Teen group of music students of Freitag’s Music Store in Glen Burnie. The store was run by Del Freitag, son of ‘Pop’ Freitag who owned the original Freitag’s Music Store in N.E. Baltimore. Del was conductor of his Del Freitag Orch. that released a 78rpm jazz single in 1947 “Keeping” b/w “Stardust” (Aetna 500/501).
Del Freitag Orchestra 78rpm record
The group was Marsh Anders (piano), Earl Eslinger (alto sax), Jimmie Elliott (tenor sax), Walt Bein (baritone sax), Inks Brauer (bass), Bob Dyche (drums), and Chuck Weist (vocals). Anders went on to a 47-year career as music teacher at McDonough School.
In the summer of 1953, a couple of the music teachers at Freitag’s put a little band together consisting of Gary Hendrickson (trumpet), Billy Ricker (drums), Frank Sharkey (accordion), and Bill Tepper (steel guitar). Jose Giordano, the guitar teacher, wrote arrangements for the group of musicians who were all about 13 years old at the time. Their first “paying” job was at a church social, where they each made $1.00!
Del Freitag passed away at about the time this little band was getting under way, so they decided to call the band The Del Freitag Juniors, in memoriam.
Frank Sharkey’s mother managed get the group involved with a USO troupe in Baltimore, and the Del Freitag Juniors became a part of a regular Friday evening traveling USO show. The show was “directed” by Alberta Nathanson, the piano player for the show. Her son, Dick Nathanson, was a tap dancer and comedian, and was the MC. Also in the show was Walt Namuth, who played the Hawaiian guitar, along with Mrs. Nathanson on piano, for a little girl named Thelma Simpkins, who did a Hula dance. Other performers in the traveling show included an accordion duo of Dottie Zito and Frankie Zito.
The group would meet in front of the War Memorial in downtown Baltimore and pile into an Army bus to go to local military bases to perform. Alberta Nathanson was also the piano player for the Collegians TV show on WMAR-TV, and she arranged for the Del Freitag Juniors to appear on the show. The Juniors became regulars on the show for well over a year, beginning around 1955.
Namuth went on to teach guitar and to perform with many local groups. He was also a member the Buddy Rich Big Band appearing on the 1968 album “Mercy, Mercy.” Frank Zito’s later groups included the Buddy Robbins Combo in the ‘70s… Hendrickson went on to join the Midnight Flames, Joyriders…
