In researching the Hoboken Four when they were touring with the Major
Bowes group, I came across this on a sports auction site:
https://lelands.com/images_items/item_83283_1.jpg
Here's the description that was with the listing:
1935 Frank Sinatra "Hoboken Four" Setlist from Major Bowes Amateur
Hour - "American Treasures" Library of Congress
His earliest known recording was form this. One of his earliest
performance and perhaps his first time on radio. The mate to this is
in the LOC and is considered among the "American Treasures of the
Library of Congress"major bowes amateur hour predated American idol
(fans voted in their favorites) Below taken from Library of Congress
which has his application In 1935, the first year of radio network
broadcasts of Major Bowes' Amateur Hour, more than thirty thousand
acts auditioned for the talent contest program. One of the successful
acts was the "Hoboken Four." The vocal quartet auditioned as "Frank
Sinatra and the 3 Flashes," but was renamed, purportedly by Major
Bowes himself. The act won the competition of the September 8, 1935,
broadcast and joined one of Major Bowes's traveling vaudeville units.
Sinatra soon left the tour to strike out on his own.
Note: It carries the date September 8th. Here's our listing for that day:
1935 Major Edward Bowes & The Original Amateur Hour
Sponsor: Chase & Sanborn Hour
Location: Capitol Theater, 51st & Broadway, New York City
Sunday Evening
NBC Radio
8-9 PM EDT
Announcer: Graham McNamee
Ed O'Brien
At approximately 8:45 on September 8, 1935, Major Bowes
introduced the Hoboken Four to a nationwide
audience. Bowes show was one of the most popular in the history of
commercial radio. An audience of
millions sat listening in their living rooms on that Sunday evening
80 years ago.The four members of the group were
Fred Tamburro, James "Skelly" Petrozelli, Pat Principe and Frank Sinatra.
Frank had filled out the application for the show. "Frank Sinatra
and The Three Flashes" was the name of his group. Major Bowes
didn't like it. Hoboken Four was a very quick substitute. Bowes asked
who spoke for the group and Frank froze. Nothing
came out. Fred Tamburro, known as Tamby, stepped forward.
After the Major announced the group billed themselves as the
"Singing and Dancing Fools," he asked where they worked in
Hoboken. Tamby told him where Patty and Jim had worked. Then, in
front of the Capitol Theater audience, Tamby looked
at Frank and said, "This fellow here never worked at all." Bowes
asked Tamby what they were going to do. Tamby told
him they were going to sing "Shine"( Crosby's hit with The Mills
Brothers in 1932), and then they were going to dance.
Despite some formidable competition that evening, including a few
operatic numbers, other singing groups and some fine
solo musicians, the Hoboken Four won the amateur contest.
