Busch (né Bush) was born and raised in
Louisville, Kentucky during the
ragtime and early
jazz age. He quickly showed an aptitude for music, and by age 12 was already leading a ragtime and jazz band, Lou Bush and His Tickle Toe Four. At 16, he left school and home for a career as a professional musician, playing with the likes of
Henry Busse,
Clyde McCoy, and
George Olsen. Following his musical-education break, Busch became the pianist for
Hal Kemp's "
sweet music" band for the remainder of the 1930s. A few later albums were released on the
Dot label, and in the late 1970s he produced one more effort with friend and jazz pianist
Lincoln Mayorga, complete with a couple of new tunes,
The Brinkerhoff Piano Company.
Marriages He married actress and singer
Janet Blair in 1943; the union ended in divorce in 1950. He wed singer
Margaret Whiting in 1950, and their daughter was born in December 1950. That union also ended in divorce, in 1953.
Death In the late 1970s, Busch did some live performances with Mayorga and others in Southern California. He died in
Camarillo, California, on September 19, 1979, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile crash. He was 69 years old. He was interred in the Westwood Village Mortuary near
UCLA. ==Albums==