Lakewood Lore

'Mac' is still king of electric guitar

Back in 1927, the Cinema, Lakewood High School's yearbook, had the following to say about graduating student Alvin McBurney: "Mac was a quiet, rather thoughtful fellow, but he was as goodhearted and helpful as anyone possibly could be."

This same "Mac" became Alvino Rey, the nationally famous swing-band leader of the '30s and '40s, not unlike his Lakewood contemporary, Sammy Kaye.

Furthermore, Rey pioneered an electric guitar that blossomed into the hallmark of his musical career long before today's rock world popularized instrument amplification.

We located Rey, now 81, by phone in Sandy, Utah. He was glad to hear from Lakewood. He declared he has never retired.

"I'm still making concert appearances and still have a band that has played in Disneyland every season since the place opened," said "The King of the Guitar."

Rey was born in Oakland, Calif., and came to Cleveland with his family when he was 10. His father, who was in the typewriter business, had opened an office in the Euclid Arcade at the time.

From Cleveland, the family moved to Lakewood -- first to Wyandotte Avenue and then to Lake. From Lakewood, Rey launched his career as a banjo plucker.

"When a teen-ager in the mid-20s, I got a banjo for Christmas, and that was the start of it," Rey recalled.

"In 1927, I played banjo for band leader Ev Jones, who was prominent in the Cleveland area, and a year later I replaced banjoist Eddie Peabody with the original Phil Spitalny Orchestra."

In 1934, after joining Horace Heidt in San Francisco, Rey climbed to fame with the melodious sounds and innovative chord structures he produced on his electric guitar. In 1939, he formed his own band in Hollywood. It became the staff orchestra for the Mutual Broadcasting network and featured the Four King Sisters, one of whom (Luise) he married.

Rey made many records and reached his popularity peak in 1942. Early that year, his rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas" was the best-selling record in the Midwest.

During World War II, he joined the Navy. "Having always been a ham radio operator, I was assigned to electronics and helped in the development of wartime radar," he said.

After the service, he formed a new band, but it was not as commercially successful as his earlier one. In the '60s, he made a comeback with banjo and novelty guitar in the King Family program on television. The series highlighted the singing sisters plus their large clan.

Rey said he changed his name from Alvin McBurney to Alvino Rey in New York City in 1929, when Latin music was the rage.

"Although, in Spanish, Alvino is Alvin and Rey means king, it is not true that I chose Rey because my wife's name was King," he reported, destroying a supposition we once had heard.

Rey said he didn't meet his wife until years after the name change. They were married in 1937.

Finally, he brought us up to date with this proudful addendum:

"We are still together. She still sings, I'm still going strong, and we have two sons, one daughter -- a harpist in Houston -- and five grandchildren."

Photo taken in 1960. This article appeared in the Lakewood Sun Post January 25, 1990. Reprinted with permission.

[Note: Alvino Rey (Alvin McBurney) died at the age of 95 on February 24, 2004]

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