[ PHOTO GALLERY OF BEN LIGHT'S CAREER ]

BEN LIGHT

Born in 1893 in New York City, Benjamin Bertram Leight had a long career at the keyboard under the performing name "Ben Light." In his early days, he went from working small cafes to headlining prominent vaudeville circuits. In the late 1930s, he recorded bawdy "party" records for a low-budget jukebox label. In 1938, he toured with Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards. From the late 1940s to the mid 1950s, he made over 100 recordings for the Tempo, Capitol and X labels, and sold millions of records. Finally, after recuperating from a long illness, Ben put out his last new material on the GNP Crescendo label in 1959. Ben Light died on January 6, 1965, in Hollywood at the age of 72. He had lived a show business life for nearly 50 years.

Born and Raised at the Keyboard

Ben Light was raised in a musical family; his father was a concert pianist who graduated from the Berlin Conservatory of Music. But, according to Ben, he couldn't learn from his parents because their music was strictly for "long-hairs" and "left him cold." Ben had no interest in classical music; he had a different ambition - to be the world's greatest ragtime piano player.

At the age of 14, Ben Light got his first performing job, playing as a member in a local theater orchestra. In 1911, at the age of 18, he was playing professionally in a cafe in Denver. As a lead performer, Ben quickly drew a popular following with his fast stride piano playing skill and before long he was performing from coast to coast.

For 15 years, Ben was a headliner on the Orpheum and Keith Vaudeville circuits, where he appeared with theatrical greats such as Eddie Foy, Eva Tanguay, Sophie Tucker, George M. Cohan and Ethel Barrymore. Working alongside dog acts, plate spinners, comedians and string quartets, Ben honed his rapid-fire technique in theaters and nightlclubs from San Francisco to Salt Lake City to Chicago to Broadway.

Party Records

In July and August 1936, Ben Light, credited as "Ben Light and his Surf Club Boys," recorded "party" records for Hollywood Hot Shots, a Los Angeles, California label which supplied jukebox records. These two dozen sides, with titles like "The Guy Who Put the Dix in Dixie" and "Christmas Balls," were considered raunchy material in their day, filled with innuendo and "teasing" lyrics (a "teasing" song hints at a naughty rhyme, but avoids it at the last minute, e.g., "Suzanne was a lady with plenty of class / Who knocked the boys dead when she wiggled her ... / Eyes at the fellows as girls sometimes do...."). While Ben accompanied, an anonymous male singer handled the actual singing.

Although Ben got head billing on these discs, likely due to his headlining work in vaudeville, these recordings do not show off his famed piano playing much, being dedicated to silliness and sass over substantive performing.

The Later Recordings

Between 1948 and 1949, Ben recorded for the Tempo label, recording nearly 100 songs over this period and putting out almost a dozen records, all on Tempo's signature clear red vinyl.

Ben chose much of his material from the pop standards, peppered with a few original compositions. A typical Tempo session saw him working with Jimmy Briggs on flute and sax, Ralph Hansell on vibraphone, Joe Caleffie on guitar, Pete DeMaggio on bass and Bill Markas on drums.

In 1950, Ben Light moved from Tempo to the more prominent Capitol Records label, producing another fifty-plus recordings for Capitol over the next four years, released on several LPs: Rhythm Rendezvous, Jukebox Favorites and Speed of Light. Ben was not afraid to return to his vaudeville stage roots when choosing material to record; in fact, he re-recorded many of the same songs he had recorded for Tempo, such as "Tea for Two," "Orchids in the Moonlight" and "Hindustan." On one 1950s album jacket, Light explains: "Surprisingly enough, the same style that established me in 1910 is proving to be a big hit today."

In 1954 and 1955, Ben Light recorded for "X," an RCA-affiliated product designed to imitate pirate 10" jazz LPs of the day. He producing two EPs titled "Salute to the States." These were later gathered, with other "X" material, into the LP "Spotlight on Ben Light."

The main element of each of his later recordings was Ben's "dizzy fingers" - his fast novelty-style stride playing, heard on this CD collection. Album jacket text always remarked on the speed of his playing, regularly returning to one statistic - Ben had been "clocked" playing 1,173 notes in a single minute. This caused one copywriter to remark that Ben Light had "the fastest right hand in the business" and another to jest "he can move more ivory in a minute than a herd of rampaging elephants." Other writers suggested he must use two pianos in his recordings, to maintain the phenomenal pace, but it was always just Ben at a single keyboard.

It should also be noted that Ben Light wrote and played several of his own compositions, including "Benny's Bounce" and "My Baby Said She's Mine" (which are included in this CD). Other Light composition titles, such as "Girl of My Dreams" and "Melancholy Baby," are referenced over and over again but actual recordings of these are hard to find.

The Last Recordings

Due to an unknown illness, Ben Light took leave from the entertainment world for several years. However, once well enough, he returned to recording and produced a last LP, "In the Limelight," for the GNP Crescendo label in late 1958. As the liner notes of Limelight make plain, Ben had lost none of his touch or his speed: "One listen to this record will offer convincing proof that he has lost none of his greatness and flexibility--rather that his convalescence offered him the opportunity to spend more time at the keyboard."

He was 65 years old when Limelight was released, and had been in show business for over 50 years.

The saying "To each his own" is perhaps never more true than in music; however the Ben Light mixture of dexterity, interpretation and emphasis on familiar melodies, has something everyone (whether they like Bach or Bop) can appreciate and enjoy.

For Your Listening Pleasure

Most of the recordings are simply Ben and piano, with instrumental accompaniment. Occasionally, a vocal chorus was added, as on "My Baby Said She's Mine" or "Bring Me a Bluebird" (featuring the Mello-Men), the song that ends this 2-CD set. On Disc 2, "Back Home Again in Indiana" leads into Ben's "X" (RCA) recordings. Stand outs from these RCA sessions are "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "Negra Consentida." Some songs are slow and lovely, many are fast and bright. But whatever the tempo, the "Light" touch is a distinctive one.

--- Rex Strother (January 2005)

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