Original Faustina Club

Orville 'Chick' Braley

Have a listen to these recordings made by Orville "Chick" Braley. He was a working sax man all his life, playing dance halls and saloons throughout the Midwest.

These disks and tapes were recently rescued from storage and digitized.

Other musicians participating include Frankie Barnes on piano, Charlie Johnson on guitar, a guy named Red on sax, and trumpet man "Hot Lips" Howie Nelson, with guest vocalist Pearl.



I don't know how long Chick might have been with this particular band, or who else was in it. That's grandma above.

The Chick Disks

These tunes were originally recorded by Chick on 78 rpm records, late in life, sometime around 1959-1960. He began his career in the late Twenties and played all his life. Most of these tracks were apparently recorded at home, for fun, though some were recorded in clubs.

The Braley Tapes

Chick apparently moved to tape around 1961. Of several tapes I digitized, this material comes from a single tape recorded in March of 1962, containing, seemingly, a gig on each side. The setting is a small club, perhaps in Madison. Lots of atmosphere, lots of rough edges, and a good time was had by all.

There is also an animated version of Chick and friends playing the classic song Streets of Cairo, also called The Snake Charmer Song, or simply "the Hutchy Kutchy."

Jazz at The Elite


Chick's daughter Bev says:

Dad's real name was Joseph Orville Braley, known by most people as Chick. He did love to play the saxophone, and was in his glory when there was someone to play another instrument, and if there was a group, he really got into it. He played the jam sessions up into approximately 1972. I know he has played with many bands, but I do not know the names of them, as his big band days ended prior to my birth.

Dad played with Tom Tierney, Red Gerth, Art Lund, and got to know many famous people like Gene Autry, and many of the acts that came to Madison and played at the Orpheum and Capitol theaters when they had live acts on stage, in the 20's and 30's.

The Frank that is on the records is Frank Barnes, who played piano all over. He played in many night clubs and came to Madison from South Dakota. He was killed in an auto crash between Madison and Stoughton. He was friends with Dad for a number of years before his death.

Howie Nelson was affiliated with the Madison Police Department and would join in the jam sessions with Frank and Dad at home or in some of the local bars where they would play sometimes at the request of the bar owners, or even sometimes when the patrons would egg them into getting the instruments out and play a song, or many songs if they really got into it.


The Braley Tapes

 
A Good Man Is Hard To Find MP3
Doin' It Wrong MP3
Everywhere You Go MP3
I Dream of You MP3
I Just Do MP3
I'm Confessin MP3
Now I Don't Work Anymore MP3
Sheik of Araby MP3
Skirts MP3
Streets of Cairo (The Snake Charmer) MP3
Sweet Georgia Brown MP3
Unknown MP3
Unknown MP3
Unknown MP3
Up The Lazy River MP3
Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey MP3
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams MP3
You''ll Be There MP3


The Chick Disks

 
I'm Confessin' MP3
I Surrender Dear/Are You Satisfied MP3
I'm In The Mood For Love MP3
It Had To Be You MP3
Miss You MP3
Moon Medley MP3
My Baby Smiles At Me/Who's Sorry Now MP3
Sheik of Araby/Nobody's Sweetheart MP3
Unknown MP3
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams MP3

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