Al Corey: An Inspiration to his Community
by Valerie Howard and Trish Newcomb
Al Corey, at 78, is a true gem in Maine’s treasure chest. It is a rare individual who generates only positive responses from fellow citizens. Al is an extraordinary person who has spread his unique buoyancy and charm, unfailing courtesy and irrepressible humor to everyone he meets.
His devotion to the performance and preservation of the big band sound has launched the careers of many prominent musicians, notably Ted Casher, and a host of top players in the best entertainment venues in this country and the world. Whether one aspires to a musician’s life, or the short-term pleasure of a school band, Al is renowned for his unwavering support of the dreams of music lovers through his support of regional theater and countless charitable performances by his band.
He has maintained Al Corey’s Music Center in the city of Waterville for over 40 years. This business and social center is a hub of community activity, magnetizing the citizenry who find in Al Corey a beacon of all that we celebrate in life.
Al at age 5 — proud to be a cowboy!
Al’s love of children has been evident in the “magical” quarters he pulls from the ears of many a youngster. He has outfitted more aspiring musicians with their first instrument than he can count. He is one of Waterville’s finest and most beloved citizens.
Al was born Elias Corey in Waterville. One of ten children, born to Lebanese parents, Al’s childhood was typical of Depression children. “My brother David and I slept in the same bed for a long time until we graduated to two single beds, which was a big day,” Al reported in an interview several years ago. He was well known for his cheerfulness — always humming and playing the harmonica his sister gave him for Christmas when he was very young. Many a Waterville girl referred to him as “the hummer!” because he hummed a tune and tapped a beat as he traversed the city streets.
One day Al was working in a local grocery store when he heard Roy Joseph practicing on his C melody saxophone. He asked to try it, liked it, and before long he wasn’t just humming — he was “married to music!” He didn’t just stop with the sax, he learned to play many instruments, both with strings and keys!
Al had the pleasure of playing with a few bands in the early forties, but soon war broke out and he received his draft notice in the mail. He was assigned to an anti-aircraft division in France, and eventually became a member of the famed “Rainbow Division,” Forty-second Infantry. During the war, Al never lost the thought of playing in a big band some day.
Al (center) with Robert Rodriguez (right), currently the bass guitarist with Tito Puente’s band, and another friend go sightseeing in the Austrian Alps.
He was transferred to Salzburg, Austria, where he received a great opportunity. “Colonel McNamee called me one day. They had looked at my records and saw I played the saxophone and he says, ‘How about getting something together and entertaining the troops?’ So I did.” His band, made up of musicians from Nebraska, Illinois, and Florida made big-band music with a “soft, velvet touch — the Corey touch!”
Not all soldiers came back to their home towns after the war. But Al did. “After I came back I began to put a band together. I had a lot of good guys in those days. Some of them were college kids and teachers from Colby,” Al recollected. Rehearsing upstairs over the old Ferris garage on Front Street, the band perfected their sweet sound.
Al on sax, Louis Zuchinna on accordion, and another friend entertain a small group of soldiers in Germany.
Al Corey’s band played all over Maine and New England in those days. For several years, it has been a Blaine House tradition for Al’s band to play at the Governor’s Inaugural Ball. The years have passed so quickly, and it is now Al’s fiftieth anniversary with his band.
What better time than now to honor the man who brought music and magic to the people of central Maine! REM is pleased to have Al Corey as the first recipient of the Annual REM Award.
Photos courtesy of Al Corey and Val Howard.
Editor’s Note: Al Corey died in November 2003 at age 86.