Dave Apollon facts for kids
Dave Apollon (born Denis Apollonov) was a famous American mandolin player. He was born on February 23, 1898, and passed away on May 30, 1972. Many people today think he was one of the most important and creative mandolin players of the 1900s.
He was known for playing many different kinds of music. These included Gypsy music and various types of European folk music. Dave Apollon also helped create jazz music played on the mandolin. Some of his well-known recordings include "Two Guitars" and "St. Louis Blues."
Early Life and Musical Start
Dave Apollon was born in 1898 in a city called Kiev. At that time, Kiev was part of Russia. His family was Jewish.
When he was young, he first learned to play the violin. But he soon became very interested in an old mandolin his father had. He decided to switch from the violin to the mandolin.
By the time he was 14 years old, Dave Apollon was already a professional musician. He started his own music group. They performed in a local movie theater.
His Amazing Career
In 1919, Dave Apollon moved to New York City in the United States. He quickly found work in vaudeville, which was a popular type of stage show. Audiences were amazed by his incredible skill on the mandolin.
He started making short musical films in 1929. He continued to make these films for many years. In 1941, he toured with a show called "Boys and Girls Together."
A special moment in his career happened in 1946. He met and played with Django Reinhardt, a legendary guitarist. Django Reinhardt was touring New York with Duke Ellington at the time.
In the early 1950s, Dave Apollon released his own version of a very popular song. It was called "Third Man Theme." This song was a big hit for other artists like Anton Karas. Dave Apollon's version was described as "Sensational" and "new."
He had a long and successful career that lasted over 50 years. Dave Apollon passed away in 1972.
