[78-L] vi 19841 Edwin McEnelly orch

[Bryan Wright]

Edwin J. McEnelly was a violinist and Massachusetts-based bandleader  
active from 1902 until the early 1940s. He was already in his mid-to- 
late 40s when he made most of his Victor recordings in the mid-late  
1920s (21 issued sides in all from 1925-1929). His band was notable  
for giving pianist Frankie Carle his first professional engagement,  
and Carle can be heard on many of McEnelly's records. The McEnelly  
Orchestra toured around New England in the 1920s and broadcast  
regularly over a number of early radio stations including WBZ.

The recording you have of "What A Blue-Eyed Baby You Are" is actually  
an early electric: McEnelly's Orchestra made only one acoustic Victor  
disc, "I Like Pie, I Like Cake" in March 1925. ("Blue-Eyed Baby dates  
from November 2, 1925).

The McEnelly Orchestra is a real favorite of mine; I produced and  
annotated a CD of the band's complete recordings for my Rivermont  
label back in 2004. (It's still available, BTW.) The musicians were  
always top-notch and the band's arrangements are among the finest of  
any 1920s dance band, IMO. The arrangements often don't leave much  
room for hot solos, but they are tightly-crafted ensemble works that  
make full use of the band's varied instrumentation.

In his later years, McEnelly retired from the band business and  
worked as a piano tuner until his death in 1958 at age 79.

Bryan Wright