Theodore Salvatore Fiorito (Dec.20,1900 – July 22,1971), known professionally as Ted Fio Rito, was an American composer, orchestra leader and keyboardist who was popular on national radio broadcasts in the 1920s and 30s. His name is sometimes given as Ted Fiorito or Ted FioRito. He was still in his teens when he landed a job in 1919 as a pianist at Columbia’s New York City recording studio, working with the Harry Yerkes bands – the Yerkes Novelty Five, Yerkes’ Jazarimba Orchestra and the Happy Six. His earliest compositions were recorded by the Yerkes groups and Art Highman’s band. Fio Rito had numerous hit recordings, notably his two number one hits, “My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii” (1934) and “I’ll String Along with You” (1934). He composed more than 100 songs. He moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1921 to join Dan Russo’s band, and the following year he was the co-leader of Russo and Fio Rito’s Oriole Orchestra. When Russo and Fio Rito opened at Detroit, Michigan’s Oriole Terrace, their band was renamed the Oriole Terrace Orchestra. Their first recordings included Fio Rito’s “Soothing.” he band returned to Chicago for a booking at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, where they did their first radio remote broadcast on March 29, 1924. In August 1925, the Russo-Fio Rito orchestra opened Chicago’s new Uptown Theatre. They opened the famous Aragon Ballroom in July 1926, doing radio remotes nationally from both the Aragon and the Trianon ballrooms. Dan Russo left the band in …