Roy Bargy | |
|---|---|
 Bargy in 1922 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roy Fredrick Bargy |
| Born | July 31, 1894 Newaygo, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 1974 (aged 79) Vista, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
Roy Fredrick Bargy (July 31, 1894 – January 16, 1974) was an American composer and pianist.
Born in Newaygo, Michigan, he grew up in Toledo, Ohio. In 1919, he began working with Charley Straight at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in Chicago, performing, arranging and composing. He was the leader, pianist and arranger of the Benson Orchestra of Chicago from 1920 to 1922 (when he was replaced by Don Bestor), and later worked with the orchestras of Isham Jones and Paul Whiteman, and recorded piano solos for Victor Records.[citation needed] In 1928, he was the first pianist to record George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F (in an arrangement by Ferde Grofé; with Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orchestra).[citation needed]
From 1943 until his retirement, he was music director for Jimmy Durante.[1]
He died in Vista, California at the age of 79.
