Dan A. Russo

Dan Russo (Chicago, 13 October 1885 — Hollywood, 5 September 1956) was an American violinist, songwriter, and big band leader during the 1920s and 1930s.

Russo assembled his first orchestra in Chicago at the beginning of the 1920s, which had an engagement at the Oriole Terrace in Detroit. This group was conducted together with the pianist Ted Fiorito, and became known under the name of the Oriole Orchestra, also performing at the Chicago Edgewater Beach Hotel. These performances were also broadcast on the radio in 1924. In 1926 they opened an engagement at the Aragon Ballroom. The orchestra consisted of three saxophonists, two trumpets, a trombone, a piano, a tuba, a banjo, drums, and Russo on the violin. Russo's orchestra was a well-known territory band in Chicago and the Midwest; Some recordings were made for the labels Columbia and Brunswick under the band names The Oriole Terrace Orchestra and Russo & Fiorito's Oriole Orchestra. In 1927, Fiorito and Russo parted, and each continued his own band; Russo took over the old band name for recordings until 1932.

Dan Russo also worked on the song "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)", which he wrote with Gus Kahn and Ernie Erdman. It was played by Al Jolson & the Vitaphone Orchestra and was used on the soundtrack of Woody Allen's Bullets over Broadway (1994).

Birth and Death Data: Born Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America), Died 1956 (Hollywood (neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, composer, violin, songwriter, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-53 of 53 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick C5193 10-in. Jan. 1930 ‘Tain’t no sin (To dance around in your bones) Oriole Orchestra ; Dan A. Russo Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) leader  
Brunswick C3878-C3878B 10-in. July 1929 (You made me love you) Why did you? Oriole Orchestra ; Dan A. Russo Jazz/dance band, with vocal leader  
Edison 8983 10-in. 5/16/1923 Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo'bye) Broadway Dance Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
(Results 51-53 of 53 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Russo, Dan A.," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111149.

Russo, Dan A.. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111149.

"Russo, Dan A.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111149

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.