Cliff Grass

When I was still a kid it was tradition with my mother to watch Guy Lambardo's band, the Royal Canadians (see the Wikipedia article on Guy Lombardo for more information, as well as another article at the Canadian Encyclopedia site) , play on New Year's Eve at the Waldorf Astoria, which they did until 1976. The interest, of course, came from the fact that her cousin, Cliff Grass, was a vocalist and sax player in the band which he joined in 1946 and later retired from in 1975. He passed away in 1993. Guy Lambardo died in 1977.

The pictures to the right are from my mother's collection and were found in a menu from The Cocoanut Grove nightclub in LA at the famous Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. He signed the menu in 1958 "to my favorite cousin." Sadly the Ambassador closed to the general public in 1989 after a decline in the 1970's. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy occurred at this hotel in 1968 which may have contributed to the eventual decline. It was demolished in 2005-2006, with parts of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub retained for future inclusion in a school.

The second photo is captioned as "Cliff Grass Featured With Gray Gordon And His Orchestra." Gray Gordan formed his first band in 1936. At a site featuring information on the historic "Big Bands," it is mentioned that:
"Cliff Grass, who was the primary vocalist, also played lead alto-sax. He was vocalist on the bands biggest sellling record 'Blue In The Black of Night' (Bluebird 7838)."

From the Canadian Encyclopedia referenced above, this section illustrates the work and scope of the band during Cliff's era:
"The Royal Canadians also took residencies in Los Angeles in the 1930s and long engagements in other New York nightclubs after leaving the Roosevelt Grill in 1962. The orchestra toured extensively in the USA and Canada, performing both for dances in small communities and in the nightclubs of major cities. Though heard most often on the CBS network, it also had radio shows on NBC and MBS and was seen in a series telecast on WNBT, New York, in the mid-1950s from the Roosevelt Grill. The Royal Canadians appeared in the movies Many Happy Returns (1934), Stage Door Canteen (1943), and No Leave, No Love (1946), performed at the inaugural balls for every US president from F.D. Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, and again in 1985 for Ronald Reagan, and played for several World Series at Yankee Stadium, New York."

Side note: The first picture shows Cliff at a microphone with the call letters "WIBC." This was a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, and there is a very informative Wikipedia article on this as well.

Additional note: YouTube has some video footage where Cliff Grass is singing at Darktown Strutters Ball. Go to this site.