Pianist Bob Bailey has worked with Nat "King" Cole, Perry Como and Bing Crosby. He played for "The Dean Martin Show" for several years. He's worked with some of the most famous stars in Hollywood.
And you can hear all about it next Friday when he appears as part of the "Excellence in the Community" concert series.
A native of Salt Lake City, the 84-year-old Bailey said he moved to Los Angeles shortly after returning home from Germany when his Army hitch was up, following World War II. "I knew I could never make a living just doing music in Utah without having to teach, and that wasn't particularly enticing. So I had to go where the business was. And after I got out of the service, I moved right down to Los Angeles, and I stayed there for 35 years."
When he arrived, Bailey took a variety of musical jobs. "I was working clubs, in bands and then graduated to the Biltmore Bowl. And from the Biltmore Bowl, I left to go out on the road with a girl singer by the name of Connie Haines, who was a vocalist from Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. We did quite a bit of touring."
Through Haines, Bailey connected with movie studios. "I did a lot of rehearsal-piano stuff and started working on the movie with Ann-Margret called 'The Pleasure Seekers.' It wasn't a very good movie, but at least it was a movie." Then he went over to Dean Martin's TV show.
Now, Bailey looks back on a career filled with first-hand experiences with Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy Stewart and others — and he recalls one particularly poignant memory when he was playing for a command performance with Ginger Roger in Las Vegas.
"I was rehearsing with (Rogers). The choreographer, who was a girl, came over to me during a break and said, 'Fred Astaire's in the next studio. See if you can get him to come over.' So I went next door, and sure enough, there he was.
"He was talking to his manager or somebody. And I told him there was a young gal next door who was a fan of his and it would just knock her out if he would come over to say hello. He said, 'I'd be glad to do that.' And he came over and there was Ginger. They hadn't seen each other for 20 years. It was a special moment."
When Bailey performs in Salt Lake City, he'll tell more anecdotes — some with a tune attached. He said he's preparing some classics and will open the second half to requests. (Matt Larsen will accompany on the bass.)
If you go . . .
What: Bob Bailey, pianist
Where: Vieve Gore Hall, Westminster College
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $10 at Hires Big H restaurants
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com