The digitization of this finding aid was made possible - in part or entirely - through the Canadian Culture Online Program of Canadian Heritage, the National Archives of Canada and the Canadian Council of Archives.
| Fonds/Collection Number: | F0246 |
| Title: | Paul Grosney fonds |
| Dates: | 1936, 1943-2003 |
| Extent: | 3.54 m of textual records 228 photographs 97 audio reels 26 audio cassettes 26 compact discs 1 phonograph album, 33 1/3 rpm. 3 video cassettes 2 posters |
| Biographical Sketch/ Administrative History: | Paul Grosney was a jazz trumpeter and big band leader. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 10, 1923. Grosney, the son of Russian immigrants, studied music and played hockey in his hometown before relocating at age 19 to New York City where he worked with legendary vibraphonist Red Norvo. Grosney served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. In 1948 he joined Canadian saxophonist and band leader Georgie Auld and then drummer Buddy Rich on tour. In Toronto he played with Bert Niosi at the Palais Royale. From 1948 to 1959, Grosney led bands in Winnipeg clubs, notably the Rancho Don Carlos, where he played with a number of film and music legends, including Doris Day, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., the Andrews Sisters, and Louis Armstrong. In 1959, he returned to the Toronto scene and led groups in a number of jazz venues; he also played in groups such as Trump Davidson's Orchestra and the Harvey Silver Dixieland Band. Grosney served as music director for the Bourbon Street and Basin Street clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, and in the 1990s he was part of the Canadian Tribute To Glenn Miller band led by Don Pierre. As well, Grosney put out a number of recordings under his own label, "Leo". Paul Grosney passed away in Toronto on May 17, 2003 at the age of 80. |
| Scope and Content: |
Fonds consists of Paul Grosney's handwritten and purchased musical arrangements of jazz and big band music for his bands, Grosney's arrangements of rock and pop songs for his bands, and recordings of his performances. Some arrangements are organized by instrument and each arrangement is numbered to facilitate each musician's ability to pull the correct piece of music called out by Grosney. Other arrangements are organized by song title. Included are arrangements for classic big band pieces such as "Stompin' at the Savoy", "Moonlight Serenade," and "Air Mail Special" as well as original compositions by Grosney for live performances and television programmes and commercials. There is also some professional correspondence and ephemera related to Grosney's career, audio recordings of radio shows,mostly from the 1950s and 1960s, that Grosney hosted or appeared on, commercials and copies of Grosney's albums. The fonds also contains photograph albums, loose photographs, some personal and family records and newspaper clippings spanning Grosney's life and career. |
| Restrictions on Access and Use: | No restrictions on access. |
| Finding Aid: | File list available. |
| URL of Finding Aid: | http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000246.pdf |
| Accruals: | The fonds comprises the following accessions: 2003-023, 2004-004, 2004-034, 2005-038. No further accruals are expected. |
| 2003-023 2004-004 2004-034 2005-038 |
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| Related Records: | Related records may be found in the Bert Niosi collection (F0240). |
| Immediate source of acquisition: | Donated by Michael Grosney, son of Paul Grosney, in 2003, 2004, and 2005. |
| Provenance Access Points: | Grosney, Paul, 1923-. |
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Date of creation: 2003/10/22 Date of last revision: 2008/10/31 |
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