Bob Sprott; Host of Ontario big-band radio show gave up life as a Hollywood musician
Hyfler/Rosner
Host of Ontario big-band radio show gave up life as a
Hollywood musician
Fronting his own band as a teenager, he stood in for an
injured trumpeter and played in the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
He later moved to Los Angeles to try his luck but saw rock
'n' roll's writing on the wall
NOREEN SHANAHAN
Special to The Globe and Mail
December 16, 2008
TORONTO -- Bob Sprott was likely Canada's greatest authority
on big-band music. He helped keep the era alive and stirred
welcome nostalgia in the hearts of thousands. For 25 years,
he hosted Big Band Panorama, a Southern Ontario radio show
with devotees as far away as New York, all the while keeping
mum about his time as a trumpet player in the Glenn Miller
Orchestra and about his years as a band leader in Hollywood.
Born to a life of privilege, he was the son of a successful
Toronto publisher who supplied schools with textbooks on
accounting, bookkeeping and banking. His father, Arthur
Frederick Sprott, also valued penmanship, wrote a book on
the subject and established an annual award for the Canadian
student with the best handwriting.
When Bob was 4, he fell hopelessly in love with the trumpet.
He was crossing Muskoka's Lake of Bays on a ferry,
travelling from Norway Point to the Bigwin Inn, when he
heard an older boy playing a trumpet on deck. He was
mesmerized by the rich, calm sound echoing across the still
water.
Arthur Sprott, meanwhile, had a different future in mind for
his son, one that didn't involve the loose morals he
imagined went along with popular music. Nevertheless, he did
pay for his trumpet lessons. Later, Bob enrolled at
Toronto's elite Upper Canada College and joined the school
orchestra. Around that time, he also formed his own band,
complete with a vocalist named Nancy Douglas. The Bob Sprott
Orchestra played school dances, nightclubs and debutante
balls, including one held for the daughters of Toronto mayor
Allan Lamport.
In 1943, the Glenn Miller Orchestra arrived in Toronto only
to discover that one of its trumpet players had split his
lip and was unable to play. Seeking a local replacement, the
band settled on Bob Sprott. He took the stage that night,
and later went on to play with the band in London, Ont.
During that London performance, a small crowd of Bob's
friends planted themselves in the audience. When the melodic
In the Mood struck up, they shouted: "Hey, Bob Sprott!" The
response was so enthusiastic, it can still be heard on a
recording made that night.
Without missing a beat, Bob finished high school and took
his band on the road, playing in venues throughout Canada
and the United States. He settled in Hollywood and was
successful both as a performer and a composer. His band
consisted of a French horn, two tenor saxes, a trumpet, a
rhythm section and a vocal trio. "The versatility of the
orchestra is apparent," read the text on the record jacket
of one of his compositions. "You can hear them change in a
split second from a warm, romantic mood to hard, driving,
pulsating jazz."
According to his daughter, Suzy Sprott, he left Toronto
under the name Bobbie Sherwood. Because of the negative
connotations associated with being a jazz musician at that
time, he didn't want to tarnish the Sprott family name.
After playing concert halls in Hollywood, signing recording
contracts and selling compositions, he decided he'd had
enough of Hollywood. "He sold the rights to the Bobbie
Sherwood name and compositions to another performer for
$2,000," said Ms. Sprott. "This man later became very
prominent, playing in Pal Joey, a film starring Frank
Sinatra and Rita Hayworth."
In the early 1950s, Mr. Sprott realized that big-band music
was fading into obscurity with the emergence of rock 'n'
roll. He returned to Toronto and tried to turn his life into
one that his father might find more respectable. In 1954, he
married the girl next door, Janice Altenbernd, whom he had
met while playing at Muskoka's Bigwin Inn. Their two
daughters, Suzy and Judy, were born a few years later and
Mr. Sprott packed his trumpet away in the basement and went
looking for a better paying job. Instead of working at jazz
clubs, he took an advertising and market-research job with
Warner-Lambert, a leading manufacturer of packaged goods
that included such brands as Dentyne, Chiclets, Listerine,
Bromo-Seltzer and Rolaids. He handled the Listerine account.
A scrapbook that Mr. Sprott put together a few years ago
includes a photograph of a Warner-Lambert sales meeting. It
showed a beautiful young woman dressed in a skimpy French
maid outfit under the banner: "Keep Listerine Ahead." On her
right sits Mr. Sprott, with his hand over his mouth,
apparently stifling a laugh. The photo appears to suggest
that his transition to business was not a good fit.
"The responsibilities and demands of a family and the
business world conflicted with his love for music," said
Suzy Sprott. "Like most creative people, it became difficult
to balance."
In 1970, his marriage ended. He found a job with Toronto's
Second City theatre company that blended his love for
performance with the grunt work of sales and advertising. He
also did a brief sales stint at The Globe and Mail. Mr.
Sprott, however, ached to return to the world of music.
Eventually, with a bit of luck and ingenuity, he found his
way into a sound studio.
"His life as a musician was really from 1940 to 1954," said
his daughter. "The remainder of his life, over 25 years, was
spent researching archives, collecting information and
stories, studying the musicians and music of the big band
era."
Over the years, he interviewed Les Elgart, Woody Herman,
Benny Goodman, Rosemary Clooney and Stan Kenton. His
subjects included contemporary musicians such as Jeff Healey
(obituary, March 3, 2008).
Mr. Sprott worked at various radio stations in Southern
Ontario. His last job, one he held for 15 years, was at AM
740, first at its Oakville location, then in Toronto when
the station was sold to Moses Znaimer, founder of CITY-TV.
Mr. Sprott was an eccentric character, familiar to
colleagues as the guy who carted around his own LPs and knew
nothing of technology except how to run a turntable and
place a needle.
"His mind was a federal reserve bank of information," said
Michael Caine, a former manager of AM 740. "He knew
recording dates back in the '30s, '40s, what the
circumstances of those dates were, the contracts between the
singers and big band leaders.
"I never gave Bob a dollar for doing the show. ... He did it
for the love of it. But I had to work a little hard in the
control room because nobody had turntables any more, and he
had this terrific LP collection. He was known and noted as a
jazz historian with extensive knowledge, anecdotes and
recording material of the musicians and their stories of the
big band era."
The strength of Mr. Sprott's signal reached a Manhattan club
where a couple of musicians jammed and later tuned into the
show. One of the musicians was Les Paul, who is widely
credited as the inventor of the electric guitar. The other
musician was comedian and clarinetist Woody Allen.
How Bob Sprott survived all those years on dedication alone
is one of the mysteries surrounding him. He rarely spoke
about his personal life. In his last years, he was a
dishevelled figure in a big, loose sweater and running
shoes, a reclusive freelancer who didn't even have a
telephone. "Somebody should have got him to write a book,"
said Mr. Caine.
While most people never saw Mr. Sprott with a trumpet in his
hand, he did play one more time. Encouraged by musicians at
the former Loews Westbury Hotel in Toronto, he borrowed one
of their instruments and showed what he could do.
"It was on a lark, really, just to see what he could
remember," said his daughter. "I'm sure he would never get
up in front of an audience. It had been over 30 years since
he played. The band probably finished their set and said,
'Come on, Bob, blow it again! Just for old times' sake.' "
BOB SPROTT
Robert Sprott was born on April 23, 1926, in Toronto. He
died of kidney failure on Oct. 21, 2008, in Toronto. He was
82. He is survived by his daughters Suzy and Judy; his
sister Ruth Firstbrook and brother David; and his
grandchildren Leah, Robyn and Steven.
Tania Smith
Mr. Sprott played a big part of my adolescent life. I was In grade 10 when I discovered him on AM 740. I was learning about WW2 in school and I was forming an interest in movies from the 1940s and Sinatra. Mr. Sprott played amazing tunes every evening while I did my home work. He taught me so much about all the big band and swing music. I looked forward to going home and doing homework just so that I could listen to him (can you imagine any 16 year old thinking that?). I discovered my passion for singing and loving jazz. I rang into his request hour one evening and requested NewYork NewYork and he was really surprised that a 16 year old listened to his show. He was really encouraging and happy and gave me a shoutout. I felt like I talked to celebrity- I was buzzing the entire week after that interaction. I still think about him and I smile. He changed my life. He will always be a part of my life. I love you Mr. Sprott- you will always have a fan and a listener here. :)
Sincerely and with love,
Ria