Al Trace

Albert J. Trace (December 25, 1900—August 31, 1993) was a prolific American songwriter and orchestra leader of the 1930s, 40s and 50s whose peak of popularity was reached in the Chicago area during the height of the Big Band era. A native of Chicago, Al Trace played professional baseball before deciding on music as a career. His first jobs during the early 1920s included playing the drums and singing with various bands, until he formed his own band in 1933, the year his home city was celebrating its centennial with a World's Fair officially known as A Century of Progress International Exposition. The band's premiere engagement in May 1933 was at the Fair's French pavilion and, when the Fair closed for the winter on November, he remained...