Bob Howard made
a remarkable number of recordings during 1935-38, enough to fill up
five LPs. With the popularity of Fats Waller, Howard was signed by Decca
as competition but he never came close despite the utilization of some
notable sidemen. Howard moved to New York in 1926 and performed as a
solo act. He was a fixture on 52nd Street in the 1930's, including at
the Hickory House, Park Central Hotel and the Famous Door among others.
Howard recorded five selections during 1931-32 for Columbia (three solo
sides that included his vocals and two duets with trumpeter Manny
Klein). A decent pianist, Howard stuck exclusively to goodtime vocals
during his Decca period and among the other players on his records were
Benny Carter (on trumpet and alto), trumpeters Bunny Berigan and Marty
Marsala, clarinetists Buster Bailey, Barney Bigard, Cecil Scott and
Artie Shaw, pianists Teddy Wilson, Frank Froeba, Zinky Cohn and Billy
Kyle, guitarist Teddy Bunn, drummer Cozy Cole, tenorsaxophonist Ben
Webster and cornetist Rex Stewart! However, after being dropped by Decca
in 1938, Howard only recorded two further songs (a couple of
obscurities for Atlantic in 1947). During the late 1930's he was at
Mamie's Chicken Shack in New York accompanying singer Billy Daniels. Bob
Howard remained active at least into the 1950's, having his own
pioneering television show for a time on CBS but he is largely forgotten
today. Fortunately all of his Decca recordings were reissued on five
LPs by the European Rarities label in the 1970's.
