Henry Busse (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1916 where he found work playing trumpet in a movie theatre pit band. He formed his own band and toured the country ending up in San Francisco where they disbanded. In 1917 he was playing trumpet with the Frisco Jass Band and in 1918 he joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
Busse was a major contributor to Whiteman’s Orchestra. He co-composed several of the band’s early hit songs including “Hot Lips” and “Wang Wang Blues” . Busse stayed with Whiteman until 1928 when he left the band and formed his own group the Henry Busse Orchestra. This group which was more of a sweet dance band than a jazz band had a very successful career. They continued to record and perform up until Busse’s death in 1955.
| Busse’s Buzzards | Henry Busse and his Orchestra |
| Title | Director | Year |
| Starlit Days at the Lido | M·G·M short | 1935 |
| Busse Rhythm | Paramount short | 1938 |
| Lady Let’s Dance | Frank Woodruff | 1944 |
| Rhapsody In Blue | Irving Rapper | 1945 |
| The Fabulous Dorseys | Alfred E. Green | 1947 |
