Fiske, Dwight
Biography
Born 1892, Providence, RI., died on 11/25/59. Studied at the Paris Conservatoire but became popular at parties for visiting wealthy Americans. Returning to America for his concert debut at Chickering Hall in 1926, he quickly returned to the party circuit. A fixture at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel's Cafe Lounge in the 1930's, he sounds like he worked his way through school playing silent movie houses. Called "King Leer" by Variety , he is the only party performer to record extensively on 12" discs. He published illustrated songbooks, the first, in 1933 titled "Without Music", the second "Why Should Penguins Fly?" in 1936. In 1944 he moved his base to the Versailles in New York City and continued there through much of 1945. All RCA sessions produced by Allen Ray. Some or all of the RCA sides were dubbed and issued by Gala in the mid-1940's using the last three digits of the original catalog numbers. RCA destroyed all metal parts on 3/5/43.