Frequent visitors to Main Street know and love the firehouse band; they charm visitors and bring wonderful music to the town plaza at the front of the park. But did you know that this isn’t the original firehouse band in Disneyland?
The Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band that started in the 40s, long before Disneyland opened. The members consisted of Disney animation employees, formed by Ward Kimball, one of the Nine Old Men. After discovering many in the department loved Jazz, Kimball started lunchtime playing sessions. They went through two names, The Huggajeedy Eight and the Sun Gabriel Valley Blue Blowers, before settling on The Firehouse (a fire engine Kimball restored) Five Plus Two (to reflect the number of members).
Walt encouraged the band, enlisting them to play at company Christmas parties and at Disneyland…one one condition: that they never fully abandon their day jobs at the studio.
Source: Cartoon Research
Here’s the band’s original lineup, per Wikipedia:
- Danny Alguire (on the cornet): assistant director in the animation department
- Harper Goff (on the banjo): Imagineer and designer
- Ward Kimball (leader and sound effects supervisor, plus trombone, tambourine, and siren): lead animator and director at both the animation studio and film studio
- Clark Mallery (on the clarinet): animator
- Monte Mountjoy (on the drums): music department
- Erdman Penner (on the saxophone and tuba): story writer
- Frank Thomas (on the piano): lead animator
Over the years, more members joined the ranks, sometimes sadly replacing those that had passed away.
- George Bruns (on the trombone): composer for both animated and live action projects
- Eddie Forrest (on the drums): music department
- Don Kinch (on the tuba): music department
- Jimmy MacDonald (on the drums): head of sound effect department
- George Probert (on the clarinet and saxophone): music department
- Dick Roberts (on the banjo): music department
Source: Matterhorn 1959
The Firehouse Five Plus Two played together for four decades before hanging up their instruments in the 1970s. This band’s legacy extends far beyond the park borders, and can be largely credited with starting the ongoing tradition of live bands performing in the parks.
I’ll leave you with this remastered recording of the group playing at Disneyland, so you can appreciate the immense talent of its crew.