Ray Anthony

A master of catchy, big band dance tunes in the 1950s, Ray Anthony was as an orchestra leader, trumpet player and all round entertainer that helped popularise the Hokey Pokey song and dance in the US. Born as Raymond Antonini, he learned trumpet from his father and started out playing with Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey in 1940 before serving in the US Navy during WWII and starting his own group upon his return. A brilliant self-publicist and natural showman, he signed to Capitol Records in 1949 and his novelty hits The Bunny Hop and Hokey Pokey (known in Britain as the Hokey Cokey) started national dance crazes. He penned the theme tune to TV cop show Dragnet and reached Number 2 in the US charts with his version of Glenn Miller's At Last in 1952 and, though derided by snooty jazz critics as being overly populist, his easy listening albums Young Ideas (1957) and Anthony Plays Allen (1958) were well received. Anthony became a regular at Hollywood and Las Vegas nightclubs and away from music he married B-movie sex symbol Mamie Van Doren, briefly had his own television variety show and acted in a series of films including Daddy Long Legs, The Five Pennies and High School Confidential. He scored his last major hit with the theme to spy show Peter Gunn, was later awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and continued performing into his 90s.

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