Edgar A. Benson was a ‘cellist’ who became an impresario, managing many bands in Chicago from 1920 to 1930. The Number One orchestra was originally directed by pianist Roy Bargy, who left the Benson organization at the end of 1922, and Don Bestor, also a pianist, took his place at the front of a new orchestra that for the first eight months featured the forward-looking saxophone work of Frank Trumbauer.
Two of the most jazz-oriented sides that the Benson Orchestra of Chicago recorded are included here: “Copenhagen” must be one of the hottest versions on record next to the Wolverines’ own
(it was recorded by them with Bix Beiderbecke leading on cornet just four months prior to the Benson version), and “Riverboat Shuffle“, written by Hoagy Carmichael with the Wolverines in mind, is another from the Wolverines’ date, but which the Bensons did not record until a year had elapsed. By that time, recording had become electric, and the warmth of the Benson Orchestra is much more apparent.
by Brian Rust
(from the liner notes of The Chicago Hot Bands 1924 – 1928 on Timeless Records)
Thanks to Carl Rose, Andy Hall and Owen Miller for their help with this page.
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| After All, I Adore You (Lou Herscher / Art Coogan) | 8-21-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19426-B |
| Ain’t We Got Fun (Richard A. Whiting) | 4-11-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18757-B |
| Angel Child (Price / Silver / Davis) | 2-1-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18870-B |
| Are You Lonely? (Joe Burke) | 9-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19263 |
| Back In Hackensack, New Jersey (Art Beiner / Dan Russo) | 4-2-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19318-B |
| Because Of You The World Is Mine | 5-21-1925 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19693 |
| Biddy (J.S. Zamecnik) | 9-24-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18718-A |
| Black-Eyed Blues (Don Kendall) | 2-2-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18874-B |
| Bimini Bay (Gus Kahn / Raymond Egan / Richard Whiting) | 9-28-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18824-B |
| Birdie (Crawford) | 6-28-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18937 |
| Chili Bean Introducing: “I Told You So” (Albert Von Tilzer) | 9-21-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18698-A |
| Copenhagen (Charlie Davis) | 9-8-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19470-A |
| Crooning (William F. Caesar) | 4-12-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18765-A |
| Deedle Deedle Dum (Sherman / Coslow / Irving Mills) | 6-20-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18917-B |
| Do I? (Do – Do I Love Her?) (Young / Lewis / Akst) | 9-6-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19197-B |
| Do You, Don’t You, Will You, Won’t You Love Me To? (Little / Howard / Schertzlein) | 11-5-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19197-B |
| Doodle Doo Doo (Art Kassel / Mel Stitzel) | 4-2-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19318-A |
| Doodle-Um Blues (O’Neal / Price / Bernie) | 6-19-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19386-A |
| Don’t Bring Me Posies (It’s Shoesies I Need) Intro. California Rose (Fred Rose) | 7-17-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18931-A |
| Down In Maryland (Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby) | 1-29-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19022-A |
| Dreams Of India (Percy Wenrich) | 6-15-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19106 |
| Drifting Back To Dreamland (Charlesworth / Harrison / Sadler) | 6-15-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19101 |
| Easy Melody (Conley / Rodemich) | 9-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19147-A |
| Fair One Introducing, “Rock-a-Bye Lullaby Mammy”) (George Mallen / Walter Donaldson) | 9-23-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18697-A |
| Foolish Child (Lindsay McPhail / Roy Bargy / Nelson) | 8-27-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19136-A |
| Forgetful Blues (Fred Rose / Fred Hamm / Henry Winston) | 11-4-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19235 |
| Forget Me Not (Means Remember Me) (Conrad / Hanbury / Gillen) | 4-1-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19312-A |
| Georgia Cabin Door (Eleanor Young / Harry D. Squires) | 1-30-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19022-B |
| Go Emmaline (Henry Creamer / Ray Brown) | 9-30-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19484 |
| Heart Broken Strain | 11-10-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19568 |
| I’d Love To Fall Asleep And Wake Up In Mammy’s Arms (Introducing: Jing-a-Bula-Jing-Jing-Jing) (Fred E. Ahlert / M.K. Jerome) | 9-24-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18697 |
| I Had Someone Else Before I Had You (And I’ll Have Someone After You’re Gone) (Harris / Darcy / Stanley) | 5-22-1925 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19685-B |
| I’ll Keep On Loving You (Rose) | 4-12-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18765-B |
| I Love You Sunday (Introducing: Ev’rybody Calls Me Honey) (Charley Straight) | 9-24-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18701-A |
| I’m Drifting Back To Dreamland (Charlesworth / Harrison / Sadler) | 6-15-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19101-A |
| I’m Through (Shedding Tears Over You) (Edwin J. Weber) | 9-14-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18994-A |
| In A Covered Wagon With You (Norworth / Stover) | 9-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19147-B |
| In A Tent (Ted Koehler / Frank Magine / Joe Lyons) | 6-13-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19103-B |
| In Bluebird Land Bird Warbling by Sue Ernest Hewling (Albert Short) | 1-30-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18871-B |
| I Never Miss The Sunshine (I’m so Used To The Rain) (Norman Jay Harvey) | 6-14-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19102-B |
| It Must Be Someone Like You (Charley Straight / Roy Bargy) | 4-23-1921 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18804-A |
| June Moon (Charley Straight / Frank Magine) | 9-30-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18833-A |
| Just For To-Night (Oscar Geiger) | 7-14-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19101-B |
| Just Like A Rainbow (Mary Earl / Ted Fiorito) | 9-29-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18823-B |
| Just One More Kiss (Leon Berger) | 11-7-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19277-B |
| Keep On Dancin’ | 9-29-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19470-B |
| Little Thoughts (Charley Straight / Roy Bargy) | 1-31-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18912-B |
| Lonely Little Wallflow’r (Gus Kahn / Simmons) | 4-2-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19361 |
| Lonesome And Blue (Edwin Tillman) | 11-4-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19198 |
| Loose Feet (Spencer Williams) | 1-31-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19045-B |
| Love Is Just A Flower (Schonberg / Billing / Lyman) | 6-13-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19129-B |
| Ma! (Fred Fisher) | 9-29-1921 | New York, New York | Victor 18819-B |
| March Of The Mannikins (Onivas / Hirsch) | 6-15-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19183 |
| Mean, Mean Mama (Eleanor Young / Harry Squires) | 8-21-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19138-B |
| Midnight Rose (Mitchell / Pollack) | 9-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19148 |
| Morning (Turk / Silver) | 8-14-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19445-B |
| My Dream Moon (John Anderson / Dan Russo) | 8-14-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19317-A |
| My Little Bimbo Introducing: “I Love The Land Of Old Black Joe” (Walter Donaldson) | 9-25-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18698-B |
| My Mammy Knows (Harry De Costa / M.K. Jerome) | 2-1-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18870-A |
| My Rose Marie | 9-8-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19476-B |
| My Sunny Tennessee (Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby / Herman Ruby) | 9-28-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18819-A |
| My Sweetie’s Sweeter Than That (Koehler / Murphy / Fiorito) | 11-5-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19239 |
| Na-Jo (Rudy Wiedoeft / Walter Holiday) | 4-15-1921 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18779-A |
| Nobody Knows But The Pillow And Me (Vincent / Hueston / Frisch) | 6-13-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19102-A |
| No No Nora (Ted Fiorito / Ernie Erdman) | 7-20-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19121-B |
| No One’s Fool (Fred Rose) | 9-29-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18833-B |
| Oh Gee! Oh Gosh! (My Feet Won’t Behave) (Erdman / Beck / Foote) | 9-21-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18701-B |
| Oh, How I Miss You Tonight (Davis / Burke / Fisher) | 5-23-1925 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19685-A |
| Oh You Little Sun-Uv-Er-Gun (Joseph Solman) | 9-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19155-B |
| Oklahoma Indian Jazz (Hibbeler / Johnsen / Barna / Guarini / Murrin) | 11-7-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19257 |
| One Kiss (Earl Burtnett / Gus Arnheim) | 9-28-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18823-A |
| One More Hour | 11-7-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor |
| Oogie Oogie Wa-Wa (Archie Gottler) | 6-20-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18917-A |
| On The Alamo (Isham Jones) | 7-17-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18931-B |
| Pickin’ Em Up And Layin”Em Down (Louis Panico) | 7-19-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19386-B |
| Railroad Blues (C. Luckeyth Roberts) | 9-21-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18850 |
| Riverboat Shuffle (Hoagy Carmichael / Dick Voynow / Irving Mills) | 5-23-1925 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19688-B |
| San (Lindsay McPhail / Walter Michaels) | 4-11-1921 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18779-B |
| Say It While Dancing (Abner Silver) | 6-28-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18938 |
| Sing A Little Song (Erdman / Chon / Westphal) | 8-21-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19426-A |
| Scandanavia (Ray Perkins) | 4-11-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18757-A |
| Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble (Spencer Williams) | 8-21-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Sobbin’ Blues (Art Kassell / Vic Berton) | 8-17-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19130-B |
| Somebody (Introducing: Just For Today) (Little / Dellon / Wiedoeft) | 9-25-1920 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18718-B |
| Somebody’s Wrong (Henry Marshall / Raymond Egan / Richard Whiting) | 7-25-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19122-A |
| Some Other Day, Some Other Girl | 9-29-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19476-A |
| Starlight Bay (Walter Donaldson) | 1-30-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19031-A |
| Stuttering (Maceo Pinkard) | 8-29-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18948-A |
| Swanee Bluebird (Whistling Variations by Master Billee Osborn) (Cliff Friend / Con Conrad) | 6-28-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18924-A |
| Tea For Two (from the Musical Comedy “No No Nannette”) (Vincent Youmans / Irving Caesar) | 8-28-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19438-A |
| Tee Pee Blues | 1-30-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18874-A |
| Ten Little Fingers And Ten Litle Toes (Featuring Piano Duet by Roy Bargy and Charley Straight (Ira Schuster / Ed Nelson) | 1-31-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18871-A |
| That Lullaby Strain (Art Kassell / Vic Berton) | 11-7-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19235 |
| That Old Gang Of Mine (Ray Henderson) | 8-27-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19136-B |
| That’s Georgia (Little / Gillespie / Shay) | 8-28-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19445-A |
| The Cat’s Whiskers (Felix Austed / Edward Gladstone) | 6-15-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19103-A |
| The Doodle-Um Blues (O’Neale / Bernie) | 7-19-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19386 |
| The Whole World Is Dreaming Of Love (Gus Kahn / Don Bestor / Charley Straight) | 5-22-1925 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19693 |
| These Longing For You Blues (Westphal / Robinson) | 8-29-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18948-B |
| The World Is Waiting For Sunrise (Introducing “Singing”) (Seltz / Hylton) | 9-6-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18980-A |
| Think Of Me (Al Eldridge) | 1-30-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19031-B |
| Those Longing For You Blues (Westphal) | 8-29-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18948-B |
| Toddle (Introducing: Maori) (Paul Biese / Frank Westphal / Jimmy Steiger) | 4-11-1921 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18756-A |
| Tomorrow Morning (Eleanor Young / Harry D. Squires) | 9-6-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18980-B |
| Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo’bye) (Kahn / Erdman / Russo) | 9-13-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18954 |
| Trot Along (Clarence M. Jones) | 1-30-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19044 |
| Tuck Me Away in My Old ‘Tucky Home Under the Direction of Roy Bargy (Lewis / Young / Meyer) | 9-29-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18820-A |
| Venetian Love Boat (Frank Magine / Ted Koehler) | 2-1-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18868-B |
| Virginia Blues (Fred Meinken) | 2-2-1922 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18868-A |
| Wabash Blues Fred Meinken) | 9-28-1921 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 18820-B |
| Wabash Blues Under the Direction of Roy Bargy (Fred Meinken) | 9-29-1921 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 18820-B |
| Wait Till You See My Gal (Sullivan / Wilbur) | 4-2-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19327 |
| When Lights Are Low (Kahn / Koehler / Fiorito) | 11-5-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19198 |
| Wolverine Blues (Benjamin Spikes / John Spikes / Jelly Roll Morton) | 9-10-1923 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19140 |
| Words (Dubin / Tucker / Spenser) | 9-29-1924 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 19484 |
| Wow! (Ted Baxter) | 11-4-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19239 |
| You | 11-5-1923 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19197-A |
| You Left Me Out In The Rain (Rose / Raskin / Violinsky) | 4-1-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 19337 |
| Artist | Instrument |
| Rick Adkins | Trumpet |
| Matthew Amaturo | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone |
| Roy Bargy | Piano, Director |
| George Bass | Violin |
| Joe Baum | Violin |
| Seigfried Berendson | Trombone |
| Don Bestor | Piano |
| George Brommerberg | Drums |
| Herb Carlin | Trumpet |
| Guy Carey | Trombone |
| Dudley Doe | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone |
| Ed Files | Tenor Saxophone |
| Walter Foster | Drums |
| Myron Fischer | Violin |
| William Foeste | Tuba, Bass Saxophone, Drums, Xylophone |
| George Jernberg | Trumpet |
| Art Kassell | Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone |
| Arthur Layfield | Drums, Xylophone |
| Jack Lundin | Banjo |
| Joseph Miller | Banjo |
| Pierre Olker | Tuba |
| Herb Quigley | Drums, Xylophone |
| Charles Sansone | Piano |
| Harold Sturr | Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone |
| Thomas Thatcher | Tenor Saxophone |
| Frank Trumbauer | C Melody Saxophone, Alto Saxophone |
| Art Weiss | Trombone |
| Miles Vanderauer | Trumpet |
| Bill Stuart Williams | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone |
| Walter Zurawski | Trumpet |
