Phil Bowers was introduced by.... BO DEREK!

At the Veterans music contest, WINNER Big Band Phil Bowers was introduced by NONE OTHER THAN:file:///Users/jaybowers/Desktop/www.youtube.com:.webloc

Big Band Phil in California! For the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival

Big Band Phil won a contest Big Band Phil!!

He won a music contest for Veterans, and was flown out to California to perform and be musical in a Veteran-like way...

Anyway, here is a photo from the brochure for the event: guess who was featured????

More info later-

Life of Big Band Phil set to "Josephine" by the Sherry Sisters

Here is the life of Big Band Phil, starting in Marion, Wisconsin, and currently in La Grange Park, Illinois.

Waitin on the Robert E. Lee- the whole family production!

WOW!

I found this home movie as well!!

I think they made it whilst I was at college...

But, I do recognize JEFF as the banjo player in the beginning. (He started watching "Soul Train" shortly before they made this movie...) Great job, Jeffmo!

And Polly was just great, dancing and singing, whilst shuffling between the "Brothers Smooth", as they always called themselves in that era.

I remember her asking about the camera, repeatedly:

"You're not running that thing, are you?"

I guess they were...

One thing about having a big family, and lots of friend and neighbors:
You can sure put on a big production number, no problem!!

Ronny and Jimmy - - Waiting For The Robert E. Lee

I found this old home movie of brother Ronny spinning Jimmy around the living room, as my parents played their hit song from the 1940's, "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee"!

(No coincidence why they named their favorite son "Lee"!

Anyway, there is also no coincidence as to why THESE two sons were, uh, their LEAST favorite- I mean, here they were in high school, and while the rest of us were out selling newspapers and studying in between digging ditches, these two insisted on dancing around the living room as they forced our tired parents to play their signature song, over and over!

I will say, though, that Jimmy looks fetching in that dress, and my mom's wig!

Hudson Dean

This kid is named "Hudson Dean"...

Think he'll grow up to have a backwards orchestra?

He reminds me of "Beanie", brother Jeff's best friend in childhood.

Frank Sinatra - Polka Dots And Moonbeams (1940)

Here is Frank Sinatra, singing a song from Big Band Phil's era.

Perhaps he sang this song onstage with my mom and aunts??

Big Band's favorite family photos

The many faces of Big Band Phil!

Big Band and friend? MOM????

These are two of Big Band Phil's best friends...He has had them on his office wall for years and years. I always thought they were Danny and Jimmy, but he assures me that they are not.

If you know who they are, please post on this blog. Especially post, if you ARE THEM!!

Brother DAN BOWERS has something to say to BIG BAND PHIL!

A LETTER FROM SON, DAN, TO HIS FATHER, PHIL BOWERS -

Hey dad,

I think you are a great guy.

I am just sitting here with the kids and I only hope I can be partially as good a dad as you. You are a demonstration of the glass is half full. Be positive! I can hear you say in that tone of voice and pointing your index finger upward.

You are a demonstration of "not taking ourselves too seriously" and that I can be of influence as a dad and teacher with humor. We will swallow the pill easier with a bit of humor and good natured tone of voice...

I don't know what prompts this but I was thinking of you and I want to send this so,

I love you, big nose and big ears and all,
Dan

Lucy Loves Phillip Morris

Here is the Phillip Morris guy, along with Lucy and Desi!

Smokin' good commercial!!

Frank Sinatra and the Sherry Sisters

Here is a photo of the Sherry Sisters, Carolyn, Janie and Paula Manthey, from 1949.

It is not the best photo........

But WOW!

My mom and aunts, on stage with the one...

the only!!

The Timeless and Astounding, reknowned, idol to million-


"Call for Phillip Morris man!!" Amazing!!!!!!!!!!

The other guy's not bad, either.

Dean Hudson Orchestra

Here is Big Band Phil in the Dean Hudson orchestra, circa the 1940's.

Off to the right hand side are the beauteous Sherry Sisters. Carolyn, Janie, and Paula Manthey, from left to right.

Big Band Phil is shown in a rare photo, since he is playing trombone using his ARM, rather than his more oft used foot...

Laddie Popek, future husband of Paula, is shown playing his saxophone over the small letter "s".
The sax player over the large capital "D" is Philip Marlowe. Look closely, and you can see his revolver in his pocket.

The saxophone player playing over the small "a" was called "Whitey", and could he wail, man! To his right, just to the left of Uncle Laddie, was the "licorice stick" player, Dean Hudson's own Benny Goodman... everyone called him "Blackie".

The tuba? No one played it, but it sure looked cool!

As for the gowns of the Sherry Sisters, they reputedly were knitted by Aunt Genevieve (the Sherry's older sister), with help from her mother, Grandma "Happy", aka "Manthey".

Little known fact: Dean Hudson, pictured grooving in the left foreground, was the model for the KEN doll, which debuted in the 1960's...

The debut of Big Band Phil!!

This is the blog spot of Phil Bowers, aka "Big Band Phil" of trombone fame!

He has a large family of 7 boys, each of which has a sister!! ...

Luckily, he also has a wife! Carolyn Bowers, who was a singer with the famous Sherry Sisters, which included her sisters Janie and Paula (Manthey), who sang around with the Dean Hudson Orchestra throughout the Southeast, primarily, in the 1940's.

You may recall their record label regional hit, "Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee"! Great rendition!!

Well, that's all for now- come back often- the Big Band Phil BLOG will be updated frequently!!