My biography by Floyd Levin (composed in 2006)

My long time friend (more than 40 years) Floyd Levin (see Wikipedia) interviewed me in late 2006. Since he died within months of this interview, I don't believe this article was ever submitted to it's intended target: The International Association of Jazz Record Collector's Journal.

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Richard G. "Dick" Broadie, a native of Iowa played his first professional job as a musician as a teen-ager more than 50 years ago in his home town of Waverly Iowa. While studying electronics in Chicago, he played clarinet with Bob Scobey and Clancy Hayes for a brief stint at the Brass Rail until it was determined that he was too young to be legally performing in this setting.

Not long after graduating from electronics school in 1958, Dick moved to California. A week after his 21st birthday, in 1960 Dick was introduced to Duke Ellington and Jimmy Rushing in San Francisco where he played a benefit with them. At the time, Dick could frequently be seen sitting in with Turk Murphy, again with Clancy Hayes at his side. From that time to the present, Dick played many jobs with some of the world's greatest musicians. A partial list includes: Bobby Hackett, Eddie Miller, Ray Leatherwood, Nat Pierce, Teddy Wilson, Wild Bill Davidson, Johnny St. Cyr, Ed "Montudie" Garland, Peanuts Hucko, Charlie Beal, Russ Haddock, Joe Massters, Rex Stewart, Wellman Braud, Henry Cuesta, Rex Stewart, Pete Daily, Teddy Buckner, and his friend and mentor of more than 25 years, Barney Bigard.

In late 1960, Dick joined the Southern California Hot Jazz Society and during the next 10 years was involved musically and/or politically with an array of jazz clubs including the Society for the Preservation of Dixieland Jazz, the New Orleans Jazz Club of Southern California, the Valley Jazz Club and the South Bay Jazz Club. Dick performed at the Sacramento Jazz festival during nine of its first ten years - on five different instruments.

In 1971, Dick moved to Palm Springs where he eventually co-founded the Palm Springs Jazz Society. Around 1980, he was named the first president of the Palm Springs Jazz Association. When this club became fragmented between traditional and bop musicians, Shirley Copeland was given the PS Jazz Associations mailing list from which she started the Dixieland Jazz Society of the Desert with her friend, Don McNeeley. Subsequently, Dick served the Dixieland Jazz Society of the Desert as the leader of the Dixieland 111 Jazz Band and/or a member of its Board of Directors for many years.

As a musician in the desert, Dick worked in numerous night spots and country clubs including the famous Palm Springs Racquet Club. He lead groups while performing for/with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hoagy Charmichael,Rosalie Hearst and Gerald Ford. For many years, he was in the American Federation of Musicians . An ASCAP member since 1973, he estimates that he has written more than 100 songs. After composing several comedy country songs that were performed for his employer, Gene Autry, Mr. Autry, while president of the Academy of Country Music, personally sponsored Dick's membership into that organization.

Before moving to Palm Springs, Dick received his BA degree in Psychology and was in his Masters program at UCLA when he left to do work for the National Institute of Mental Health as an research scientist. This lead to his assisting in authoring mental health related sections of the Welfare and Institutions code as a consultant to the legal counsel of the California State Legislature.

After arriving in Palm Springs, Dick managed large properties for a LA based investment firm, owned a sign business, worked on staff at Desert Hospital and Canyon Springs hospitals in charge of their psychiatric units for more than 10 years. During this time, Dick used his electronics background and musician's ear to invent a system to convert monaural music into stereophonic sound. Dick holds patents in this field in the US and elsewhere and, until his recent retirement, has been the President and CEO of Broadie Sound, Inc.. In this capacity, Dick became a familiar face at such places as Capitol Records (Ultra-Lounge series) , Paramount Pictures, MGM/Sony and Vidfilm in Los Angeles and AVID records in England. For the latter company Dick engineered more than 30 jazz related projects including Louis Armstrong, Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington CDs. On a personal note, I’d like to thank Dick for his remastering many historic recordings for me including Nordskog jazz recordings made in Los Angeles as early as 1921. This was done at the request of the Nordskog family. (See Wikipedia)

Professional engineering organizations in which he has been active include the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, (NARAS) , the Audio Engineering Society (AES) , the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and the Sapphire Society. He recently received an award as one of the six most interesting men in the Coachella Valley from the Palm Springs Woman's Press Club along with his friend of many years, Herb Jeffries. He is a recipient of the Southern California Motion Picture Council's Golden Halo Award for technical and musical achievement.

Dick has been married to his beautiful wife, Sharon, for more than 40 years, has three sons and currently spreads much of his spare time doing volunteer work for such organizations as the Mizell Senior Center, the American Legion and the Institute of Critical Care Medicine.



Floyd Levin
11361 Dona Lisa Drive
Studio City, CA 91604
818 983-0858


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In 2003, following surgery for colon cancer, I retired from my audio related activities, severely cut back on my traveling and have since concentrated on performing music and lecturing on subjects from jazz to politics. "O we ain't got a barrel of money..." but we're now having a very nice life. Tests in early 2011 indicate there's no return of the cancer. Thank you, Lord.

4-8-11

I recently referred a potential consumer of my music to this blog. Her response was essentially “so what have you done lately”? Below is my answer:

Since Floyd wrote the bio, I performed on piano at Davey’s Hideaway for 9 months, Cipollini for 18 months, and the Old Creek House for 9 months. Other fine restaurants/clubs that I’ve performed at include Trinidad and Le Vallauris.

Every Wednesday I host a jam session at the Mizell Senior Center from 10 to noon. At the peak of our season we had 29 musicians show up and locked the doors before 10 am because the room was already filled to capacity with listeners. My “Unusual Suspects” Jazz Band plays most Friday nights at the American Legion.

In addition to these activities, in the last three weeks, I’ve played for 700 attendees at Hotel Zozo, played twice at both the Four Seasons and Canyon Shores Country Clubs, played five parties in private homes and have donated more than a few hours of music to the Mizell Senior Center, The Stroke Recovery Center, my church and several nursing homes. I'm sure glad I've slowed down so much following my "retirement." :-)