Lombardo, Guy

Lombardo, Guy (Albert)

(born June 19, 1902, London, Ont., Can.—died Nov. 5, 1977, Houston, Texas, U.S.) Canadian-born U.S. bandleader. He trained as a violinist and in 1917 formed his band, the Royal Canadians. They began broadcasting nationally from Chicago in 1927, and from 1929 he was the winter attraction at New York City's Roosevelt Grill, a booking repeated for more than 30 years. He later moved to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, continuing the famous New Year's Eve broadcasts, begun in 1954, that climaxed with “Auld Lang Syne.” Though derided by critics as the “king of corn,” Lombardo gained long-lasting popularity by conducting what was billed as “the sweetest music this side of heaven.”

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Lombardo, (Gaetano Alberto) Guy (1902–77) bandleader; born in London, Ontario. His band began performing in the United States in 1923. As Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, they went to New York in 1929 and were featured at the Roosevelt Grill for 33 years. In addition to touring extensively and making many successful recordings, the band appeared on radio, television, and in films and appeared live on television every New Year's Eve for many years.