Enoch Light
Enoch Henry Light (August 18, 1907 – July 31, 1978) was an American classically trained violinist, danceband leader, and recording engineer. As the leader of various dance bands that recorded as early as March 1927 and continuing through at least 1940, Light and his band primarily worked in various hotels in New York. For a time in 1928 he also led a band in Paris. In the 1930s Light also studied conducting with the French conductor Maurice Frigara in Paris. Throughout the 1930s, Light and his band were steadily employed in upscale hotel restaurants and ballrooms in New York, playing popular songs for dining and dancing rather than out-and-out jazz. At some point his band was tagged The Light Brigade and they often broadcast over radio live from the Hotel Taft in New York, where they had a long residency. Through 1940, Light and his band recorded for various labels including Brunswick, ARC, Vocalion and Bluebird. In 1955, Light founded Grand Award Records and served as president and A&R chief. In 1959 he founded a subsidiary label, Command Records. Grand Award and its subsidiary labels were sold to ABC-Paramount Records in October 1959. Light's name was prominent on many albums both as musician and producer. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Canton (city in Stark County, Ohio, United States), Died July 31, 1978 (Connecticut (state of the United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: director, songwriter, vocalist, leader, composer
= 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 | BS-81075 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | Throw another log on the fire | Jerry Baker ; Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-81076 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | You have taken my heart | Jerry Baker ; Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-81077 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | If I didn't care | Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-81078 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | Nothing but the best | Jerry Baker ; Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-81079 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | There was a night on the water | Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-81080 | 10-in. | 1/18/1934 | When to-morrow comes | Hotel Governor Clinton Orchestra ; Enoch Light | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, vocalist | |
| Victor | BAVE-012905 | 10-in. | between 8/10/1939 and 8/18/1939 | Mariettina | Feliciano Brunelli Orquesta Característica ; Oscar Valetta | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-036576 | 10-in. | 5/1/1939 | I paid for the lie I told you | Three Reasons ; Dick Todd | Male vocal solo, with female vocal trio and jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-036981 | 10-in. | 5/25/1939 | Begone | Phyllis Kenny ; Van Alexander Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-037133 | 10-in. | 5/19/1939 | Begone! | Bob Allen ; Hal Kemp Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-045986 | 10-in. | 1/24/1940 | You're first on Second Avenue | Enoch Light Orchestra ; Peggy Mann | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-045987 | 10-in. | 1/24/1940 | Run, rabbit, run | Enoch Light Orchestra ; Bunny O'Dare | Jazz/dance band, with vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-045988 | 10-in. | 1/24/1940 | Tiny old town | Enoch Light Orchestra ; George Hines | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | BS-045989 | 10-in. | 1/24/1940 | Someday you'll find your bluebird | Enoch Light Orchestra ; Peggy Mann | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director | |
| Victor | F4PB-4560 | 10-in. | 6/9/1955 | Daniel Boone (the daddy of them all) | Dick Lee | Male vocal solo, with vocal chorus and instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Brunswick | E21746-E21747 | 10-in. | 3/5/1927 | Mary dear (I miss you most of all) | Enoch Light's Blue Jay Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Brunswick | E21748-E21749 | 10-in. | 3/5/1927 | If you can’t tell the world she’s a good little girl (Just say nothing at all) | Enoch Light's Blue Jay Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Light, Enoch," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106882.
Light, Enoch. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106882.
"Light, Enoch." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Enoch Light
Discogs: Enoch Light
Allmusic: Enoch Light
Grove: Enoch Light
IMDb: Enoch Light
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Light, Enoch, 1905-1978 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93054215
Wikidata: Enoch Light - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1343499
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/16439473
MusicBrainz: Enoch Light - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f43dc09d-cec5-4b90-af09-77415c5ac93d
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/323012 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/323012
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