If the great Lombardo ever had a rival, it was Vincent Lopez. A man so dedicated to the music industry, that he stayed nearly 60 years as a bandleader before retirement. Being a legendary Radio, Record, and TV personality from the earliest days of the 1920s to the mid-1950s. Working with the legendary Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, to the rhumba king Xavier Cugat to the nanny-goat'd brash crooner Rudy Vallee. Having multiple orchestras in his early days playing society music, going under variations of His Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra, the Casa Lopez Orchestra, or just His Orchestra. Then when he changed his style, newer ones like His Suave Swing Orchestra too.
His Main Orchestra started sometime in 1919. In early 1920, they would record their first records briefly with Edison Records. Later in the year, they would get a chance to record with Columbia, lasting into 1921. That year, He'd only record few sides with Columbia, as he focused more on his time over WJZ where he got his catchphrase \"Lopez Speaking\". It wouldn't be until 1922 that he'd cut again. This time starting for Okeh and briefly returning to Edison. Okeh winning out quickly, which he'd record with until the end of the year and where they would start cutting under the name \"His Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra\". But Lopez would also enter into the world of dimestore/small labels, as he'd record under Paramount, Pathe, Cameo, and other groups along with smaller independent labels, most of which only lasting a few cuts. Continuing in this fashion until 1926, after cutting with other labels including Victor, Odeon, Edison again, he would finally leave Okeh for Brunswick, recording exclusively for years there before leaving in 1929. Jumping around on other labels like Perfect, Grey Gull, Hit Of The Week, Crown, foreign labels, and joining the ranks of the ARC among others. Apart from various Victor/Bluebird recordings, he'd stay mostly with the ARC throughout the mid 30s. When the ARC Collapsed in '38, he would be taken in by Victor the following year, recording on Bluebird into 1940. Leaving with Eli Oberstein the next year to his Elite label. As the Petrillo Ban went into effect, he couldn't record again until 1944 with Continental and then briefly with V-Disc, National and others until it ended. Post War, he would have a few records with Mercury, International, Beacon, and others, going into the 50s, returning to Columbia briefly, and ending around 1962 on MGM.
Lopez had a great number of hits with his Orchestra. Those included Always in 1926, My Angel in 1928, I Want To Be Happy in 1924, Nola in 1922, There's Honey On The Moon Tonight in 1938, Spellbound in 1934, Song Of The Vagabonds in 1926, Away Down East Maine in 1923, Oh Kathrina! In 1925, and many others.
