Big band remotes were a very popular form of radio programming through the 40s and in this collection we have quite a few. These were recorded off-the-air and, in some cases, from distant radio stations. Static is present at times assuring you that you are hearing these broadcasts just as the were in Billings in the late 1940s.

Some of the shows are fairly complete but some are just clips of a few songs.

Title Date Running Time Description File Name Reel
Al Overend   12:04 Band Remote from the Skyline Club in Billings, Montana. This Skyline Club was located 1 mile west of the airport on the rimrocks above the city of Billings. It was a popular dance venue in the 40s and early 50s and then became a Italian restaurant for a few years. After being reopened in the 60s as a rock and roll club it burned to the ground.

Click here for an ad for the club from the Billings Gazette.

Click here for an ad for the club from the Billings Gazette featuring a picture of singer Paul Gary.
AlOverand-01.mp3 k025
Al Overend   14:22 Band Remote from the Skyline Club in Billings, Montana AlOverand-02.mp3 k030
Al Trace and the Silly Symphonists   15:14 Band remote from the Blackhawk Restuarant in Chicago. WGN AlTrace-01.mp3 k015
Art Kassel and his Castles in the Air   27:39 Band remote from the Blackhawk Restuarant in Chicago. WGN ArtKassel-01.mp3 k011
Art Kassel   26:27 Band remote from the Blackhawk Restuarant in Chicago. WGN ArtKassel-02.mp3 k024
Art Kassel   20:41 Band remote from the Blackhawk Restuarant in Chicago. WGN ArtKassel-03.mp3 k025
Bernie Cummins   12:37 Band remote from the Walnut Room of the Bismark Hotel in Chicago. WGN BernieCummins-01.mp3 k017
Billy Bishop   18:04 Band remote from the Walnut Room of the Bismark Hotel in Chicago. Vocalists: Billy Bishop and Alice Mann (Bishop's wife). WGN BillyBishop-01.mp3 k046
Carlton Hayes   7:45 Band Remote clip followed by KOOK local show CarltonHayes-01.mp3 k052
Del Courtney   11:22 Band remote from the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago. Sound quality is a bit low in this recording. Mutual/WGN DelCourtney-01.mp3 k027
Dick Jurgens   29:33 Band remote from the Cafe Rouge in the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. Announcer: Don McDonald. Vocalists: Jimmy Castle, Jack Eaton, and Al Galante. Recorded from KFAB in Omaha. DickJurgens-01.mp3 k033
Dick Jurgens   22:29 Band remote from the Trocadero Room in Denver. Announcer: Loren Clark. Vocalists: Ray MacIntosh and Al Galante. DickJurgens-02.mp3 k034
Eddie Fitzpatrick   9:12 Band remote from the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. Vocalist: Pete Eastman. NBC EddieFitzpatrick-01.mp3 K039
Eddie Howard   23:37 Band remote from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. EddieHoward-01.mp3 k014
Eddie Howard   18:13 Band remote from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. EddieHoward-02.mp3 k013
Eddie Howard   14:32 Band remote from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Sound quality is a bit low in this recording. Mutual/WGN EddieHoward-03.mp3 k027
Eddie Howard   13:48 Band remote from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Mutual/WGN EddieHoward-04.mp3 k046
Jimmy Featherstone   31:56 Band remote from the Walnet Room of the Bismark Hotel in Chicago. Vocalist: Peggy Murdock. This is followed by 3 minutes of Skitch Henderson. WGN Featherstone-01.mp3 k016
Frankie Carle   11:07 Band remote from the Cafe Rouge in the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. Vocalist: Greg Lawrence. Recorded from KFAB (CBS) in Omaha. FrankieCarle-01.mp3 k035
Freddie Martin and his Singing Saxophone   23:26 Band remote from the Mural Room of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Announcer: Joe Gillespie. Vocalist: Merv Griffin. NBC FreddieMartin-01.mp3 k001
Freddie Martin   15:30 Band remote from the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Vocalist: Merv Griffin. NBC FreddieMartin-02.mp3 k002
Fred Waring   28:49 Band remote from Radio City in New York City. Christmas Show - Maybe Dec 21, 1947 FredWaring-01.mp3 k045
Fred Waring   26:33 "The Christmas Story" FredWaring-02.mp3 k048
Gay Claridge   11:02 Band remote from the Marinique in Chicago. WGN GayClaridge-01.mp3 k015
Guy Lombardo   25:13 Band remote from the Roosevelt Grill in New York City. GuyLombardo-01.mp3 k003
Guy Lombardo   22:30 Guy acts as DJ and plays his own recordings. This recording is from acetate tape. GuyLombardo-02.mp3 k004
Guy Lombardo   27:37 Band remote from the Roosevelt Grill in New York City. From 1949 or later featuring their latest recording, "The Chicken Song." GuyLombardo-03.mp3 k009
Guy Lombardo   25:35 Band remote from the Roosevelt Grill in New York City. Announcer: Frank Walldecker. Vocalist: Kenny Gardner. Mutual GuyLombardo-04.mp3 k010
Guy Lombardo   10:51 Billings DJ spins Guy's records GuyLombardo-05.mp3 k038
Harry Owens   2:57 Excerpt from the end of the show Harry_Owens-06.mp3 k108
Harry Owens and His Royal Hawaiians   7:07 Band remote clip from the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. HarryOwens-01.mp3 k031
Harry Owens   21:56 Band remote from the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Vocalist: Hilo Hattie. NBC HarryOwens-02.mp3 k040
Harry Owens   23:38 Band remote from the Mural Room of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Vocalists: Alex Gould and Hilo Hattie. NBC HarryOwens-03.mp3 k041
Harry Owens   23:29 Band remote from the Mural Room of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Vocalists: Gene Conklin, Eddie Bush, Prince Kawowhi, and Hilo Hattie. NBC HarryOwens-04.mp3 k042
Harry Owens March 1948 23:53 Band remote from the Mural Room of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Prince Kawowhi and Hilo Hattie. NBC HarryOwens-05.mp3 k043
Henry Russell   17:40 Easy Listening band remote featuring Henry Russel and his Hollywood Radio City Orchestra and songs bt Ken Carson. HenryRussell-01.mp3 k043
Horace Heidt   23:54 Not strictly a big band remote, Heidt's show was a traveling show featuring local talent who competed for a chance to become a traveling member of the orchestra. This recording is from Des Moines. hheidt001-xxxxxx.mp3 k018
Horace Heidt   28:12 Horace Heidt from Ft. Worth. hheidt002-xxxxxx.mp3 k019
Horace Heidt x/x/51 24:33 Horace Heidt's final competition for 1951. Judges: Gordon MacRea and Bob Mathias. Tenor, Fred Smith, from Long Beach, California wins. Heidt also introduces his 5 year old son, Horace Heidt, Jr. hheidt003-finals-xxxx51.mp3 k020
Horace Heidt 9/24/53 28:56 Horace Heidt broadcasts from Billings, Montana over KOOK (CBS) radio. Announcer: John Macilvain. The show was held at the Shrine Auditorium. Features contestants from Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Illinois and Charlie Crisp, president of KOOK radio. Sponsored by Lucky Strike and includes a commercial with Ogden Nash pitching the product. hheidt004-092453.mp3 k021
Horace Heidt   24:52 Horace Heidt's quarter finals from New York. hheidt005-xxxxxx.mp3 k022
Horace Heidt x/x/53 22:07 Horace Heidt rebroadcast with Mark Durbin of Billings, followed by interview with family members. Mark Durbin was a neighbor of the gentleman who made this recording. Click here to see a picture of Mark from the 1953 Billings Senior High yearbook where he was in the Junior class. (Update: I understand that Mark passed away in 2010 or 2011.) hheidt006-xxxx53.mp3 k023
Jan Garber   14:16 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Vocalist: Tim Reardon. NBC JanGarber-01.mp3 k005
Jan Garber   13:46 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Vocalists: Bill Cleeve and Ernie Mathias. JanGarber-02.mp3 k030
Jan Garber   12:06 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Vocalists: Tim Reardon and Ernie Mathias. NBC JanGarber-03.mp3 k031
Jan Garber   13:49 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Vocalist: Tim Reardon. NBC JanGarber-04.mp3 k031
Jimmy Featherstone clip   5:41 end of Gay Claridge and the first bit of Featherstone JimmyFeatherstone-clip.mp3 k128
Lawrence Welk clip   8:01 Lawrence Welk remote clip k018-lwelk001.mp3 k018
Lawrence Welk   18:14 Band remote from the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago. LawrenceWelk-01.mp3 k047
Layton Noble   13:14 Band remote from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Vocalists: Layton Noble, Eddie Metcalf, and Elaine Carvel. Mutual LaytonNoble-01.mp3 k047
Lenny Herman Quintet   14:53 Band remote clip from Philadelphia Lenny_Herman_Quintet-01.mp3 k106
Lenny Herman   3:10 Band remote clip from WSYR in Syracuse, NY. NBC LennyHerman-01.mp3 k044
Paul Neighbors   13:04 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Paul Neighbors and Ralph Anthony. NBC PaulNeighbors-01.mp3 k029
Paul Neighbors   13:52 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Paul Neighbors and Ralph Anthony. NBC PaulNeighbors-02.mp3 k029
Paul Neighbors   9:50 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Paul Neighbors and Ralph Anthony. NBC PaulNeighbors-03.mp3 k034
Paul Neighbors   22:45 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Paul Neighbors and Ralph Anthony. NBC PaulNeighbors-04.mp3 K039
Paul Neighbors   7:04 Band Remote clip PaulNeighbors-05.mp3 k051
Russ Morgan   19:25 Band remote from the Biltmore Hotel in New York City. Vocalists: Russ Morgan, Pat Laird, and Al Jennings. CBS RussMorgan-01.mp3 k035
Sherman Hayes   18:52 Band remote from the Blackhawk Restuarant in Chicago. There is a fair amount of static at times in this recording. ShermanHayes-01.mp3 k017
Sherman Hayes   28:13 Band remote from the Martinique Restuarant. Announcer: Norman Kraft. Vocalists: Sherman Hayes and Harry Hill. ShermanHayes-02.mp3 k032
Ted Lewis   24:23 Band remote from San Francisco. Announcer: Joe Gillespie. Vocalists: Ted Lewis. NBC TedLewis-01.mp3 k006
Ted Lewis   23:42 Band remote from San Francisco. Announcer: Joe Gillespie. Vocalists: Ted Lewis and Geraldine DuBois. NBC TedLewis-02.mp3 k007
Ted Lewis   22:51 Band remote from San Francisco. Announcer: Eddie King. Vocalists: Ted Lewis and Geraldine DuBois. NBC TedLewis-03.mp3 k008
Three Suns   13:43 Band remote from the Hotel Astor in New York City. Announcer: Arthur Gary. ThreeSuns-01.mp3 k044
Tommy Carlyn   13:43 Band remote the Trianon Ballroom on Chicago's southside at Cottage Grove and 62nd Street. Vocalist: Happy Houston. From Mutual. Recorded from KBMY in Billings. TommyCarlyn-01.mp3 k013
Tommy Carlyn   15:37 Band remote from Dulldreams Casino in Pittsburgh. Vocalists: Del Sanders and Bob Wetzel. NBC TommyCarlyn-02.mp3 k044
Wayne King   28:01 Band remote from 1947. Vocalists: Nancy Evans and Larry Douglas. WayneKing-01.mp3 k012
Wayne King   23:25 These are from records. WayneKing-02.mp3 k036
Wayne King   19:12 Band Remote-Christmas Show WayneKing-03.mp3 k037
Wayne King   12:26 Band remote. Vocalists: Nancy Evans and Larry Douglas. WayneKing-04.mp3 k038
Xavier Cugat   21:56 Band remote from the Waldolf Astoria in New York City. Mutual XavierCugat-01.mp3 k028


Go to the Main Page