Born in 1895 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to parents of portuguese descent, Vincent Lopez spent several hours a day learning to play the piano as a child. While performing at a Brooklyn saloon, he got his break when he substituted for a bandleader and soon was headlined as the youngest orchestra leader in New York . After landing the position as a bandleader for the Hotel Pennsylvania, Lopez’s career skyrocketed . He played at President Coolidge’s inauguration, began making radio appearances and toured the U.S. Lopez, Who passed away in 1975, is credited for introducing jazz in London where he opened his own nightclub, and for developing big-name talent such as Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw during TV’s early days.
