Background
He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in Kearny, New Jersey, where he learned to play the saxophone at a young age and was influenced by the music of Isham Jones, later attending the Juilliard School.
composer conductor bandleader jazz musician
He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in Kearny, New Jersey, where he learned to play the saxophone at a young age and was influenced by the music of Isham Jones, later attending the Juilliard School.
Juilliard School.
In 1933, while still in high school, Paxton formed a six-man band with schoolmates Tony Mottola and Herbie Haymer. The three later moved to New York City, where Paxton was hired to write arrangements for band leader and Meadowbrook Inn owner Frank Dailey. In the late 1930s, Paxton got a job with George Hall"s Orchestra as an arranger and tenor sax player.
In Hall"s group, Paxton got to work with other talented young musicians like Johnny Guarnieri on piano and Nick Fatool on drums.
At this time, Paxton was also writing arrangements for Dolly Dawn & Her Dawn Patrol. In the early 1940s, Paxton arranged music for Bunny Berigan, Bea Wain, Charlie Spivak (along with Sonny Burke and Nelson Riddle), Ina Ray Hutton, Vaughn Monroe, and Sammy Kaye.
After years of playing, arranging, and directing different groups around New York City, Paxton formed his own orchestra in 1944. The group became popular in New York City, and a ten-week engagement at the Roseland Ballroom turned into a one year run.
Some of these performances were broadcast live on the radio, which helped gain the band some popularity. toured the East Coast of the United States and gained some acclaim by 1945.
Vocalists included Alan Dale, Liza Morrow, Dick Merrick, and Gene Williams. Standout musicians were trumpeter Guy Key (sometimes "Kee") and saxophonist Boomie Richman (sometimes "Richmond"), as well as Andrew Ackers (piano), Romeo Penque (sax), Max Herman (trumpet), Vern Whitney (trombone), Doc Goldberg (bass), Nick Fatool (drums), and others The orchestra"s primary label was Majestic, however their songs were also released on the Guild, Hit, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer labels.
Some of Paxton"s compositions and arrangements include: "Paxonia", "All of Maine", "Streamliner", "This Can"t Be Love", "I"m Coming Virginia", "Jug Night", and "I"m Gonna See My Baby", among others
In 1949, Paxton was offered the job directing the house orchestra at The Capitol Theater in New York City. While there, he started a music publishing company.
One of his first publications was "There"s Number Tomorrow", which became a big hit for Tony Martin. George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed, Incorporated. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building.
Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group style, and some of these became hit songs of the day.
Between 1958 and 1965, Coed"s biggest acts included the Crests, the Rivieras, the Duprees, the Harptones, and Adam Wade, among others Paxton"s big-band background came in particularly handy with the Duprees, who combined group vocals with deliberately nostalgic swing orchestra backing on hits like "You Belong to Maine" and "Why Don"t You Believe Maine." Other highlights include the Crests" "Sixteen Candles" and three songs from the group"s so-called "angel series," "The Angels Listened In," "Pretty Little Angel," and "Trouble in Paradise". In April 2010, the catalogue was acquired by Los Angeles-based rights-management firm Beach Road Music, Limited Liability Company.
According to a Palm Beach Post news wire dated April 22, 1989, George Paxton died on April 19, 1989, "the victim of an apparent suicide".