| Bernie Cummins | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bernard Joseph Cummins |
| Born | March 14, 1900 |
| Origin | Akron, Ohio, USA |
| Died | September 12, 1986 (aged 86) |
| Genres | Jazz, big band, swing |
| Occupations | Musician, bandleader |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1919–1959 |
| Associated acts | The Wolverines, Charlie Callas |
Bernie Cummins (March 14, 1900 – September 22, 1986) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.
Bernie Cummins was born in Akron, Ohio as Bernard Joseph Cummins. Cummins was in his youth a boxer, besides playing drums in local bands in Ohio. In 1919 he created a small ensemble of his own, which debuted in Indiana and which grew gradually into a larger dance band. Singers in the band included Dorothy Crane, Bernie's brother Walter Cummins and Scottee Marsh, which sang later with Tommy Dorsey. Charlie Callas and Randy Brooks also played with the band, as did Tommy Dorsey for a time. The orchestra's theme song was "Dark Eyes". Besides his activities as bandleader, Cummins was briefly also the manager of The Wolverines.
The Bernie Cummins Orchestra recorded frequently for such labels as Brunswick, Columbia, Victor, Decca, Gennett, Vocalion and Bluebird. The band had many appearances in the Mid-West and was well known for its live performances; its smooth style was much loved in larger hotels and ballrooms. They played many times at the Biltmore Hotel and the Hotel New Yorker in New York City, the Trianon, Aragon, Blackstone and the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, as well as further appearances in Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, Denver, San Francisco and Saint Paul. Cummins' band also played on radio shows including the Spotlight Dance Program sponsored by Coca Cola, and the Fitch Bandwagon.
In the late 1950s it became increasingly difficult for the band to find gigs, but the band continued to play clubs in Las Vegas, playing at such places as The Flamingo, El Rancho and Last Frontier, before it dissolved it 1959. Cummins retired to Boca Raton, Florida.