The 1930s
He played briefly with Roy Fox in 1931, and then stayed in that band when Lew Stone, Fox's former pianist, took over leadership the following year. It was with Stone's band that he firmly established his reputation.
When Louis Armstrong visited London in 1932, Gonella met his idol by begging the staff at Boosey and Hawkes's music shop to allow him to deliver Armstrong's trumpet, left at the shop for cleaning, to his hotel room. Armstrong was apparently initially amused to find such an ardent devotee, but appreciated his willingness to help, and the two men became good friends.
In 1933 Gonella published a book called Modern Style Trumpet Playing - A Comprehensive Course. In the same year he made uncredited appearances (alongside Lew Stone and Al Bowlly) in the films Bitter Sweet and The King's Cup.
Gonella's standing grew even more quickly after the formation of his own band, The Georgians, in 1935. The band took its name from a highly-popular version of the song "Georgia On My Mind" that he recorded for Lew Stone in 1932, and which became the trumpeter's signature tune. The Georgians began as a featured band within Stone's shows, before setting up as an independent unit.
Gonella formed his own big band, and quickly became a headline artist on the still-thriving variety circuit, and they continued to top bills around the country until the outbreak of World War II.
Read more about this topic: Nat Gonella