Bob Haring

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Bob Haring (August 21, 1895 – February 18, 1975) was an American popular music bandleader in the 1920s and early 1930s. He got his start in recording in 1922 as the music director for Cameo Records, using many stage names like The Caroliners, The Lincoln Dance Orchestra, The Society Night Club Orchestra, and King Solomon and His Miners. Cameo was a budget label, and his sessions also appeared on Plaza and ARC labels.

In 1925 he signed with Brunswick Records, one of the era’s major labels. His first Brunswick recording, on May 16, 1925, was as the leader of the Regent Club Orchestra, which focused on waltzes and helped him develop his lush, elegant sound. Because of his popularity, he became the leader of The Colonial Club Orchestra in May 1926, playing refined fox-trot dance music with the occasional tango or waltz.

In July 1926 he started recording under his own name as Bob Haring & His Orchestra. Across these recordings, he favored a classy, string-heavy sound, especially in his elegant waltz records issued as The Regent Club Orchestra.

In April 1929 he was named musical director for Brunswick’s New York recording laboratories, overseeing musical arrangements. He continued recording for Brunswick until Warner Bros bought the company in 1930, and a 1931 reorganization led to the end of his contract. He then recorded for ARC labels (Banner, Oriole, Perfect, Romeo) through July 1931. He kept working in radio until swing music rose around 1935 and tastes changed.

Haring’s complete discography is hard to pin down because many records listed other names, but several dozen sessions he led or arranged between 1920 and 1931 are documented. His Brunswick record years with The Colonial Club Orchestra and The Regent Club Orchestra were his best sellers.