Roy Salanitro, in the 1940's, known as "Roy Santro,"
had his own big band, and played many of the Skouras Loews theatres
stage shows. Roy Santro also had a trio in 1943, consisting of
Remo Palmieri, guitar (who later joined the Arthur Godfrey TV
show"), Charlie Roeder, vibraphones, and Roy on bass, which
played many cocktail club engagements. During World War II, Roy
"disbanded" and went to work with big bands. Roy has
worked with Lester Lanin, Bobby Sherwood, Lee Castle (who took
over the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra) and with the famous Dixieland
Group of Joe Marsala, at the Hickory House on 52nd St., New York
City (with Bobby Hackett on trumpet; Chuck Wayne on guitar; George
Wellington on piano; Shelley Mann on drums and Roy on bass).
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- Roy worked with the George Paxton Orchestra from 1946-1948,
and with this orchestra, played the Capitol Theatre, NYC, featuring
Lena Horne, vocalist in September 1947. This was a most enjoyable
engagement, except for a frightening, unforgettable episode,
when one of the performances was about to begin and the rising
stage came up partway, with one side getting stuck and the other
side continuing to rise. The engineers suddenly stopped the motion,
but the music stands, music, instruments, and a few musicians
fell. Everyone on stage immediately had to pick up music, music
stands, and instruments, abandon the stage, and bring all equipment
onto the upper main stage behind the curtain. he show was delayed
approximately one hour. Lena Horne had to reschedule a birthday
party for her daughter, which was celebrated with the musicians
backstage after the next show. Everyone had a great time and
thanked Lena Horne for her thoughtfulness. This was an experience
I will never forget!
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- In the early part of 1948, Roy played at the famous Palm
Beach, Florida Leon and Eddie's with Bill Roeder, trumpet (who
made the well-known record with Prez Prado, "Cherry Pink
and Blossom Time"). In 1950, Roy the Herb Creager Orchestra
at Carl Hoppl's Valley Stream Park Inn, where he met Al Miller,
drums and Tom Wagner, sax and clarinet. Roy played there for
27 years, including Carl Hoppl's Baldwin, 6 nights weekly, averaging
3 floor shows nightly. Some of the featured performers were:
Pat Cooper, Rodney Dangerfield, Totie Fields, Pat Henry, Don
Rickles,-comedians, and Ada Cavallo (who currently conducts the
Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Stu Foster, Janice Harper, Julius LaRosa,
Barbara McNair, Dick Roman, June Valli (and husband, Jimmy Merchant),
vocalists.
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- In the 1970's-1980's, Roy played fill-in bass at Jones Beach
Boardwalk with Primo Fiore and Ray Gogarty. In recent years,
Roy has played with local Long Island bands, i.e. Ben Grisafi,
Al Miller, Rodd Raffell, Angelo tallarico's Don Michael's Band,
and Tom Wagner's Dixieland group, "Tom Cats", and the
Garden City Village Music Makers Big Band. He has also played
for George Davis, conductor of the Nassau County Police Band.
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