(May 30th 1891 - October 23rd 1943)

Born Bernard Anzelevitz in Bayonne, New Jersey in 1891 the young violin scholar began giving lessons on the instrument when he was only fifteen. He studied at Columbia University and the New York College of Music, and first appeared in Vaudeville in 1912 billed as "The Fiddle Up Boys" with fellow violinist Charles Klass and later with Phil Baker as "Baker & Bernie". Ben Bernie had little success until 1922 when he started playing with an orchestra quickly prompting the formation of his own, "The Lads". This jazz inspired dance band featuring pianist Oscar Levant and saxophone innovator Jack Pettis was the very first of its kind to be captured with sound on film in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm short, "Ben Bernie and All the Lads". In 1925 Ben Bernie aided Kenneth Casey with lyrics for the popular jazz standard "Sweet Georgia Brown" composed by Maceo Pinkard. As a beloved radio personality Bernie was often introduced as "The Old Maestro".