Percy sing the lyrics. . . .” Many of the dancers never returned
to Daneeland.

“I played my last engagement in Danceland on September I,
1946. I was followed by one of my well-known trumpeters—
Johnny Bering—who provided big~band music until the late
19505. During the fifties, of course, many of the world’s finest
dance bands played one-night stands in Danceland.

“Who could ever forget the beautiful sounds of Tommy
Dorsey‘s theme song—I’m Getting Sentimental Over You—the
sound of his brother J immy’s sax (the world’s greatest) playing
five solos or the sweet music of Mart Kenny filtering through
the huge pines surrounding the grand old pavilion? But like
most good things, the big hands at Clear Lake became too costly
and smaller groups took over.

“It wasn ’t until June, l979, that the big-band sound would be
heard again and that was when I was invited to join the Golden
Brass of Jimmy King to make a series of TV shorts for CKND.
When I gave the down beat to play my 01d theme song, the thrill
I had experienced when I first played there in 1932 came back
tome... and what a thrill it was.” (These excerpts were taken,
with the author’s permission, from the Roy Brown Story.)

 

 

 

Thejirst dance hall, called Danceland, was built in 1931 by Bruce
Pedlar of Neepawa, a member of Riding Mountaz’n’sfirsr dance
band. This hall on Wasagamz'ng Drive was used only a year. A
larger one, capable of holding up to I 000 dancers. was later built
across the street.

 

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