The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks
“The Band That Made Radio Famous”
$39.95
In stock
About the Book
Carleton A. Coon, Sr., and Hoe L. Sanders formed the Coon-Sanders Orchestra in 1919 in Kansas City, Missouri. Three years later, under the name “Nighthawks,” the band began broadcasting experimental, highly-popular midnight radio programs over Kansas City’s WDAF. Their music was played all over the world, and the band remained one of America’s top bands until Coon’s death in 1932.
Here is the complete history of the Coon-Sanders Orchestra, the band whose saucy, and bustling music and carefree and extravagant musicians symbolized the era between World War I and the Great Depression.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Fred W. Edmiston
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 384
Bibliographic Info: 105 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4327-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1229-4
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
1. Joe and Coonie 5
2. Postwar Kansas City 21
3. Coon-Sanders Novelty Orchestra 57
4. The Nighthawks 83
5. Chicago’s Congress Hotel 116
6. The Blackhawk Years 186
7. The Final Year 250
Epilogue 291
Notes 297
Appendix A: The Band’s Personnel 321
Appendix B: Nighthawks and Their Associates 324
Appendix C: Coon-Sanders’ Schedule of Road Tours 324
Appendix D: Songs Composed by Joe Sanders and Carleton Coon 339
Bibliography 343
Index 353
Book Reviews & Awards
“the band’s story is told in amazing detail by someone committed to setting down the facts…the photos are priceless”—Classic Images; “extensively researched, well-documented”—SPERDVAC Radiogram; “fascinating detail…wonderful”—Theatre Organ; “an amazing amount of material”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly; “scholarly…highly readable…so much detail, both visually and textwise…important and long-overdue…the author is to be commended on the thoroughness and diligence of his research and extensive use of archives across the USA…unmissable!”—VJM’s Jazz & Blues Mart.
