Name Mark Warnow Role Violinist | Siblings Raymond Scott | |
 | ||
Born April 10, 1900 ( 1900-04-10 ) Ukraine Died October 17, 1949, New York City, New York, United States Children Stanley Warnow, Carrie Warnow. Parents Sarah Warnow, Joseph Warnow People also search for Raymond Scott, Sarah Warnow, Joseph Warnow, Stanley Warnow | ||
Mark Warnow (April 10, 1900 - October 17, 1949) was a noted violinist and orchestra conductor, who performed widely on radio in the 1930s and 1940s. Warnow's superb, smoothly-flowing arrangements made him quite popular during his career. He was the older brother of composer/bandleader Raymond Scott (b. Harry Warnow), and is credited with steering his younger (and eventually more famous) brother into a career in music.
Contents
Early years
Warnow was born in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire) to Jewish parents, and came with them to the United States when he was 9 (Another source says age 5). Warnow grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Public School 100 and Eastern District High School, where he was a soloist as a violinist in the school's orchestra.
Career
When he was 17, Warnow became the Massel Opera's musical director. From that, he became the Ziegfeld Follies' musical director. That was followed by a stint as bandleader for the Music Box Revue.
Radio
Warnow enjoyed a lengthy and versatile career with the CBS Radio network. He was CBS music director in the early 1930s, and hired brother Harry as a keyboardist in 1931. On July 2, 1935, a CBS program debuted with singer Virginia Verrill starring and Warnow's orchestra accompanying her.
Warnow conducted the orchestra on the long-running CBS radio program Your Hit Parade from 1939 to his death in 1949. A 1941 newspaper article described Warnow as "the busiest man in radio," noting that his conducting duties included not only Your Hit Parade, but Helen Hayes Theatre and We, the People.
He also conducted his orchestras for The Jack Berch Show, the "Matinee Theatre" program, and Ed Wynn's "Happy Island" program.
Mark Warnow also conducted the orchestra for the "Sound Off" Radio show, 1946, New York City, sponsored by the U.S. Army to encourage post World War II recruitment.
Emcee Arno Tanney, aka "The Chant" would sing/chant army recruiting commercials like a drill seargeant in his signature booming baritone to the rapid fire rhythm of the "Duckworth Chant" - "Join the Army, it's for you, better pay and college too, Sound Off!, 1, 2, Sound Off! 3, 4, - 1, 2, 3, 4, Sound Off...Sound Off!"
Mark Warnow conducted as many of the well known female singers of the day performed, without pay, to support the Army's recruiting efforts.
Stage
Warnow also produced a Broadway musical-comedy, What's Up? (1943-1944).
Film
Warnow appeared as himself with his band in the Paramount Pictures release Paramount Headliner: The Star Reporter (1938).
Recordings
In the 1940s, Warnow conducted and arranged for Frank Sinatra while the singer was signed to Columbia Records, then owned by the CBS network. He was also a composer and recording artist.
In 1949, Warnow and his orchestra recorded a Capitol Records album, Sound Off, named for the Sound Off Chant, which was featured on the album along with some marches and other patriotic music.
Personal life
Warnow married twice. His second wife was the former Helen McGowan. They divorced in August 1948. He had five children, three from his first marriage and two from his marriage to McGowan.
Death
Warnow died October 1, 1949, of a heart attack in Polyclinic Hospital in New York City.