Biography
Ace Brigode viewed himself primarily as an entertainer rather than an instrumentalist, which aligns with the fact that later audiences most often recall him through his spoken line in a Contadina tomato sauce radio and television spot rather than through any of his recordings. Ace Brigode & His Fourteen Virginians traveled extensively and cut numerous sides beginning in the 1920s, yet the individual tunes themselves lingered in public memory far more clearly than the ensemble that produced them. Record labels of the period routinely supplied exclusive pressings to particular retailers, forcing other outlets to market the same material under alternate identities such as the Denza Dance Orchestra and the Corona Dance Orchestra, thereby scattering any unified recognition the original name might have earned. Listeners attuned to arithmetic might also have questioned advertisements claiming fourteen musicians when the actual head count fluctuated between nineteen and ten. These circumstances help account for why trivia enthusiasts associate Brigode chiefly with the query “who put eight great tomatoes in that itty-bitty can?” while the band’s versions of “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby,” “Wait ’Til It’s Moonlight,” “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” and “Alabamy Bound” remain largely overlooked.
The ensemble originated in 1921 in Charleston, West Virginia. Brigode sustained the Virginians, whose membership continued to vary, for roughly twenty-five years thereafter, securing spots on programs such as the White Rose Gasoline Show and a four-year residency at New York City’s Monte Carlo. The group emphasized both vocal spotlights and instrumental display; its treatment of “Goin’ Home” featured a chorus of sidemen trading phrases with a scat-singing soloist and became a consistent audience favorite. Brigode embraced radio’s commercial possibilities early, shifting his energies toward jingles and product tie-ins. Once the band dissolved in 1945 he turned to management and promotional work in Cleveland, Ohio. Contemporary reports of his death in 1960 noted that President Eisenhower withdrew briefly to his office to hear an old 78 of “Sleeping Beauty’s Wedding.” A later aggregation also called the Virginians may have included Brigode and some of his former sidemen, although its few discs are so little documented that any connection remains uncertain.
The ensemble originated in 1921 in Charleston, West Virginia. Brigode sustained the Virginians, whose membership continued to vary, for roughly twenty-five years thereafter, securing spots on programs such as the White Rose Gasoline Show and a four-year residency at New York City’s Monte Carlo. The group emphasized both vocal spotlights and instrumental display; its treatment of “Goin’ Home” featured a chorus of sidemen trading phrases with a scat-singing soloist and became a consistent audience favorite. Brigode embraced radio’s commercial possibilities early, shifting his energies toward jingles and product tie-ins. Once the band dissolved in 1945 he turned to management and promotional work in Cleveland, Ohio. Contemporary reports of his death in 1960 noted that President Eisenhower withdrew briefly to his office to hear an old 78 of “Sleeping Beauty’s Wedding.” A later aggregation also called the Virginians may have included Brigode and some of his former sidemen, although its few discs are so little documented that any connection remains uncertain.
Singles