Dick Bright: Legendary band leader with Mark Hummel

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The Dick Bright Orchestra has built a reputation as being San Francisco’s premier social band. They also travel to perform throughout the U.S. for conventions, corporate events, fundraisers, weddings, and private parties. Based on Dick Bright’s colorful career history, we couldn’t wait to interview him and share more with you about what makes him so knowledgable and entertaining. Enjoy!
Born in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in West Los Angeles, Rod Serling was president of his junior high school, and actress Katey Sagal from Married With Children was in his high school acting class!
Dick’s father was a public school music teacher at the same school for forty five years, taught private lessons, and played weddings and bar mitzvahs on the weekends.
Dick attended to Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades where he played in the orchestra and took acting classes - loving both arts. “It’s why I like combining music with a flair for a show and comedy as well. Sybil Maxwell, my violin teacher, was one of the top teachers in Los Angeles (she studied with Jascha Heifetz considered the world’s greatest violinist), and I was being groomed to hopefully grow up and play in a major symphony. When I got to UC Davis I discovered girls and rock and roll. Needless to say, my classical career was over. I went on to double major in music and acting.”
Dick went straight from college to play in an original rock band in Berkeley, California called Little Roger and the Goosebumps. We had a novelty hit called Stairway to Gilligan’s Island-the words from Gilligan’s Island and the music from Stairway to Heaven. Led Zepplin threatened a law suit. We got mentioned in Rolling Stone. I was hooked on show biz by then.
For twenty five years Dick’s been performing the National Anthem for the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants. “As a sports nut, so this is probably the biggest thrill every year - to step on the court or the field. I feel like I’m about twelve years old! Plus it’s the most nervous I get (no band to cover my mistakes!). I even got to do God Bless America at a World Series game and the anthem for the Home Run Derby when it was at AT&T Park.”

[@ecarteringram]

Thank you Mark for all your interviews.Such Important history of music. The Bay Area resonates. Dick is a very funny guy. I love that he loved Oscar Peterson; THE GREATEST piano player....ever.