{{Short description|American Big Band leader (1913–2005)}} {{about||the butterfly|Euthalia telchinia|the treasure ship located off the coast of Guyana|Blue Baron (shipwreck)}}
thumb|Blue Barron and His Orchestra '''Blue Barron''' (November 19, 1913 – July 16, 2005),<ref name="Obit">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/23/arts/music/blue-barron-91-bigband-leader-dies.html|title=Blue Barron, 91, Big-Band Leader, Dies|first=Don R.|last=Hecker|date=23 July 2005|access-date=August 14, 2021|website=The New York Times}}</ref> born '''Harry Freidman''', was an American orchestra leader in the 1940s and early 1950s during the Big Band era. His band's more subdued tone was referred to as "sweet" music to distinguish it from the "Swing" bands of the era. Barron's orchestra began in the New York City area but later toured the U.S. and performed at popular venues in Los Angeles where they also appeared in several motion pictures and recorded a number of LPs.
==Early years== Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States,<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=182}}</ref> Freidman studied at Ohio State University before going into show business. He adopted the stage name Blue Barron and by 1940 had created his own orchestra.
==Career== His first group played on the Floating Palace showboat at Troy, New York, in October 1936. A newspaper report said the group "made an over night hit at the Floating Palace and remained there for 22 weeks."<ref name=nh>{{cite news|title=Blue Barron Has Quick Rise to National Popularity|newspaper=The News-Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3832476/the_newsherald/|agency=The News-Herald|date=August 17, 1939|location=Pennsylvania, Franklin|page=7|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = December 15, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
==National Service and honors== During World War II, Barron served with the United States Army and at war's end resumed his musical career. He was able to work in the industry for another ten years until the Big Band era gave way to new musical forms.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street. Barron hit number 1 for two weeks in 1949 with "Cruising Down The River".<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The record sold over one million copies, gaining gold disc status.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/46 46] | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/46 }}</ref>
==Death== Blue Barron died in 2005, at the age of 91, in Baltimore, Maryland,<ref name="Obit"/> and is interred in Baltimore.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}<!-- Findagrave (11747117) says Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery, but does not have photo -->
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * [http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/bluebarron.html Christopher Popa on Blue Barron (February 2005)]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Blue}} Category:1913 births Category:2005 deaths Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:American bandleaders Category:Sweet band musicians Category:American big band bandleaders Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Musicians from Cleveland Category:Ohio State University alumni Category:20th-century American musicians Category:United States Army soldiers Category:20th-century American Jews Category:21st-century American Jews Category:Bluebird Records artists Category:MGM Records artists