Biography
Guitarist Anthony Etri acquired the handle Bus Etri, a moniker whose awkward phrasing evokes a clumsy mishap between automobile and shrubbery. The tag may have arisen from his constant travels alongside the tireless Charlie Barnet orchestra, yet it also carried an eerie forecast of the highway accident that claimed his life during a California engagement in the early 1940s.
Music ran through his relatives as well. Brother Ben Etri handled saxophone, while cousin Tony Mottola earned renown as a studio guitarist and pioneer of muzak. Etri launched his professional path in 1935 with the Hudson-DeLange Band. When that unit divided, he aligned himself with co-leader Will Hudson. Barnet recruited him from that ensemble in 1938, and Etri stayed until the fatal crash, accounting for the bulk of his recorded output.
Music ran through his relatives as well. Brother Ben Etri handled saxophone, while cousin Tony Mottola earned renown as a studio guitarist and pioneer of muzak. Etri launched his professional path in 1935 with the Hudson-DeLange Band. When that unit divided, he aligned himself with co-leader Will Hudson. Barnet recruited him from that ensemble in 1938, and Etri stayed until the fatal crash, accounting for the bulk of his recorded output.