jabw_vintage/al starita photos

jabw_vintage/report no. 33

Photos featuring the Staritas .....

this page first published by John Wright, 31 August 2004
last update 10 November 2007vintage@jabw.demon.co.uk

I am grateful to Dick Starita for providing these photographs featuring his father, bandleader and reed player Armand 'Al' Starita, and drummer/xylphone/bandleader Rudy Starita. But is Ray Starita also on this page?
NOTE: for comparisons of Ray Starita, I am grateful to Graham Calkin, grandson of Arthur Calkin, who has kindly submitted several press clippings featuring photos which ARE identified as Ray Starita's

The first few photographs were submitted by Dick Starita
(photo ref. starita002)

(photo ref. starita002)
Mike Thomas reports: "This is a photo of the Kit-Cat band with Al Starita holding the Cat. I have found the Melody Maker issue (April 1926) which has this photo and the personnel is listed. The magazine says it is the "latest photograph of Jack Hylton's famous Kit-Cat Band". The personnel are left to right are Tom Smith, Sid Bright, Alf Field, Eric Little, Al Starita, Jim Kelleher, Edwin Knight, Ted Heath, George Smith and Len Fillis. Assuming the photo features the whole band at ~end March 1926 this suggests that Jim Kelleher had replaced Poggy Pogson by this point. It also suggests that violinist Hugo Rignold may have left, but not been replaced". Mike Thomas and Charles Cox are wondering if Edwin Knight (in this photo) and "Nobby" Knight (in Ray Starita's later Kit Cat band) are the same person.
Melody Maker also mentions that Hylton proposed to add a string quartet to the band. The quartet are actually heard on the May 27th session only, yet Rust & Forbes listed them present for all the sessions after that.

The photo below certainly features Bill Harty (drums) extreme right, and Sid Bright (piano) is at the back wearing glasses, Al Starita holds the gramophone record. The decor at the back is the same as photos in Rust's 'Dance Band Days', the Piccadilly Players. Can we identify the other musicians?
Chas Cox suggests from left to right: two not identified, then maybe Alf Field, then Al Starita, Sid Bright, George Smith and Bill Harty.
(photo ref. starita007)

(photo ref. starita001)
John Wright reports: Dick was unsure if Ray Starita was in the pohoto below, but I reckon it's Ray Starita seated, holding the clarinet. Rudy Starita is standing behind him.

(photo ref. starita001) Mike Thomas reports: "I'm sure that is Ray Starita holding the clarinet" and suggests the other personnel in Ray Starita's Kit Cat band are:
Back Row: Arthur Calkin, George Oliver, Rudy Starita, Les Carew, Chester Smith
Front Row: Harry Jacobson, Eugene Pini, "Nobby" Knight, Edgar Bracewell, Bert Wilton, George Glover.
Nick Dellow suggests: 'This photo is of Ray's Ambassadors Club band, in fact and I think it must have been taken at the Ambassadors Club. That is George Hurley (violin) not Eugine Pini second from left in the front row, and Jack Collins (trombone) not George Glover standing far right in the front row. The date of the photo is sometime between 1930 and 1932, probably earlier rather than later (but not earlier than late 1930 as that is when George Hurley joined - and he stayed until the band broke up in 1932). George Hurley was a good friend of Ray Starita's and remembered working with him very well. Ray Starita holds the clarinet while none of the other members have their instruments with them, signifying he is the leader of the band. Moreover, all the sidemens' pocket handkerchiefs are embroidered with the initials "R.S." - standing for, obviously, Ray Starita!'.

The photo below is a bit of mystery. Dick says that's Al Starita at the front without his glasses and that it's not Ray sitting next to him. Yet in that tanned person there is a similarity to the photo of Ray Starita above. Might be one of Al Starita's 1930's US bands. (photo ref. starita005)

The next set of photographs were kindly donated in May 2007 by Donna Orr, daughter of Ray (Renata) Starita

First, some 1920s images of Ray Starita

and later photos of Ray, and his Carousel Ballroom that he owned in New Hampshire

The next set of photographs were kindly donated by Graham Calkin, grandson of bassist Arthur Calkin.

First, some cuttings from Rhythm magazine of August 1930 confirm the identity of Ray Starita in the photo of the band in white suits, above starita001.

(photo ref. rstarita05)

It should be noted that Ray did not always sport a small moustache

This fine portrait of Ray Starita should assist in the postive identifications of Ray in band photos.
(photo ref. rstarita02)

Here is a photo of Ray Starita and a early smaller Ambassadors Club Band with no trumpet or trombone players (which were recruited for recordings). Personnel is listed:
(photo ref. rstarita03)

Here is another photo of a smaller Ambassadors Club band
(photo ref. rstarita01)

So using previous identifications the personnel here include: ? (sax), Arthur Calkin (bass), Chester Smith (sax), Ray Starita (leader, clarinet), ? (drums), Jack Hill (guitar), Donald Thorne (piano), ? Reg Pursglove (violin).

Nick Dellow has written to me saying:
Please find attached a very nice and very rare photo of Ray Starita with the Savoy Orpheans. The personnel in the photo is (left to right): Ronnie Gubertini (drums), Billy Thorburn (piano), Ray Starita (tenor sax), Jackie Coogan*, Jim Bellamy (string bass, which Coogan is posing with), Ramon Newton (with glasses!), Fred Underhaye (brass bass), Al Starita (alto sax)

* Jackie Coogan was of course the child star who famously played the eponymous role in Chaplin's The Kid (1921). He was visiting England on a publicity tour, and is seen here playing Jim Bellamy's double-bass. It is difficult to date the photograph exactly, especially because the personnel is at variance with Rust-Forbes' "British Dance Bands on Record" (BDB), but I would guess 1924. Particularly confusing is the fact that, according to BDB, Ronnie Gubertini and Jim Bellamy didn't join the Savoy Orpheans until September 1925 but by that date both Starita brothers were out of the band, yet here they all are together! There are two violinists shown here; the one just out of view could be Jean Lensen, which would make mid-1924 the most likely date for the photograph, as Lensen was out of the band by October 1924 according to BDB.
Nick Dellow went on to say:
If one treats the Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band personnel as a "pool" of musicians then the situation becomes less confusing. Certainly on record there are examples of the Starita brothers playing on Savoy Havana Band recordings as early as November 1923. In fact, the Havana's trumpet player Jimmy Wornell told researcher Steve Walker that the Savoy bands often swapped chairs for recording sessions, depending on who was available on a particular day.

Any information on the careers of Al, Ray, Rudy and Julio Starita will be much appreciated and will be included in full biography web pages. Please e-mail John Wright with any information

return to the

Personalities page

	I am grateful to Dick Starita for providing these photographs featuring his father, bandleader and reed player Armand 'Al' Starita, and drummer/xylphone/bandleader Rudy Starita. But is Ray Starita also on this page? NOTE: for comparisons of Ray Starita, I am grateful to Graham Calkin, grandson of Arthur Calkin, who has kindly submitted several press clippings featuring photos which ARE identified as Ray Starita's

	The first few photographs were submitted by Dick Starita (photo ref. starita002)

	(photo ref. starita002) Mike Thomas reports: "This is a photo of the Kit-Cat band with Al Starita holding the Cat. I have found the Melody Maker issue (April 1926) which has this photo and the personnel is listed. The magazine says it is the "latest photograph of Jack Hylton's famous Kit-Cat Band". The personnel are left to right are Tom Smith, Sid Bright, Alf Field, Eric Little, Al Starita, Jim Kelleher, Edwin Knight, Ted Heath, George Smith and Len Fillis. Assuming the photo features the whole band at ~end March 1926 this suggests that Jim Kelleher had replaced Poggy Pogson by this point. It also suggests that violinist Hugo Rignold may have left, but not been replaced". Mike Thomas and Charles Cox are wondering if Edwin Knight (in this photo) and "Nobby" Knight (in Ray Starita's later Kit Cat band) are the same person. Melody Maker also mentions that Hylton proposed to add a string quartet to the band. The quartet are actually heard on the May 27th session only, yet Rust & Forbes listed them present for all the sessions after that.

	The photo below certainly features Bill Harty (drums) extreme right, and Sid Bright (piano) is at the back wearing glasses, Al Starita holds the gramophone record. The decor at the back is the same as photos in Rust's 'Dance Band Days', the Piccadilly Players. Can we identify the other musicians? Chas Cox suggests from left to right: two not identified, then maybe Alf Field, then Al Starita, Sid Bright, George Smith and Bill Harty. (photo ref. starita007)



	(photo ref. starita001) John Wright reports: Dick was unsure if Ray Starita was in the pohoto below, but I reckon it's Ray Starita seated, holding the clarinet. Rudy Starita is standing behind him.

	(photo ref. starita001) Mike Thomas reports: "I'm sure that is Ray Starita holding the clarinet" and suggests the other personnel in Ray Starita's Kit Cat band are: Back Row: Arthur Calkin, George Oliver, Rudy Starita, Les Carew, Chester Smith Front Row: Harry Jacobson, Eugene Pini, "Nobby" Knight, Edgar Bracewell, Bert Wilton, George Glover. Nick Dellow suggests: 'This photo is of Ray's Ambassadors Club band, in fact and I think it must have been taken at the Ambassadors Club. That is George Hurley (violin) not Eugine Pini second from left in the front row, and Jack Collins (trombone) not George Glover standing far right in the front row. The date of the photo is sometime between 1930 and 1932, probably earlier rather than later (but not earlier than late 1930 as that is when George Hurley joined - and he stayed until the band broke up in 1932). George Hurley was a good friend of Ray Starita's and remembered working with him very well. Ray Starita holds the clarinet while none of the other members have their instruments with them, signifying he is the leader of the band. Moreover, all the sidemens' pocket handkerchiefs are embroidered with the initials "R.S." - standing for, obviously, Ray Starita!'.

	The photo below is a bit of mystery. Dick says that's Al Starita at the front without his glasses and that it's not Ray sitting next to him. Yet in that tanned person there is a similarity to the photo of Ray Starita above. Might be one of Al Starita's 1930's US bands. (photo ref. starita005)

	The next set of photographs were kindly donated in May 2007 by Donna Orr, daughter of Ray (Renata) Starita
	First, some 1920s images of Ray Starita

	The next set of photographs were kindly donated by Graham Calkin, grandson of bassist Arthur Calkin.
	First, some cuttings from Rhythm magazine of August 1930 confirm the identity of Ray Starita in the photo of the band in white suits, above starita001.

	(photo ref. rstarita05)

	It should be noted that Ray did not always sport a small moustache

	This fine portrait of Ray Starita should assist in the postive identifications of Ray in band photos. (photo ref. rstarita02)


	Here is a photo of Ray Starita and a early smaller Ambassadors Club Band with no trumpet or trombone players (which were recruited for recordings). Personnel is listed: (photo ref. rstarita03)


	Here is another photo of a smaller Ambassadors Club band (photo ref. rstarita01)

	So using previous identifications the personnel here include: ? (sax), Arthur Calkin (bass), Chester Smith (sax), Ray Starita (leader, clarinet), ? (drums), Jack Hill (guitar), Donald Thorne (piano), ? Reg Pursglove (violin).