Pianist Roy Bargy (July 31, 1894 – January 16, 1974) got his professional start accompanying films in silent movie houses in Toledo, Ohio

In 1919 he moved to Chicago and was hired by Charley Straight at the Imperial Piano Roll Company. Bargy’s job was to edit piano rolls and to write his own ragtime and novelty pieces for publication on piano roll.

Bargy made his first record with Charley Straight and Paul Biese in 1919 as the Imperial Three. In 1921 Bargy left Imperial and became the musical director of the Benson Orchestra of Chicago until 1922. He joined the Isham Jones and his Orchestra sometime after that.

He took over the piano chair in the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1928 and eventually became second in command within the band. Bargy continued to work with Whiteman until 1940.

In 1940 Bargy was very active in radio as a conductor. He led bands for the studio orchestras of Lanny Ross, Xavier Cugat and Gerry Moore. In 1943 he was hired as Jimmy Durante’s musical director and stayed with Jimmy for the next twenty years.