Merle Evans
Merle Slease Evans (December 26, 1891 – December 31, 1987) was a cornet player and circus band conductor who conducted the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for fifty years. He was known as the "Toscanini of the Big Top." Evans was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association in 1947 and the International Circus Hall of Fame in 1975. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-62430 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Colossus of Columbia | Merle Evans ; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band | director | |
| Victor | BVE-62431 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Pageantry | Merle Evans ; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band, with calliope | director | |
| Victor | BVE-62432 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Entry of the gladiators | Merle Evans ; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band, with calliope | director | |
| Victor | BVE-62433 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Gentry's triumphal march | Merle Evans ; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band | director | |
| Victor | BVE-62434 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Circus echoes (Galop) | Merle Evans ; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band | director | |
| Victor | BVE-62435 | 10-in. | 5/25/1930 | Old Glory triumphal march | Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Band | Band, with calliope | director | |
| Decca | 84305 | 4/16/1953 | Barnum and Baileys favorite (Grand entry) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84306 | 4/16/1953 | Le père de la victoire (The liberty horses) (Father of victory march) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84307 | 4/16/1953 | Gentry's triumphal march (The elephants) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84308 | 4/16/1953 | Kentucky sunrise ; Prince of Decorah galop (The clowns) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84360 | 4/22/1953 | The purple carnival (The wild animal act) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84361 | 4/23/1953 | Tropic to tropic (High wire) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84362 | 4/22/1953 | Wedding of the winds ; Trombone blues (Aerialists) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 84363 | 4/23/1953 | Bravura (The jugglers) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100706 | 10/5/1956 | Quality plus (Seals | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100707 | 10/5/1956 | Caravan club (march) (Performing bears) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100708 | 10/5/1956 | The Southerner (march) (Bareback riders) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100709 | 10/5/1956 | Entry of the gladiators (The acrobats) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100710 | 10/5/1956 | Battle royal march (Grand finale) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor | |||
| Decca | 100711 | 10/5/1956 | Royal bridesmaids march (Trapeze) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band | conductor |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Evans, Merle," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106367.
Evans, Merle. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106367.
"Evans, Merle." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Evans, Merle - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91085273
Wikidata: Merle Evans - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6819678
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/65651351
MusicBrainz: Merle Evans - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/efd669f3-7f87-4f86-8504-552446978979
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