After the bandmaster gave him one to repair, he learned to play the saxophone at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, where he was valedictorian at his graduation in 1926.

Nagel signed with MCA Booking and toured internationally on Dollar and Matson Cruise Lines.

The new band featured a vocal quartet of Ken Jackson, Alan Overend, Bob Locken, and Barbara Carroll.

[5] Larry Hooper, future star of The Lawrence Welk Show, joined the band in 1942 as a piano player.

Harriet Kay, Jimmy Kendall, Anita Boyer (billed as Virginia Bell) appeared.

[6] Now based out of Chicago, the band received significant radio time over WGN as it played in the Aragon and Trianon ballrooms regularly.

[17][3] Nagel, though still popular with audiences in the late 1940s, was panned by music critics for adding too many gimmicks, such as firemen's hoses, fake mustaches and noses, and other comedic, visual elements to his shows.

He moved to Susanville, California, where he and his wife, Barbara (née Rand), raised three children and owned a ranch.