Bandleader Guy Lombardo died November 5, 1977. He was 75.

Lombardo was born June 19, 1902 in London, Ontario, Canada. He was part of a musical family, which later saw three sisters and a brother join his band.

A violinist, Lombardo, his sister Carmen and brother Lebert left school to pursue careers in music. A few years later their band was playing regularly in their hometown of London.

They moved their band, the Royal Canadians, to Cleveland, Ohio in 1924. The band began playing on radio and by 1927 had moved its operation to Chicago where their reputation as a jazz band was growing.

In 1929 Lombardo’s band was playing in New York City at the Roosevelt Grill, an arrangement that lasted 33 years after they moved to the Waldorf-Astoria.

The band began playing its signature theme shortly after arriving in New York. Each New Year’s Eve, Lombardo would play Auld Lang Syne, a tradition which lasted 48 years until they played their last performance on December 31, 1976.

Lombardo’s band sold millions of records during its long tenure. The Royal Canadians played at every presidential inaugural ball, from Franklin Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter.

Lombardo was an avid motorboat racer and was nearly killed in an accident in 1948. From 1946-52, he was a national speedboat champion.

Some of the band’s most famous songs were Boo Hoo, Sweethearts on Parade, Seems Like Old Times and Little Croquette.

Lombardo died from complications of open-heart surgery in Houston, Texas on November 4, 1977.