Westbrook Plays At The Officers' Club

Officers and their ladies will dance to the music of South Carolina's outstanding orchestra when Henry Westbrook and his orchestra entertains at the Officers' Club Saturday night.

Emma Rice, a familiar personality at past club dances, will share the vocals with the maestro. Westbrook will also feature "Buzz" Fleming, Dave Abeel, Joe Belk, and the Westbrook Choir.

Back in the early part of 1943 the Columbia-organized swing band tooted its last note in Ausable Chasm, New York, packed its instruments and music, and, for the most part, went marching away to war. Now, three years and two V-days later, the band is back together again, with a few new faces, a lot of old ones, and a great number of overseas service ribbons and decorations. And its leader, Henry Westbrook, is once more set to give forth with "music in the night".

Henry Westbrook has been in the music business a long time. A native of Cheraw, he was only 16 years old when he composed the song that was officially adopted as his high school's Alma Mater. When he enrolled at the University of South Carolina, in the fall of 1934, he organized a dance orchestra to help pay his way through school. Since that time. Westbrook has made it a standing rule to fill as many vacancies as possible from the ranks of deserving youths who need the work to put themselves through school.

Last month the orchestra was recognized and started playing for dances in South Carolina. The band is still using its original theme song "Good Night", composed by Westbrook many years ago.