San Francisco County
Biographies
TOM GERUN
Tom Gerun, owner and originator of his nationally famous “Tom Gerun’s Orchestra,” is a talented young native son of San Francisco, known throughout the country as a popular orchestra leader and successful composer. He was born August 23, 1900, his father being Stephen Gerunovich, a San Francisco pioneer. He attended the public schools of this city and was a student at the Polytechnic high school when, at the age of sixteen and one half years, his skill as a violinist brought him an engagement to play with the orchestra at the famous Portola Louvre in San Francisco. Soon he was playing in such well known places as Tait’s, the Palace Hotel and the Winter Garden, and at the age of nineteen years he organized his own orchestra and toured the Pacific coast. On returning to California he played an engagement at Sweet’s in Oakland, after which he made another tour of the Pacific coast. Next he filled an engagement at the Roof Garden in San Francisco and subsequently made two tours with his orchestra, covering the entire United States and playing at the Congress Hotel in Chicago, the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, the New Jefferson Hotel in St. Louis, the Warman Hotel in Washington, D. C., the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee and numerous other hostelries, also having two engagements in New York city. His band is a Bruswick recording orchestra, and his music has been broadcast over both national hook-ups and is at present on the N. B. C. chain.
Mr. Gerun is a composer of note, among his song hits being “Maybe I’m in Love With a Dream,” “Looking at the Stars” and “Bal Tabarin,” the last named being his theme song, adapted by him from the operetta, “Dutchess of Bal Tabarin.” On his last return to San Francisco in April, 1931, he became part owner of one of the city’s most beautiful new structures, the Bal Tabarin at Columbus avenue and Chestnut street, which is devoted to music and art and to dining. Here Tom Gerun and his celebrated orchestra may be heard nightly and may also be enjoyed on the radio.
Outdoor sports afford Mr. Gerun keen pleasure, and he is particularly fond of swimming. He is a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, to which he belongs, and he also has membership in the Union League Club of San Francisco.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 2 Pages 467-468.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S SAN
FRANCISCO BIOGRAPIES