Fred Petra
Настоящее имя: Fred Petra
Об исполнителе:
US American big band bandleader, composer and musician, born 1924, died December 15, 2013 in Sarasota, Florida. He lived in Waterville, Maine, for over 55 years, where he and his wife Shirley raised three daughters, participated in the community and made many lifelong friends. While Fred's "day job" was as a businessman and licensed real estate broker, music was his calling in life, the trumpet being his primary instrument. He founded the Fred Petra Band, a show, dance and concert band well known throughout the northeast for over 40 years. Fred served as music director for the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, N.H., for 17 years. Over the years, his group performed with many nationally acclaimed performers like Dizzie Gillespie, Della Reese and Carol Channing, among others. Fred was also the founder and leader of "The Elders," a popular Dixieland Band formed in 1955, a group of close, personal friends. The 'Elders' were popular in Maine and enjoyed by all at the annual Petra Christmas parties. They also appeared at the New York World's Fair and Expo '67. As a performer, Fred was at home in both the jazz and classical fields, having played bass violin with the Portland, Bangor and Colby Symphony Orchestras. Additionally, throughout his Maine music career, Fred played in the Al Corey big band. Fred was music director for the Maine and Canadian tour of the Shrine Circus for 31 years. He was BMI Young Composer of the Year (Maine) in 1955, an art administration fellow for National Endowment of Arts in 1990 and an adjunct faculty member of Colby College. He attended Arlington Conservatory and was a graduate of Colby College in 1955. Fred was a decorated World War II U.S. Army paratrooper, serving in the European Theater, having earned the Combat Infantry Badge and four battle stars. Fred was an avid golf and tennis player and loved being with friends and family. His attitude towards life was positive, with "outstanding" being a favorite way to describe most everything. One of his favorite tunes to perform was "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.