Dick Jurgens

Dick Jurgens was born the son of Dietrich Heinrich Jurgens and Clara Matilda ( Erath ) Jurgens in Sacramento. He first played in an orchestra at the high school. In 1928, he founded his first own band when he was a student. Member was also his brother Will Jurgens, who later became his manager. Jurgens studied at UC Berkeley and at Sacramento Junior College before joining a commitment with his orchestra at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco adopted in 1933. The following year he Decca Records signed her, and he took 1934-1940 numerous recordings for the label on. Jurgens ' singer at this time was Eddy Howard. Jurgens played among others at this time in the Casino Ballroom on Santa Catalina Iceland, Elitch Gardens in Denver, the Aragon Ballroom and the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago. In 1938 he recorded for Vocalion Records, and in 1940 for Okeh Records; his first success in the U.S. Your Hit Parade was "It's a Hundred to One You're in Love with Me" in 1939; the following year was the title " In an Old Dutch Garden" a big hit.

Jurgens often played Glenn Miller hits; his versions were often successful on the charts as the song " Careless ". After singer Howard left the band in 1940, Harry Cool was the lead singer. Jurgens took around 1940 other hits, such as " A Million Dreams Ago " and the instrumental " Elmer 's Tune ", which eventually Glenn Miller brought in a vocal version of the number-one hit. More late hits were " The Bells of San Raquel " and "Happy in Love" ( which was released on Columbia Records). His biggest success in 1942 was " One Dozen Roses ", with Buddy Moreno as a singer; the song reached # 1 hit the charts this summer.

The end of 1942 sparked Jurgens solved as a result of records strikes the American Federation of Musicians its tape. He made then from 1942 to 1945 in the Marines, his military service and directed theater shows in the troop entertainment. In 1946, he revived his band and took until the 1950s for Columbia and Mercury albums. In 1948 he was on the CBS own radio show; In the same year he married Miriam Davidson. Jurgens kept his formation together until 1956, until finally the swing style was unpopular. He then moved to Colorado Springs and founded with his brother, an electrical business. Occasionally he played in the Broadmoor Country Club in Colorado Springs, then in 1965 he moved to California, where he appeared again. In the 1960s, he put together a new band and went on until 1976. He lived his last years in Sacramento; he sold the naming rights of his ensemble in 1986 to Don Ring.

His music of the 1930s and 1940s appeared in Hindsight Records in the series The Uncollected.