Art Ryerson
Arthur "Art" Ryerson (May 22, 1913 – October 27, 2004) was a jazz guitarist who emerged in the 1930s, playing acoustic and electric guitar, as well as the banjo. He played with jazz orchestras and bands in the 1930s and the 1940s. In the early 1950s, he played on the early rock and roll recordings of Bill Haley, including the landmark 1953 recording of "Crazy Man, Crazy", which reached no.12 on the Billboard pop chart and no.11 on the Cashbox chart. He was very influential in the Brill Building music production scene.
Career
Art Ryerson began playing the banjo in Columbus, Ohio before switching to the guitar. In the early 1930s he joined The Rhythm Jesters at Radio Station WLW. In 1935, he organized a quartet in New York and began appearing in Manhattan jazz clubs and at the famous Nick's Tavern in Greenwich Village. He typically played the Gibson Super 400 guitar.
He was featured on the Columbia Saturday Night Swing Session and on The Fred Allen Show. He played guitar in the live concert by the Paul Whiteman Concert Orchestra recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 25, 1938. In 1939, he joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra as the guitarist in the Whiteman band and wrote the arrangements for Whiteman's Swinging Strings, Bouncing Brass, and Sax Soctette.
In his arrangements for the Paul Whiteman Swinging Strings, Ryerson used four guitars. He also used multiple guitars on recordings by Peggy Lee and Frankie Laine.
Ryerson joined the Raymond Scott Orchestra in the early 1940s and began soloing on the electric guitar.
Ryerson was recruited into the U.S. Army during the Second World War. He became a Staff Sergeant in the 34th Special Services as a bandleader. His army band performed for U.S. troops in England, France, and Belgium.
He was the first electric guitarist to perform and tour with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under the direction of James Levine. In 1975, he toured the Soviet Union as part of a program organized by the U.S. State Department.
Art Ryerson died in 2004.
Studio Session Guitarist
He became a studio session guitarist after World War II. He played guitar on recording sessions with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bill Haley, Peggy Lee, Red Norvo, Fats Waller, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Erroll Garner, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Mildred Bailey, Mel Torme, Anita O'Day, George Van Eps, and George Barnes.
Art Ryerson played on the 1946 Crown Album, Mildred Bailey With Red Norvo and His Music, Crown Album No. 2, on the 78 Columbia recording by Marlene Dietrich and Rosemary Clooney, "It's the Same", and on Frankie Laine's "Love is Such a Cheat" on Columbia.
He played guitar on Tony Bennett's classic releases "Blue Velvet", "Rags to Riches", and "Sing You Sinners". "Rags to Riches" was number one for six weeks on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1953, from November 21 to December 26.
He played guitar on Eartha Kitt's first five albums as a member of the Henri René orchestra; RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt (1953), That Bad Eartha (EP) (1954), Down To Eartha (1955), That Bad Eartha (LP) (1956), and Thursday's Child (1957), all with RCA Victor.
In the early 1950s, Ryerson played electric lead guitar on seminal recordings made by Bill Haley, when he began recording as Bill Haley with Haley's Comets. These recordings were the first rock and roll records. Fred Bronson of Billboard Magazine wrote in 2003: "The Saddlemen became the Comets in 1953, and their first chart hit, "Crazy Man, Crazy," went to number 15 on Billboard and is the first rock and roll record to ever make the chart." Ryerson played lead guitar on Bill Haley classics such as "Crazy Man, Crazy", "What'cha Gonna Do?", "Fractured", "Pat-a-Cake", "Live It Up", "Farewell, So Long, Goodbye", "Ten Little Indians", "I'll Be True", "Straight Jacket", "Yes, Indeed", and "Chattanooga Choo Choo", released on Essex Records. "Crazy Man, Crazy", recorded in April, 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was released as Essex 321 backed with "What'cha Gonna Do?", reaching no.12 on the national Billboard Juke Box pop singles chart for the week ending June 20 and no.11 on the Cash Box chart on June 13. "Fractured" and "Live It Up" also made the Billboard Top 40, reaching no.24 and no.25 respectively in 1953.
Sources
- Classic Jazz Guitar.com website: http://classicjazzguitar.com/artists/artists_page.jsp?artist=53
- Swenson, John. Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll. New York: Stein and Day, 1983.
- Bronson, Fred. The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. NY: Billboard Books, 2003.
- Billboard Magazine, June 27, 1953.
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