Goldie & Libro Music Center

History

Salvatore Libro, the founder of Goldie & Libro Music Center started his musical career in the old Columbus School on Wooster Square when he was 12. He played with area bands as a student at Hillhouse High School. After high school, when he had decided that music was the only thing he really wanted to do, he played with several dance bands in the Greater New Haven area.

Sal Libro played the saxophone and clarinet with the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey orchestras when the large, swing bands were still the rage throughout the country.

Young people in the late 1930's would travel for
miles to jitterbug to the music of bands Libro
played in at famous dance pavillions of that era.

Then came World War II and Libro was drafted in the Army. He was place in the special services division and, because of his past big-band experience, he was assigned to the Glenn Miller Air Force Band.

Miller, one of the greatest musicians of that era,
had left his own famous band for Army service.

The 36-man Army band that Miller organized was "super" according to Libro. Libro believes had Miller not been killed in an airplane accident near the end of the war, he might have carried his new style of music back to civilian life. When the war ended the Miller band was reorganized under Tex Beneke and Libro played with the band about three years.

Libro married Fay Trocchio of New Haven
and the couple moved to California in 1949 where Libro was chosen to play with Les Brown, another popular band leader. Libro played "alot of music" for movies during that period, including "The Glenn Miller Story" and "Marty" both Academy Award winners.

Libro played with the band that traveled with Bob Hope on his tours to visit servicemen. At one time or another he appeared in Greenland, Alaska, Korea and all over Europe.