Bob Chester

Bob Chester (d. 1977) was an American jazz and pop music bandleader and tenor saxophonist.

Chester's stepfather ran General Motors's Fisher Body Works. He began his career as a sideman under Irving Aaronson, Ben Bernie, and Ben Pollack. He formed his own group in Detroit in 1939, with a Glenn Miller-influenced sound. This band was unsuccessful in local engagements and quickly dissolved. He then put together a new band on the East Coast under the direction of Tommy Dorsey and with arrangements by David Rose. This ensemble fared much better, recording for Bluebird Records.

Chester's orchestra included trumpeters Alec Fila, Nick Travis, and Conrad Gozzo, saxophonists Herbie Steward and Peanuts Hucko, drummer Irv Kluger, and trombonist Bill Harris. His female singers included Dodie O'Neill, Kathleen Lane, and Betty Bradley; among his male singers were Gene Howard, Bill Darnell, Joe Harris, Stu Brayton, Hall Stewart, Peter Marshall, and Bob Haymes.

The orchestra disbanded in the mid-1940s, due in part to the shrinking market for big band sound. Chester assembled another band for a short time in the early 1950s, but after it failed he retired from music and returned to Detroit to work for the rest of his life in auto manufacturing.

References

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gnfyxqrgldhe~T1 Bob Chester] at Allmusic
* [http://www.parabrisas.com/d_chesterb.php Bob Chester] at parabrisas.com