The Georgians
The Georgians were a subset of the Phil Specht Orchestra. Specht had a gig at the Hotel Alamac in New York City in 1920. The orchestra played music for dancing in the ballroom and afterwards a smaller version of the group that went by the name of the Georgians played in the cocktail lounge.
The star and leader of the band was trumpet player Frank Guarente. Guarente was originally from Italy but his family moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1910 and then to New Orleans in 1914. In New Orleans, he began to play professionally while absorbing the styles of the city and taking trumpet lessons from King Oliver.
In 1916 he left New Orleans and played in a number of different bands that travelled throughout the country. Guarente was in the Army in World War I. After the war was over he started to make his living as a musician and in 1921 he joined Phil Specht’s Orchestra and played in both the larger dance band and in the smaller Jazz combo, the Georgians.
In 1922 the Georgians went to Europe and stayed until 1924 and then rejoined Specht’s Orchestra. The Georgians’ stay in Europe was quite influential and gave many Europeans their first taste of a real American jazz band. Guarente formed his own band called the New Georgians which recorded in Switzerland under the name of Frank Guarente’s World Known Georgians.
Guarente played in Europe until 1927, when he joined the Savoy Orpheans in London. He returned to America in 1928 and rejoined Specht’s Orchestra for two years. In the 1930s he did studio work and played in a variety of bands including the Dorsey Brother’s Orchestra.
Thanks to Bob Palmer, Scott and Mark of Vintage Music Company and James Gallup for their help with this page.
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| A New Kind Of Man With A New Kind Of Love For Me Vocal Refrain by Blossom Seeley (Clare / Flatow) | 5-10-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 136-D |
| Aggravatin’ Papa (Roy Turk / J. Russel Robinson) | 1-29-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3825 |
| Are They Pickin’ On Your Baby? (James / Reynolds) | 6-20-1925 | New York, New York | Columbia 407-D |
| A Year From Today (from “New York Nights”) (Jolson / Macdonald / Dreyer) | 9-6-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1010-H Diva 3010-G |
| Barney Google (Billy Rose / Con Conrad) | 4-27-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3902 |
| Big Boy! Vocal Refrain by Dolly Kay (Milton Ager) | 3-27-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 117-D |
| Bringin’ Home The Bacon Vocal Refrain by Blossom Seeley | 5-10-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 136-D |
| Can’t We Be Friends? | 11-22-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1062-H |
| Charleston Baby O’ Mine (Dougherty / Grossman) | 6-20-1925 | New York, New York | Columbia 407-D |
| Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town) (Fred Fisher) | 12-1-1922 | New York, New York | Columbia A3775 |
| Clap Hands! Here Comes Charlie! with incidental singing by Johnny Morris (Billy Rose / Ballard McDonald / Joseph Meyer) | 12-2-1925 | New York, New York | Columbia 523 -D |
| Cock-a-Doodle I’m Off My Noodle, My Baby’s Back (Johnson / Sherman / Tobias) | 1-14-1927 | New York, New York | Columbia 923-D |
| Dancin’ Dan (Jack Stanley) | 12-29-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 62-D |
| Don’t Mind The Rain Vocal Refrain by Blossom Seeley | 3-27-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 114-D |
| Doodle Doo Doo (Art Kassel / Mel Stitzel) | 5-16-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 142-D |
| Evangeline (from “Evangeline”) (Jolson / Rose) | 5-20-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 939-H |
| Everybody Loves My Baby (Jack Palmer / Spencer Williams) | 11-24-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 252-D |
| Farewell Blues (Paul Mares / Leon Roppolo / Elmer Schoebel) | 3-7-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3864 |
| Frisco Bay (Rose / Fisher) | 1-14-1927 | New York, New York | Columbia 923-D |
| Georgia Pines | 10-4-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1023-H |
| Glorianna (Pollack / Clare) | 11-1-1928 | New York, New York | Harmony 776-H |
| Henpecked Blues (Jules Buffano) | 5-16-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3907 |
| Home Town Blues (J. Fred Coots / Dave Ringle) | 11-8-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 23-D |
| Horses | 4-13-1926 | New York, New York | Columbia 634-D |
| Hula Lou Vocal Refrain by Dolly Kay (Yellen / King) | 1-9-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 70-D |
| If I Had A Talking Picture Of You (From “Sunny Side Up”) Vocal refrain by Jim Andrews (Buddy De Sylva / Lew Brown / Ray Henderson) | 10-4-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1034-H Velvet Tone 2034-V |
| If You Do – What You Do (Turk / Handman / Cantor) | 1-4-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 56-D |
| If You’ll Come Back (Sam Erlich / J. Turner Layton) | 3-7-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 102-D |
| I’m Sitting Pretty In A Pretty Little City (Davis / Abel Bear / Santly) | 10-9-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 11-D |
| I’ve Got A Cross-Eyed Papa (But He Looks Straight To Me) | 11-30-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 40-D |
| I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (A. J. Piron) | 12-1-1922 | New York, New York | Columbia A3775 |
| I Won’t Believe Its Raining | 10-4-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1023-H |
| Land Of Cotton Blues (Bennett / Jerome / Fred Ahlert) | 9-6-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3987 |
| Lazy Vocal Refrain by Blossom Seeley | 3-27-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 114-D |
| Learn To Do The Strut From “Music Box Revue 1923-24.” (Irving Berlin) | 10-9-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 11-D |
| Lets Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) (from “Paris”) (Cole Porter) | 11-1-1928 | New York, New York | Harmony 776-H |
| Long Lost Mama (Harry Woods) | 5-16-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3907 |
| Loose Feet (Williams) | 1-27-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3825 |
| Lovey Come Back (Lou Handman) | 12-29-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 62-D |
| Mama Goes Where Papa Goes (Milton Ager) | 9-14-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3996 |
| Mama Loves Papa (Papa Loves Mama) (Cliff Friend / Abel Baer) | 9-6-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3987 |
| Maybe She’ll Write Me | 1-11-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 70-D |
| Me Queres (Cobian / Vallee) | 5-20-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 929-H Velvet Tone 1929-V |
| Mindin’ My Bus’ness (Walter Donaldson) | 3-7-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 102-D |
| My Best Girl (Walter Donaldson) | 11-18-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 252-D |
| Nothin’ But (Henry Busse / Ward / Ferd Grofe) | 12-22-1922 | New York, New York | Columbia A3804 |
| O Gee, Georgie! Vocal Refrain by Eddie Cantor | 1-4-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 56-D |
| Old Fashioned Love (from Runnin’ Wild”) (J.P. Johnson / Cecil Mack) | 11-17-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 30-D |
| Old King Tut (Harry von Tilzer) | 4-27-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3902 |
| Savannah (Fred Fisher) | 5-16-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 142-D |
| Shake Your Feet (Introducing Swanee River Blues) (from Ziegfeld Follies of 1923″) (Dave Stamper) | 11-17-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 30-D |
| Singing In The Bathtub (From “Show Of Shows”) Vocal chorus by Johnny Morris and Trio (Madidson / Washington / Cleary) | 11-22-1929 | New York, New York | Diva 3063-G Harmony 1063-H |
| Snakes Hips (Spencer Williams) | 3-15-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3864 |
| Somebody’s Wrong (Henry Marshall / Raymond Egan / Richard Whiting) | 9-16-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3996 |
| Someday, Sweetheart Vocal Refrain by Dolly Kay (Benjamin Spikes / John C. Spikes) | 3-27-1924 | New York, New York | Columbia 117-D |
| Spanish Shawl (Elmer Schoebel) | 12-2-1925 | New York, New York | Columbia 523-D |
| Spring Is Here (Bennett / Carlton) | 4-13-1926 | New York, New York | Columbia 634-D |
| S’posin’ Vocal chorus by Irving Kaufman (Paul Denniker / Andy Razaf) | 5-20-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 929-H Velvet Tone 1929-V |
| There’s Something About A Rose Vocal Chorus by Scrappy Lambert (Kahal / Wheeler / Fain) | 4-13-1926 | New York, New York | Perfect 15014 |
| Way Down Yonder In New Orleans from “Strut Miss Lizzie” (Henry Creamer / J. Turner Layton) | 12-22-1922 | New York, New York | Columbia A3804 |
| When Your Counting Stars Alone Vocal chorus by Jim Andrews (Rusell / Rose / Murray) | 9-6-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1008-H |
| You May Be Fast, But Mama’s Gonna Slow You Down (Gilbert Welle / Bud Cooper) | 11-8-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 23-D |
| You Tell Her – I Stutter (Cliff Friend) | 2-13-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3857 |
| You’d Better Keep Babying Me Incedental chorus by Billy Jones | 11-30-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia 40-D |
| You Want Lovin’ (But I Want Love) | 9-6-1929 | New York, New York | Harmony 1005-H |
| You’ve Got To See Mama Ev’ry Night (Billy Rose / Con Conrad) | 2-26-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3857 |
| Artist | Instrument |
| Sylvester Ahola | Trumpet |
| Charlie Butterfield | Trombone |
| Lou Calabrese | Banjo |
| Eddie Cantor | Vocal |
| Russell Deppe | Banjo |
| Gilbert Dutton | Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone |
| Phil Gleason | Clarinet |
| Frank Guarente | Trumpet, Director |
| Dick Johnson | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone |
| Archie Jones | Trombone |
| Billy Jones | Vocal |
| Dolly Kay | Vocals |
| Frank Kilduff | Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone |
| Leo McConville | Trumpet |
| Chauncey Morehouse | Drums |
| Foster Morehouse | Clarinet |
| Russ Morgan | Trombone |
| Johnny Morris | Drums, Vocal |
| Red Nichols | Trumpet |
| Ted Noyes | Drums |
| Johnny O’Donnell | Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone |
| Walker O’Neill | Piano, Director |
| Al Philburn | Trombone |
| Harold Saliers | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone |
| Arthur Schutt | Piano |
| Blossom Seeley | Vocal |
| Roy Smeck | Banjo, Guitar |
| Frank Smith | Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone |
| Charlie Spivak | Trumpet |
| Ray Stilwell | Trombone |
| Joe Tarto | Tuba or Sousaphone |
| Henry Wade | Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone |
| Phil Wall | Piano |
| Ernie Warren | Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone |
