The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks

“The Band That Made Radio Famous”

$39.95

In stock

SKU: 9780786443277 Categories: , ,

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)

Fred W. Edmiston is a former history teacher and librarian. He lives in Meridian, Mississippi.

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.