Anson Weeks

Popular leader of society dance bands, based on the West Coast from 1924. After 1931, Weeks achieved national exposure through sponsored radio programs such as "The Lucky Strike Magic Carpet Show", "The Florsheim Shoe Hour" and "The Eddie Cantor Camel Show". He had a knack for attracting high profile vocalists, including Dale Evans, Bob Crosby and Tony Martin. This pretty much guaranteed packed houses at such top venues as The Top of the Mark in San Francisco, the Cocoanut Grove and Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and the Roosevelt in New Orleans. Weeks had recording contracts with Decca, Brunswick and Columbia, his best-selling album (named after his perennial tag line) was "Dancin' with Anson". He also composed several songs, including "Senorita" and the band's theme "I'm Writing You This Little Melody". In 1941, at the height of his popularity, Weeks was involved in a bus accident on a mid-western highway. He suffered multiple injuries, particularly to his right arm. Forced to give up bandleading, he dabbled in car sales and sold real estate in Santa Rosa, California. In the late 1950's and following a string of operations, he reemerged, more or less rehabilitated, fronting a seven-piece orchestra. The band enjoyed lengthy residencies at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco and the Sacramento Inn for several more years. Weeks retired for good after a heart attack in the mid-1960's and died of emphysema in February 1969 at the age of 72.