|
The Herb Brittain Band played
nightly and broadcast from the Winnipeg
Auditorium during the summer months of the
early 1940s. This was the era of the
big band sounds and Herb's danceable
arrangements and entertaining style won
fans by the earload. His shows were
broadcast over CJRC from the Royal
Alexandra Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada, where he played a weekly supper
dance.
Brittain also travelled Europe extensively
before World War II, playing prominent
venues in London, Paris, and Monte Carlo,
returning to Winnipeg in 1939. Herb
Brittain collaborated with world-famous
artists such as Bert Kaempfert, creating
arrangements and writing musical
charts. He was the Canadian
component of Can-Am Records, signing
artists such as Oscar Peterson and
Winnipeg’s Chad Allan and the Reflections.
His career path eventually led him to a
six-year job with the Winnipeg Symphony
Orchestra, under the direction of two
conductors.
In 1961, Herb Brittain became the music
director for CKY-AM, and subsequently
CKY-FM, which began broadcasting the
summer of 1963. He also hosted CKY's
"Melodies of The Classics", heard daily
from 8:00 to 9:00 pm, and "The Arts",
which aired Sundays from 1:00 to 6:00
pm. Herb retired from CKY in 1973.
Herb Brittain passed away on November 10,
1997 at the age of 91, in Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada.
Compiled from the following sources:
|
|
|
