ABSTRACT
American violinist and big bandleader, born in Morristown, Pennsylvania, on 5 Nov 1897. He played violin in the Philadelphia Orchestra; then directed a military band during World War I. He and pianist Milton Davis formed the Garber-Davis Orchestra in 1921, and recorded for Columbia and Victor until 1924; the first item was “O sole mio” (Columbia A-3792; 1921). The style of this band was on the “hot” side, resulting in a few jazzy records, like “Steamboat Sal” (Victor 19175; 1923). Garber then formed his own orchestra in 1924, which gradually became a sweet band, and achieving great popularity on radio in the 1930s as the “Idol of the Air Lanes.” Garber recorded prolifically, for Victor, Decca, Vocalion, Okeh, and Brunswick; Lee Bennett was the featured vocalist. The band appeared in two Hollywood films, Here Comes Elmer (1943), and Make Believe Ballroom (1949). Garber was active through the 1950s. Material has been reissued on various labels, including Hindsight; his early, more jazz-oriented sides are available on The Hot Years, 1925-30 (The Old Masters 119).
