy Butterfield for A440 Records, forming a touring band, and recording with his band in 1956 for Forest Records in a favorably-reviewed single.
11.
Larry Wagner continued his association with Glen Grey into the 1960s and helped perpetuate the Casa Loma leader's name after his death.
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Larry Wagner married Elizabeth "Betty" Brown, his high-school sweetheart, in 1931; they had a daughter, Linda.