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James Petrillo
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James Petrillo
James Caesar Petrillo (March 16, 1892 – October 23, 1984) was an American musician and music activist best known for his association with the American Federation of Musicians, where he served as the labor union's president from 1940 to 1958.
Petrillo was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Though, in his youth, Petrillo played the trumpet, he finally made a career out of organizing musicians into the union starting in 1919.
Petrillo became president of the Chicago Local 10 of the musician's union in 1922, and was president of the American Federation of Musicians from 1940 to 1958. Petrillo stepped down as president in 1958.
The round-faced, bespectacled Petrillo dominated the union with absolute authority. His most significant actions were banning all commercial recordings by union members from 1942–1944 and again in 1948 to pressure record companies to improve royalty payments to musicians. These were called the "Petrillo bans".
Petrillo joined the orchestra at WBBM in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937. For a decade, he had been assistant conductor and orchestra member at three Chicago theaters. In 1940, he became the conductor of the WBBM orchestra. In 1943, he was promoted to music director at WBBM, "supervising all live and recorded music on the station". His orchestra was featured on the CBS program Make Mine Music that debuted in May 1948.
Petrillo died October 23, 1984, at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. He was 92.
Petrillo was unique among AFM presidents in that he was well known to the US and Canadian general public, especially during and after the 1942–1944 recording ban and was frequently referenced in pop culture of that era. For example, Phil Harris, the band leader on the Jack Benny radio show, claims on the show to have been married to his wife, Alice Faye, by Petrillo. When Jack Benny asks how Petrillo could do this, Harris replies "Why not? My dues was paid up!" On another occasion Rochester is asked to blow the car horn by putting it in his mouth, and he replies "Petrillo won't let me!" After Harris helped his children with their homework, the teacher had to correct his work. According to his daughter, "Teacher said George Washington was our first president, not Petrillo."
In the 1945 Crosby/Bergman film, The Bells of St. Mary's, when Crosby's character, Father O'Malley, is asked how he was successful in tracking down a long-missing musician, he points to the sky and quips, "I went straight to the top—Petrillo!"
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James Petrillo
James Caesar Petrillo (March 16, 1892 – October 23, 1984) was an American musician and music activist best known for his association with the American Federation of Musicians, where he served as the labor union's president from 1940 to 1958.
Petrillo was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Though, in his youth, Petrillo played the trumpet, he finally made a career out of organizing musicians into the union starting in 1919.
Petrillo became president of the Chicago Local 10 of the musician's union in 1922, and was president of the American Federation of Musicians from 1940 to 1958. Petrillo stepped down as president in 1958.
The round-faced, bespectacled Petrillo dominated the union with absolute authority. His most significant actions were banning all commercial recordings by union members from 1942–1944 and again in 1948 to pressure record companies to improve royalty payments to musicians. These were called the "Petrillo bans".
Petrillo joined the orchestra at WBBM in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937. For a decade, he had been assistant conductor and orchestra member at three Chicago theaters. In 1940, he became the conductor of the WBBM orchestra. In 1943, he was promoted to music director at WBBM, "supervising all live and recorded music on the station". His orchestra was featured on the CBS program Make Mine Music that debuted in May 1948.
Petrillo died October 23, 1984, at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. He was 92.
Petrillo was unique among AFM presidents in that he was well known to the US and Canadian general public, especially during and after the 1942–1944 recording ban and was frequently referenced in pop culture of that era. For example, Phil Harris, the band leader on the Jack Benny radio show, claims on the show to have been married to his wife, Alice Faye, by Petrillo. When Jack Benny asks how Petrillo could do this, Harris replies "Why not? My dues was paid up!" On another occasion Rochester is asked to blow the car horn by putting it in his mouth, and he replies "Petrillo won't let me!" After Harris helped his children with their homework, the teacher had to correct his work. According to his daughter, "Teacher said George Washington was our first president, not Petrillo."
In the 1945 Crosby/Bergman film, The Bells of St. Mary's, when Crosby's character, Father O'Malley, is asked how he was successful in tracking down a long-missing musician, he points to the sky and quips, "I went straight to the top—Petrillo!"