A Binghamton native sang in Tommy Dorsey's band, grabbing mic once held by Frank Sinatra

Note: This story and headline were updated to clarify when Frank Sinatra left the band and who replaced him as singer.

My recent column on Red’s Kettle Inn has sparked a number of readers helping with related stories that will, eventually, make their way into this column. Thank you to all of you for the assistance, and keep sending them to me — you are an invaluable help in finding the interesting stories that have helped form this region.

One of those stories involved big band leader Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra appearing at the George F. Pavilion.

This was not really anything unusual, as the Binghamton/Johnson City area was on the route of all of the major bands that were popular in the 1930's and 1940's. The George F. Pavilion — the Fountains Pavilion in later decades — was constructed in the 1920's to provide a venue for local and national music and entertainment performers. Throughout the next two decades, bands would play on Fridays, and big bands from across the nation would perform on Saturdays.

Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo, Les Fennell and others brought their bands to play at the pavilion. One of the better-known names was Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. He had been partnership with his brother Jimmy Dorsey, but the two had split and formed their own bands.

Imagine being able to listen to one of the top rock bands at a concert, and the cost would only be one dollar. Well, that is all people had to pay to hear their national bands who often had their own radio shows in addition to their touring dates.

Tommy Dorsey played at the pavilion at least three times during the 1940's. Dorsey and his group played for the Easter Monday Ball on April 14, 1941. He brought his entire band, which included Buddy Rich on drums, the Pied Pipers and Frank Sinatra — the band’s “boy singer.”

The Tommy Dorsey band made another appearance on May 7, 1942. This time, the band had just finished an engagement at the Paramount Theatre in New York City. Once again, Dorsey brought the Pied Pipers, famous band members like Buddy Rich and Ziggy Elmen, and the band’s singers — Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford. While the band was here, several members enjoyed a dinner at Red’s Kettle Inn across the street from the Pavilion and CFJ Park.

On March 4, 1946, the band made another appearance in Johnson City. Followers of the band were excited to watch them perform once more. This time, there was an important change. Frank Sinatra had left the band to follow a solo career in 1942 and replaced by Frank Haymes. Four years later, Dorsey needed another lead male singer, and he found one — Stuart Foster had been the band singer for the Ina Ray Hutton’s orchestra starting in 1940, and then joined the Guy Lombardo band before finally joining the Dorsey band in March 1945.

While changing band singers was not unusual during this time, what was unusual is that Foster was a Binghamton native. He was born on June 30, 1918 as Tamar Aswad. He began his career in the 1930's, and many thought he had a better voice than Sinatra. Whether or not that was true, Foster certainly had a local following in 1946 when the Dorsey band appeared. Tommy Dorsey told reporters how happy he was that Foster had joined him.

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Foster’s time with the orchestra was not long-lived, as Dorsey broke up the band in November 1946. The era of big band music was changing. Foster went back to work with Dorsey once more when the band reformed in May 1947, but left once final time in 1948 for his own career.

That career would take him into the world of radio and appearances on many shows — eventually having his own show from 1952 until 1958. While his parents stayed in Binghamton, Foster married and with two children lived on Long Island, never reaching the heights of Frank Sinatra. His career was cut short when he suffered a heart attack and died in a hospital after suffering a second attack on Jan. 8, 1968. The Binghamton boy singer with Dorsey’s band was only 49.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Frank Sinatra replacements with Tommy Dorsey included Binghamton man