There is an interesting history of WWL Radio with some great pictures of the Dawnbusters crew and the early staff at the station. See the web site for the Broadcast Museum.
The Dawnbusters
In his book, Enterprise In Radio: WWL and the Business Of Broadcasting In America (University Press of America, 1980) C. Joseph Pusateri reports that The Dawnbusters first aired in 1937. Later he says it was 1938. In any case, the first newspaper radio listing for the show appeared April 11, 1938, Pusateri wrote. The show moved to the afternoon in the 1950's and lasted, I believe, until the middle of that decade after a run of 25 years.
This picture of Pinky appeared This early ad for the Dawnbusters This one was dated Feb.,. This sedate group was
photo-
in the New Orleans Item Sept. uses the
1938 picture of Pinky,
1946 You can see they raphed in December, 1947,
but
4, 1938 reporting that he had so
it probably appeared at the end hadn't mended their ways. ** believe me, it was only an
act.
joined WWL "seven years
of the 30s.*
ago" and had just returned as
Musical Director.
Every Mardi Gras the show
Pinky and Nina Picone in
Mardi Gras was a special time for the band.
moved into the University
the 1930s. Thanks to Elmer
Here's another one in the University Room.
Room of the Roosevelt Hotel
Feldheim for the picture
1940s or early 1950s
(now the Fairmont) to accommodate
an audience which wouldn't fit in
the WWL Studio. No date on this
one but its probably in the late 40s
or early 50s.
* We'll try to identified the people in the band. In the early ad that's Pinky leaning back on the chair to the left and towering over him is drummer Billy Neuberger. To Pinky's right is an unidentified girl signer, and unidentified harpist and then Henry Dupre. Getting ready to slug Henry is Dave Weinstein, who played clarinet, did much of the musical arranging for the show and was later president of the New Orleans local of the American Federation of Musicians. To Dave's left, playing his saxophone like a fiddle, is Jimmie Rush. In the back row, from the left, is Johnny Senac, on Bass, an unidentified trumpeter, Tony Almarico on trumpet (Tony later became one of New Orleans' best-known band leaders), Charley Hartman on trombone and Nina Picone (with the raised chair) on clarinet. The two Western Union men are unidentified.
** In the February 1946 photo shows practically the same gang. Standing up in the back, from the left, are Louis Bono (The Dixie Buckaroo), Tony Dalmado, who played trumpet, Jimmie Rush, Bubby Castigliola (trombone), Freddie Newman (who played piano and was married to Bonnie Bell), and Charlie Hartman. In the center, just under Rush, is Marion Suter, who played trumpet for almost all of the years the Dawnbusters were on the air, Neuberger, Pinky, Irving Fazzola, Clarinet, Johnny Reininger, Margie O'Dair and Bonnie Bell. In the front row, Senac saws on his bass fiddle, Dave Weinstein is the guy playing all the horns, Bill Brengel, the announcer, is getting the shower from Neuberger and Godfrey Hirsch in his doctors smock is crouched with his xylophone sticks. The only members of the bank who still survive are Johnny Senac and Margie O'Dair.
In the 1947 pictures, Pinky, Bonnie, Henry and Margie are at the mike. The band, at least those we could make out, are the same as in the previous picture (the sax player one the left in the front row is Johnny Reininger -- a better picture than before). Standing on the right is Kelly Rand, who sang with the band. Dave Weinstein and Kelly died last year.
We'd greatly appreciate more pictures, better identifications and more information.