Robert C. "Bob" Anderson
Robert C. (Bob) Anderson has been an activeparticipant in the music entertainment business since 1943. Bob was born and raised in Fargo, graduated from Fargo Central High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
He began playing trumpet with area dance bands at the age of fifteen and toured with these territory bands throughout the Midwest. Bob switched to drums in the fall of 1948 and joined the WDAY staff orchestra, under the direction of Frank Scott, in January 1949.
Bob left WDAY in 1951 and moved to Chicago where he performed throughout Chicago with the Jim Reed Orchestra and the Dom Carone (former Stan Kenton alto saxophonist) Orchestra.
In October 1958 Bob moved to the Twin Cities to attend Macalester College. During the next ensuing years, Bob played with the orchestras of Al Noice, Willie Peterson, Tony Grisé and Jerry Mayeron. He also organized his own band during this period.
In 1979 Bob returned to the Fargo-Moorhead area and along with Paul Severson formed the small group “Tuxedo Junction” and a ten piece swing era band “The Great American Ballroom Band”. Paul wrote the musical arrangements and played piano. Bob played drums and booked the two bands. These groups became so successful that Bob formed “Crescendo Music Productions” a full service entertainment agency.
In the mid 1980s Anderson began to research a new concept in big band jazz. This involved the creation of a repertory jazz orchestra as a 501 (c) (3) non profit performing arts organization much like that of area symphony orchestras. After five years of research, Anderson formed the Jazz Arts Group of Fargo Moorhead (JAG) in November 1991.
Anderson was appointed Executive Director, and he has had the pleasure to watch JAG grow from a fledging arts organization into one of our area’s major cultural assets. In 2000, the Jazz Arts Big Band released its first CD entitled “And That’s That”. This CD has sold far beyond our expectations. CD’s have been sold to jazz fans in California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Spain, England, Denmark, and Italy in addition to North Dakota and Minnesota. JAG’s looking to record a second CD in the near future.
In June 2002, Anderson received the Jazz Arts Lifetime Achievement award. The award presentation was made during a Jazz Arts Big Band performance at the “Classical Music Festival” sponsored by KCCD, KCCM and Minnesota Public Radio.
