Moonlight Serenade To City Lights

Synopsis

Moonlight Serenade To City Lights: Images From The Dance Hall Era In Missouri, Chronicles The Musicians And Bands That Entertained A Generation Of Americans During The 1940s And 50s. Filled With Images Previously Stored Or Displayed In Homes And Businesses, The Book Preserves A Time When Local Dance Halls Provided The Main Social Outlet For Many Rural Families. Then, Adults And Children Alike Would Gather On Saturday Night For To Eat, Drink, Visit, And, Of Course, Dance. This Pictorial History Pays Tribute To Those Musicians From The Past And Gives Us The Opportunity To Acknowledge And Celebrate The Lives Of Those Missourians Who Went On To Success And Acclaim Throughout Our Country. Some Of The Music Groups Pictured, Such As B.a. Wagner And His Orchestra, Doerhoff Orchestra, C & O Boys, Kingdom Serenaders, Melodians, Missouri Valley Boys, Missouri Wildcats, Orf Brothers, Peace Valley Orchestra, Robbie And His Ramblers, Ron Lutz And The Rooster Creek Boys, Sonny Lefholz And His Orchestra, And Warren And The Hoe-down Boys, Performed For Many Years, Some For Several Decades. Group Members Would Frequently Change, But The Band Or Orchestra Played Under The Same Name. Other Groups Were Together Only A Few Months Or Years, Their Images Reflecting Only Short Moment In Time. Although Many Popular Music Groups Are Included, These Photos Represent Only A Portion Of The Groups Of Musicians That Travelled The Highways And Gravel Roads During The Dance Hall Era. Hopefully This Publication Will Not Only Stimulate Interest In This Era, But Will Encourage Others To Share Images That Have Not Yet Extended To The General Public.as This Photographic Collection Is Regionally Oriented, All Photos Are Of Musicians From The East Central Missouri Area Ranging Between St. Louis West To Jefferson City And Columbia And From Hannibal South To Rolla.