Anthony [Antonini], Ray(mond)
- Wayne Schneider
- , revised by Barry Kernfeld
Extract
(b Bentleyville, PA, Jan 20, 1922). Trumpeter and bandleader. He first played professionally in the late 1930s, then worked with bands led by Glenn Miller (1940–41) and Jimmy Dorsey (1942). During World War II he led a navy band for two years. After being discharged he formed a band in 1946 which had a hit single, Bunny Hop, in 1952. This started a national dance craze that contributed considerably to Anthony’s success. As well as continuing to record he performed with his band on television (1953–5) and in several films. He also appeared without the band in other films, including The Five Pennies (1959), a biography of Red Nichols in which he portrayed Jimmy Dorsey, and later in Story of the Big Band Era (1963), in which the jazz element of his studio big band’s performance is enhanced by the participation of such soloists as Frank Rosolino, Dave Pell, and Joe Maini, with Nick Ceroli on drums. After ...
