George Olsen

George Olsen (Portland, 18 March 1893 - Paramus, 18 March 1971) was an American drummer and big bandleader from the swingera.

Olsen studied at the University of Michigan, where he formed a band which later his group George Olsen and His Music originated. He toured with this group on the west coast of America and played more in ballrooms and theatres in Los Angeles and San Francisco. At the invitation of Florenz Ziegfeld he worked on the Broadway-revue"Kid Boots", in which Eddie Cantor the starring role. This was followed by more revues: George Olsen and His Music played in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1924, Good Newsand Whoopee! (1928). Olsen also worked with his band in the film version of "Whoopee!" (1930). his Orchestra was in the time of Whoopee! become a band with sixteen musicians. Ethel ShuttaIn Whoopee danced and sang, with whom he would marry and occur.

With his Orchestra, he made many recordings for Victor until 1933 that had great success (for example, "Who", a composition by Jerome Kern, in 1925 a national hit). Next, he to 1934 plates for Columbia. To the recordings of his records worked under more Fred MacMurray, Red Nichols, Rudy Wiedoeft and the singer Fran Frey with it.

In 1936 he became leader of the band perished in a plane crash of the Orville Knapp, chosen by the widow Knapp. He went on tour with the Orchestra and chose as the basis for the Group eventually New York.The Orchestra, however, was plagued by problems and in 1938, when all had given many band members threw in the towel, the Orchestra was disbanded. With the Olsen Group had only one record session forDecca Records. In 1951 stopped Olsen after a time in a hotel in Chicago to have worked with leading bands and soon after opened a restaurant.