Gold, Irving, 1911-1998.

Irving Gold (1911-1998), bandleader and businessman, was the eighth of the ten children of Max and Becky Goldstein, Russian Jewish immigrants who settled in Cleveland, Ohio, at the turn of the century.

At the age of 13, Gold began trumpet lessons which he helped pay for by selling newspapers on a street corner and selling produce from a horse-driven wagon. Gold attended Central High School, where he played in the band. In 1930, he formed his own six-member dance band, Irv Gold and His Orchestra, which was in existence until 1936. The band played at supper clubs including Club Mirador (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and Club Budapest (105th and Euclid, Cleveland, Ohio). In addition, they frequently played at Summit Beach Park (Akron, Ohio), and were often broadcast on radio. During this period Gold also acted as an agent for other entertainers. To this day Gold continues to be an active member of the Cleveland Musicians' Union.

Following his professional music career, Irving Gold and his brother Dan (d. 1965) established Highland Hardward (W. 121st and Lorain Avenue) and Cleveland Housewares and Supply Company, before both worked for Giant Tiger. Irving Gold later established a series of manufacturing concerns: Key Spray Company, Polar Industries, and Merrymaid Plastic. In the 1950s, Gold was one of the founders of the Cleveland Housewares Club, a social group whose members were in the housewares business. He served that group as president for five years, during which time the membership expanded greatly. He retired from business in 1993.

In 1937, Gold married Rhoda Sobol; the couple had three daughters: Arol, Janet and Marjorie. Since 1948, Gold has been a member of B'nai Jeshurun Congregation (Temple-on-the-Heights). From 1952 until the present, he has had the honor of serving the congregation by blowing the shofar at Yom Kippur services.

From the description of Irving Gold Scrapbook [microform] ca. 1930-1936. (Rhinelander District Library). WorldCat record id: 54108335