About Me
Stan Newcombe Kenton was born in WICHITA, KANSAS on December 15, 1911. (thank you who have corrected me). He was the first of three children, of Floyd and Stella Newcombe Kenton. A couple of weeks later, his family moved to San Louis Valley, Colorado. Then in 1917, the Kenton family moved to the LA area where Stan grew up.
Stan's initial's interest in music was casual, only to be aroused by the presence of the upright piano, which was in the house that he lived in. His mother, who taught, practiced, and played help develpe the musical mind of Stan Kenton. Gradually, music came Stan's the obsession that sparked the enthusium of his theme and style of music.
After Stan graduated from high school, Stan joined his first jazz band, named, the Belltones. It was a six-piece combo group that featured 2 xylophonists. In 1933, Stan was offerened the piano chair in the band of Everett Hoagland, the popular band leader in LA. After accepting the job, he was introduced to two colleagues Vido Musso and Bob Gioga.
The rendezvous Ballroom, in the Balboa Beach was the home base where the Everett Hoagland band would play. Every Saturday night, a blonde hair girl frequently hit the place, watching the band perform. She met Stan kenton, and introduced herself as Violet Peters. By July 1935 they were married. By the end of the summer of 1935, Stan left the band and decided to free-lance again.
He started his own band in the 1941, introducing songs that made him famous. Songs, such as, "Body and soul", "Eager Beaver" and his theme song, "Artistry in Rhythm".
In the 1950's he added French Horns and strings.
In 1977, Stan fell, fracturing his skull and was operated to remove a blood clot. During his absent, the band played on, led by Buddy De Franco. He returned to the band, only to play at his last concert, played on August 20, 1978. He died a year and five days later from a stroke, on August 25, 1979.
To this day, there's no more Stan Kenton band left.
Will there be another like him?************************IF YOU HAVE A SONG REQUEST**************i will try my best to find the song for you, i'm making no promises, since some songs are not downloadable or not available on the internet. Thank you for stopping by this profile. Come back soon.***Thank you to Roy Des Ruisseaux for his pictures on my dedication to the former members of the Stan Kenton Big Band. If you have any pictures of former Stan Kenton band Members and would like to post them on this website, please e-mail it to me and i will be happy to post them on my web-site. Thank you again.
