Born in
Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, Specht was a violinist, having been taught by his father Charles G. Specht, a violinist, organist, and bandleader in his own right. He attended
Combs Conservatory in
Philadelphia, and led his first band in 1916, which toured the Western United States during
World War I. He signed with
Columbia Records in 1922, playing both with a larger dance ensemble and with a smaller, more
jazz-oriented unit called
The Georgians. One example of a Columbia recording is on Columbia # 27-D. Titled "Dear Old Lady", with the Hotel Alamac Orchestra and "Take, Oh Take Those Lips Away". This is on a Columbia record commonly known to record collectors as a "flag label". He toured England several times, beginning in 1922, and set up a "School for Jazz Musicians" there in 1924. Specht encountered some difficulty with his English performances due to political and
union woes, which were documented regularly in the popular music press of the day. Specht primarily recorded for Columbia from 1922 through his final commercially released records in 1932. Specht's ensemble was the first orchestra to broadcast for the
RCA company, and was the first ensemble to film after the end of the
silent era. In 1929, Specht's orchestra was asked to play at the
inauguration of
Herbert Hoover, chosen over
Paul Whiteman. As a radio bandleader in 1932, his band and the
Three X Sisters harmony trio collaborated on ABC radio airwaves for several different musical formats. He continued to be popular into the 1930s, and led bands into the 1940s, during which time he developed
arthritis which hampered his musical abilities. ==Musicians ==