Early Years and Work
Though born in Springfield, Weston was reared in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where his family moved when he was two years old. The son of Paul Wetstein, a teacher, and Anna Grady, his parents were also interested in music. At age eight, he started piano lessons. He was an economics major at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1933. During his college days, Weston had his own band called "the Green Serenaders"; this allowed him to pay his own college tuition. Weston also learned how to play the clarinet so he could travel with the college band. He went to graduate school at Columbia University and was active in the Blue Lions, Columbia's dance band. In January 1934, Weston was seriously injured in a train accident. Unable to be active in a band, he started doing music arranging as a way to keep some involvement with music while convalescing.
When he returned to New York in the fall of 1934, he made his first sale of his work to Joe Haymes. Haymes liked Weston's work enough to ask him to do more arrangements for his band. His medley of Anything Goes songs was heard by Rudy Vallee, who contacted him and offered Weston a job as an arranger for his Fleischmann's Hour on radio. Weston was also doing arranging for Phil Harris.
He met Tommy Dorsey through his work with Joe Haymes. Following the Dorsey Brothers split in 1935, Tommy had yet to form an orchestra; he used the Joe Haymes Orchestra for his first engagement as a solo conductor. Weston joined Dorsey as chief arranger in 1936, holding the position until 1940. He then became Dinah Shore's arranger/conductor and also worked freelance for the Bob Crosby Orchestra. Weston also worked with Fibber McGee and Molly and Paul Whiteman. When Bob Crosby's band was hired for his brother Bing's film, Holiday Inn, this took him to Hollywood and into film work. He changed his name from Wetstein to Weston after his arrival in California. Weston was asked do more work for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and also for Betty Hutton. Subsequent films as musical director include Belle of the Yukon (1944) and Road To Utopia (1945).
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