Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo, born June 19, 1902, was a Canadian-American musician (violinist/singer) and bandleader who formed the The Royal Canadians with his brothers. They played a mix of big band and jazz, selling around 300 million albums during their extensive recording careers.
Guy Lombardo became a staple on New Years Eve broadcasts starting in 1928. Known as Mr. New Year's Eve, people began to have house parties and gather around the radio and their televisions to ring in the new year. His orchestra played from 1929 through 1959 annually at the Roosevelt Hotel, which was broadcast on radio nationwide. After 1959 they moved to the Waldorf Astoria until 1976. He died of heart failure in 1977.
To this day, the first song of the year that is played in Times Square, New York is the The Royal Canadians rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
Guy was also known for his hobby of building and piloting racing boats. He held world records in the 1940's and won every trophy in the sport before retiring in 1950.
Iron Noder 2017