Carmen Lombardo

Carmen Lombardo (July 16, 1903 - April 17, 1971) was the younger brother of bandleader Guy Lombardo. He was a vocalist and composer.

Early years

Lombardo was born in London, Ontario, Canada,

Composing

Lombardo's compositions included the 1928 classic "Sweethearts on Parade", which was number one for three weeks in 1929 on the U.S. pop charts, "Ridin' Around in the Rain", written with Gene Austin in 1934, the jazz and pop standards "Coquette", "Boo Hoo", and "Some Rainy Day", and "Powder Your Face With Sunshine (Smile, Smile, Smile)", written with Stanley Rochinski in 1948-49. In 1927, Carmen Lombardo was the vocalist of the 1927 hit record, Charmaine, performed by the Guy Lombardo Orchestra.

Career

As a child, Lombardo took flute lessons, and later learned to play saxophone, forming a band with his brother Guy as conductor. The band developed into The Royal Canadians in 1923, in which Carmen both sang and wrote music. He frequently collaborated with American composers and his music was recorded by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and others. Many of his compositions have also been used in Woody Allen films. When singing songs like "Alone at a Table for Two" he would allow his voice to tremble, and seem nearly to break into tears- he was caricatured in Warner Brothers cartoons as "Cryman" Lombardo.