Phil Ohman

Phil Ohman ( born October 7, 1896 in New Britain, Connecticut as Philmore Wellington Ohman; † August 8, 1954 in Santa Monica ) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer.

Life and work

Phil Ohman was taught music in high school by Edward Laubin, who suggested that he should be trained in Europe. Instead, he trained two years by the organist Alexander Russell. In 1915 he went to New York City, where he played at Wanamaker's ' sales pianos. From 1919, he recorded for QRS piano roll. 1922 and 1923 he worked as a pianist, band member of Paul Whiteman. He became known in the mid 1920s, when he a dance band in New York led with arranger and pianist Victor Arden, which grossed a number of records for Victor, Edison, Brunswick and Columbia. With Arden also he took in the 1920s and 1930s a large number of piano rolls and records; the two also teamed on Broadway, and radio shows; they were also stage pianist in many musicals of George Gershwin.

1934 parted Arden and Ohman; Ohman went active with his own band on the West Coast of the United States, where he not only performed with his band, but also as a composer for film and radio was; along with Johnny Mercer and Macy O. Teetor he wrote the song Lost ( 1936). He had particularly perverse audience with his band a longer exposure to the Mocambo in Hollywood, in the late 1930s from the film industry. He worked in the 1950s as a bandleader.

Ohman wrote film music for the movies one million U.S. dollars Weekend ( 1948), Dick Tracy vs.. Cueball (1946 ), The Roundup (1941 ), invasion of the Olive Branch ( 1940) and The Renegade Trail ( 1939).