Berlin 1930: Billy Barton Havana-Band - Why Was I Born?

Billy Barton mit seiner Havana Band – Why Was I Born? Foxtrot from “Sweet Adeline” (Jerome Kern) Ultraphon 1930 (Germany) NOTE: William (“Billy”) BARTON (b. c. 1890 in USA, d. ? in USA) American jazz band leader and tenor sax / clarinet virtuose, also a singer. His name as a musician appears for the first time in 1920 in Shanghai (China) where he traveled possibly, to avoid the American military service. Then he moved to Australia, where he befriended Bert Ralton who was with his famous Savoy Havana Band on tour in New Zealand and Sydney. In 1925 Billy Barton traveled to London to play with Ralton’s orchestra until a year later he joined Bert Firman’s dance orchestra. In 1927 Billy Barton toured again with the Savoy Havana Band to South Africa, and after the sudden death of Bert Ralton in the same year, Barton took over his band. In 1928, when the Savoy Havana Band disbanded, Billy returned for a short time to Bert Firman’s orchestra (The Rhythmic Eight) and finally traveled to Berlin to play with the