Abe Lyman, a charismatic bandleader with a knack for organization and marketing, earned the nickname "the Hurricane of Music" for his energetic and dynamic performances. He led several orchestras from the 1920s to the 1940s, successfully adapting to changing musical tastes and trends.
Trained as a drummer from the age of 14, Lyman began his career in the cinema pits and theatre bands in the Chicago area. However, prompted by his brother Mike, he relocated to the West Coast and formed his first dance orchestra, Abe Lyman and His Californians, in Santa Monica in the early 1920s.
Through his appearances at the Ship Café in Venice, Lyman made connections with glamorous patrons, including film stars Bebe Daniels and Gloria Swanson. These connections led to prestigious bookings at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel, where Lyman and his band remained in residence until 1926.
The popularity of the group enabled Lyman to recruit a number of talented musicians, including Ray Lopez, Si Zentner, Jimmie Grier, Gus Arnheim, Jack Pleis, and Yank Lawson. The band went on a successful national and European tour, performing at iconic venues such as the Kit Kat Club, the London Palladium, and the Moulin Rouge.
Lyman expanded his profile through appearances in early sound pictures and synchronizing work on three classic 'Merrie Melodies' soundtracks for Warner Brothers in 1931. The band also recorded prolifically under the Brunswick, Decca, and Bluebird labels, releasing popular songs such as "Mandalay", "Mary Lou", "After I Say I'm Sorry" (composed by Lyman),and "California, Here I Come" and "Moon Over America".
The band gained further exposure through weekly national radio broadcasts on 'Waltz Time' (NBC) and 'Your Hit Parade' (CBS). Lyman relocated the orchestra to New York in 1933, but by the mid-1940s, the band's popularity began to wane, and fewer recordings were made.
Lyman left the music business altogether at the end of the decade, starting an insurance business with his wife Rose Blane, a former vocalist, in Beverly Hills. He also ventured into restaurant management. Lyman passed away in October 1957 at the age of 60.
