Contrast and Versatility

In the late Fifties and throughout the Sixties the Burke Garrett Orchestra could be heard playing for dancers at Proms, Tolos, Conventions, and Company parties throughout the Northwest region. The band was young and infused with good energy (Burke was born right in the middle of the Swing Era). With the band's versatile instrumentation; and, with both Burke and Keith Mirick singing, the band covered a wide spectrum of music from the early Twenties up until the time the last recordings were made. We put up this folio of contrasting music to demonstrate the broad range of musical styles the band was playing during our busiest years working as a dance band in Seattle. Most of these live recordings were made nearly seventy years ago. Bg