The Orchestra at the Hotel

A Documentary Proposal
by Moses Hershberger

The Story
It was an unlikely time and place for what was known as the Greatest Generation
in this small Tennessee town. The world was swept up by the mesmerizing music
of the greats: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, George Hamilton, Buddy Moreno and
other era greats.
During the 30s and 40s, the Peabody Hotel Skyway Ballroom was one of three
national radio broadcast sites for CBS Radio which aired coast-to-coast live big
band music. One of their weekly programs, called Saturday Afternoon Tea
Dance was hosted by a young Sam Phillips, who would later go on to change the
record industry forever.
So, in this rich and brief moment in Memphis history, why hasnt it been
romanticized since then? Or better yet, why has it been left abandoned if it merits a
timeless era of music and culture of the arts? What secrets lied within this historic
place? Were not chasing after ghosts or looking for any truths or myths, but there
was something more to it than just a radio show, music and a hotel.
Background
No hotel in Memphis had more magic and luxury associated with its name. The
Peabody Hotel. It chimes with such gusto. The original Peabody was built by
Robert Campbell Brinkley in 1869 and named the hotel after George Peabody, who
had contributed to the South.
The building was located on the corner of Main and Monroe. Designed by
Chicago architect Walter Ahlschlager, the hotels style was that of Italian
Renaissance. The original Peabody closed in 1923. The current Peabody on Union
Avenue, was built in 1925. One of the most recognizable features of the hotel is
the neon "The Peabody" sign where the Skyway Ballroom stands.
Imagine that. You, dancing your loving partner, set to the music of love and love
of life, where the city lights are as every bit as magical as New York or Paris.
Truly, the long term consequences would endure in this disappearance.

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Characters
Historical narratives can often times be very subjective in their conclusions. This is
done because those speaking about said topic or subject of history doesnt have a
diverse set of historians. Not so much speaking about their respected ethnicities,
but their background of their fortes as historians, and in this case, musicians as
well. Here is a list of people who would appropriately fit such characters:
1. Jack Belz - chairman and CEO of Belz Enterprises, Belz heads one of the
Souths largest real estate and development firms. A longtime booster,
activist, and participant in downtown development, probably best known for
bringing back The Peabody hotel.On August 1, 1975, The Peabody was
purchased by Belz Enterprises, spearheading downtown redevelopment.
After a six-year, $25 million renovation, The Peabody reopened on
September 1, 1981. Its restoration and reopening were greeted with
enthusiasm, quickly restoring The Peabody to its rightful place in Memphis
society.
2. Charles W. Crawford - As Director of the Oral History Research Office, he
has conducted or supervised the completion of more than 2,000 oral history
interviews dealing with historical and biographical topics throughout the
Mid-South area. He was the first person from a southern institution to be
elected president of the international professional association, the Oral
History Association, and has participated in scholarly programs on oral
history throughout the United States and in several foreign countries.
3. Anna Neal - Head, Music Library. She manages collection development for
Music Library; creates and maintains Web pages for U of M branch
libraries; provides reference and instructional assistance.
4. John Baur - holds a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of
Musical Arts degrees in composition from the College-Conservatory of
Music, University of Cincinnati. As a 1971 Fulbright Scholar in England,
Baur studied with Thea Musgrave and Richard Rodney Bennett. Dr. Baur
has received numerous commissions, including grants for new works from
the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1982 he was designated Tennessee
Composer of the Year" by the Tennessee Music Educators Association.
5. Lawrence Edwards - Director of the University of Memphis Choral
Program. He directs the University Singers, University of Memphis
Chamber Choir. He is the coordinator of the graduate degree in conducting
and mentors the graduate students in Choral Conducting.

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He is also Artistic Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus, and frequent
conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
6. Jack Cooper - Associate Professor and Jazz and Studio Music Area
Coordinator. As a saxophone/woodwind performer and staff arranger, Dr.
Cooper performed, recorded, and toured with the U.S. Army "Jazz Knights"
from 1989 to 1995. His compositions and arrangements have been
performed and/or recorded by the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Westchester
Jazz Orchestra, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony
Orchestra, the Grand Junction Symphony, the Summit Jazz Orchestra
(Germany), the U.S. Army "Jazz Ambassadors," the U.S. Navy
"Commodores," the Rob Parton Jazz Orchestra, the Cavani String Quartet,
the Ceruti String Quartet, Alma Latina, DEKA Jazz and the Brass 5.
7. Jeff Cline - is the Division Head of the Music Industry Division, and
Coordinator of the Recording Technology Program at The University of
Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. As an Associate Professor and
Recording Studio Manager, his responsibilities include instruction and
activities in audio and music production, electronic music and multi-media
composition techniques and technologies, studio management, program
administration, and curriculum development.
The Point
Memphis has struck a criterion in the mystery and essence that is music. Nobody
or no one will take that away from it. The name alone is an icon to music itself.
The overall meaning behind this story is to remind audiences why that is. True, it
does pertain to a specific audience, but shouldnt deviate from its universal theme:
the consequences of a forgotten culture. The music of big bands, swing and even
jazz will not fade away into nothing. They will remain, so long as people decide
its fundamental to preserve them.
The city of Memphis has a say and place in soul, rock n roll and blues music. This
piece of musical history; from the select songs from the Great American
Songbook, cannot be forgotten by the people of the city of Memphis. The spirit of
this documentary will show and resonate why that is.
Moses Hershberger
October 12, 2014