Bob Effros

Robert "Bob" Effros (December 6, 1900—September 12, 1983) was a British-born American Jazz trumpeter and composer. He is remembered for such hit songs as "Sweet And Hot", "Cornfed", "Why Don't You Get Lost?", "Why The Twenties Roared", and "The Memory of This Dance".

Robert Effros was born in London, United Kingdom, on December 6, 1900, into a Russian-Jewish family. When he was three years old, his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Memphis, Tennessee.

Growing up in the South, Effros was attracted to jazz music. When he was eleven, he found a job as a purser on a Mississippi riverboat and started learning to play cornet, later switching to trumpet. His music was influenced by King Oliver's style.

Between 1917 and 1919, Effros got a job as a bugler in several Army regiments. After the war ended, he relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, working with bandleader Bee Palmer. In 1921, he joined Vincent Lopez And His Orchestra. He left Lopez's band in early 1927, after which he became a house musician for the Vitaphone Company and started working with Ben Selvin and Harry Reser.

Starting in late 1927, Effros recorded with several well-known musicians and bandleaders of the time including, Benny Goodman, George Gershwin, Adrian Schubert, Sam Lanin, Bob Haring, Phil Spitalny, Lou Gold, Nathaniel Shilkret, Jack Shilkret, Willie Creager, and Victor Young. Around that time, he also accompanied Ethel Waters, Irving Kaufman, Scrappy Lambert, Frank Crumit, Mae Questel, and several other artists. With Annette Hanshaw, he briefly toured his native England.

In 1928, Effros recorded "Cornfed" with Phil Wall on Okeh records (40915). On the A-side was "Zulu Wail" by Frank Skinner and Irving Bibo. "Cornfed" was later also covered by Fletcher Henderson and Red Nichols.

In 1929, he briefly led his own band. On August 27 of that year, he recorded "Sweet And Hot" (composed by Mike Mosiello) and "Tin Ear" on Brunswick Records with Arthur Schutt and Frank Signorelli on piano.

Video: Tin Ear

In 1930 and 1931, Effros worked in radio orchestras, including the orchestra for "The Philco Hour" recorded at WABC (CBS) New York. In 1932, he recorded "Why Don't You Get Lost?" on Bluebird Records (B-5108) with Phil Wall and J. Russel Robinson. With Ben Selvin, he recorded "The Memory of This Dance" (year not known).

In the following ten years, Effros was involved in roughly 125 recording sessions with such artists as Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, Joe Tarto, Joe Venuti, Washboard Sam, Scrappy Lambert, Fats Waller, and Red Nichols.

Effros remained active as a studio musician until the 1940s.

Effros resided in Queens, New York, where he met his wife, Selma Sternick. They had two sons, George and Alan Effros.

Effros passed away in Queens, New York, on September 12, 1983, at the age of 83.