Talk:Pete Fountain

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I reverted User:24.114.144.60's replacement of the article with an unwikified essay. A google search of a few phrases didn't catch any matches, so it might be original, or a text dump from a print souce. Until there's some clarification, I moved it here to talk. -- Infrogmation 07:20, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)

On July 3rd 1930, in New Orleans, Peter Fountain was born. His father was able to play many instruments by ear and was the person in Pete’s life who exposed him to jazz music early in his childhood. When Pete was 9 years old, he was introduced to the clarinet when a physician suggested he play it to improve his weak lung strength. He took lessons and listened to music by his idols: Benny Goodman and Irving Fazola. He liked trying to imitate their playing style.

As a few years passed by, Pete’s playing skills became better and better. He played in his high school band, and whenever he could; he would sneak into music clubs and listen to performances. When he was 16 he formed his first band and they were honored by an opportunity to play at The Parisian Room, a famous jazz spot in New Orleans. In 1950, then 20 years old, he founded the Basin Street Six, a Dixieland comic band. However, at this time everybody was into Bebop and the band found it difficult booking work. In 1951, he got married to Beverly Ann Lang and they had three children together. The band eventually broke up and Pete and his family moved to Memphis and Chicago with a new group, the Three Coins.

The move from New Orleans hit Fountain pretty hard, leaving him rather homesick, when all of a sudden in 1956, Lawrence Welk, impressed with some recordings he heard of him, asked Fountain if he wanted to join his national TV show, produced in California. Pete accepted. He received hundreds of fan mails a week, his popularity growing. They even played at Carnegie Hall, but his family still missed New Orleans. In 1959 they moved back to their hometown, New Orleans.

That same year, Peter signed his first two records with Coral Records “Pete Fountain’s New Orleans” and “The Blues”, which sold quite well. In 1960 he founded his very own jazz club “The French Quarter Inn” which became a very popular place in New Orleans. Seven years after, in 1967, he founded “Pete’s Place” at Bourbon Street, but then relocated to a 500-seat room in the New Orleans Hilton. In 1972 he wrote his autobiography about his life and career, called “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”.

To this day Peter Fountain still lives in New Orleans and performs every so often at the Hilton and intends to for years to come.

I had added the doctor's story here too not realizing someone had tried before. I found a Paul Harvey "Rest of the story" about him that had the childhood doctor story. Unfortunately the site I found it on is blocked by wikipedia, so I don't know how to cite it properly since I can't find the audio anywhere else. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.108.147.206 (talk) 03:04, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Why?
The website welkshow.com/fountain.html was removed from the list of external links. I would like to have some specifics as to why it was blacklisted. I see noting wrong with it. No popups. nothing objectionable that I can see. I have removed the usual http etc from the beginning of the link, so that the paranoia that appears to have been written into the Wikipedia software will not block my question.--1archie99 (talk) 04:51, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
 * http://www.welkshow.net/fountain.html is an alterurnative url which wikipedia allows for other articless and links to the dot com site.1archie99 (talk) 06:12, 22 July 2012 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't necessarily have removed it. The site does not have a blatant advertising.  In my opinion the site has two strikes against it.  First, I wouldn't consider it very objective.  It is definitely a Welk fan site, and while this may be true, it certainly is slanted towards the importance of Welk in Fountain's career.  Second, the site doesn't really add substantial information that is not already in the article.  I hope the person who removed the link will chime in with their opinion.   78.26  (talk) 14:11, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Candy Clarinet
It is sad for me that one of the best Christmas albums ever made appears to not be on my popular music App or even I don’t think has been released on CD. Maybe it’s because I’m nostalgic and grew up listening to Pete Fountain’s Clarinet Christmas album every year. My sister, no longer with us, when she was a girl played Jingle Bell Rock on the clarinet because the whole family loved the Candy Christmas album. I love jazz so much. Pete Fountain is in a Jazz Hall of Fame. My Christmas music playlist is so great with classic artists and jazz artists, but of all the worldly Christmas music available, clarinet solo Christmas music is not available and even if someone added a solo, would it be as great as the late Pete Fountain’s famous Candy Christmas renditions? So sad that this music is not available and shared with future generations to honor, inspire, and follow his legacy. Reading on Wikipedia how he left Lawrence Welk for wanting to Jazz up a Christmas song seems all the more reason to release Candy Christmas for it’s historical relevance of the changing times in America. 2601:C6:8401:3F60:2CDB:FDE2:5D1C:64A9 (talk) 14:57, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

How is his last name pronounced ?
I've heard it pronounced just like his original last name --- fon - tane.

Yet, most online places have it like the water display --- foun - ton.

So which is the correct way? 70.190.65.59 (talk) 11:50, 12 April 2023 (UTC)