The word child prodigy doesn’t even begin to describe Vic Berton (May 7, 1896 – December 26, 1951) who was playing drums in a Milwaukee pit orchestra at the age of seven. By age sixteen he was playing with the Milwaukee and Chicago Symphony Orchestras.

During the First World War Berton enlisted and played drums with John Philip Sousa’s Navy Band. After the war he returned to Chicago and played with several of the top dance bands in the area.

In 1922 he wrote the song, “Sobbin’ Blues” with Art Kassell with became the standard of hot bands of the 1920s. In 1924 he formed a friendship with Bix Beiderbecke and started managing and occasionally playing drums with the band that Bix was in at the time, the Wolverines. Berton moved to New York and played with Red Nichols and his Five Pennies, the Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra, and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

By the end of the decade Berton was considered the greatest of all Jazz drummers by many. He often played in commercial bands that paid him a top notch salary but didn’t showcase his talents as well as they might have.

He moved to California in the late 1920s and formed his own band. The group had several successful recordings in the mid-1930s, like, “Taboo“, “I’ve Been Waiting All Winter“and “Dardanella“.

In 1930 Berton was busted for smoking a marijuana cigarette with Louis Armstrong and Frank Driggs in Culver City. Vic Berton worked at Paramount studios in the 1930’s and even returned to symphonic work in the 1940’s.

During World War II he worked as a musician with the Air Force and returned to being a studio musician for the movies after the war. He died in Hollywood in 1951 of lung cancer.

Remembering Bix, by Ralph Berton, Harper & Row, 1974

These records are quite good, especially the super hot “Devils Kitchen“.

Title	Recording Date	Recording Location	Company
A Smile Will Go A Long, Long Way	2-1-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2964 Brunswick A-500557
Blue (Clark / Leslie / Handman)	3-25-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2974
Dardanella (Felix Bernard / Johnny S. Black)	2-1-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2915-A Brunswick A-500557
Devils Kitchen (Will Hudson)	6-14-1935	New York, New York	Columbia 3074-D
Imitations Of You	6-14-1935	New York, New York	Columbia 3092-D
In Blinky Winky Chinky Chinatown Vocal Chorus by Chick Bullock (William Jerome / John Schwartz)	3-25-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2964
I’ve Been Waiting All Winter (For A Summer Night Like This) Vocal refrain by Chick Bullock (Oakland / Drake / Mills)	6-14-1935	New York, New York	Columbia 3074-D
Jealous (Little / Malie / Finch)	2-1-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2915-B Brunswick A-500558
Lonesome And Sorry Vocal Chorus by Chick Bullock	3-25-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2944-B
Mary Lou Vocal Chorus by Chick Bullock (Lyman / Wagner / Robinson)	3-25-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2944-A
Taboo (Hudson / De Lange)	3-25-1935	New York, New York	Vocalion 2974 Brunswick A-500558
Two Rivers Flow Through Harlem	6-14-1935	New York, New York	Columbia 3092-D

Artist	Instrument
Wally Barron	Trombone
Benny Bell	Trumpet
Vic Berton	Drums
Sterling Bose	Trumpet
Irving Brodsky	Piano
Chick Bullock	Vocals
Darrell Calker	Guitar, Arranger
Spencer Clark	Bass Saxophone
Joe Colon	Saxophone
Marty Dale	Piano
Walt Dorfus	Saxophone
Vic d’ Ippolito	Trumpet
Louis Garcia	Trumpet
Arhie Jarry	Trumpet
Merrill Klein	String Bass
Rube Lerner	Saxophone
Harry Levine	Trumpet
Matty Matlock	Clarinet
Pee Wee Russell	Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Cal Stump	String Bass
Sid Tucker	Clarinet