Judy Garland

Judy Garland is remembered by most as an Award Winning Actress and for starring roles in classic films like The Wizard of Oz and A Star is Born.  But, she was also a very popular and influential vocalist during the Big Band Era singing with some of the biggest names of the time.  She made many record-breaking concert appearances and released eight studio albums.

Judy Garland was born as Frances Ethel Gumm in 1922.  Great name, huh?  Surprised that it was changed as she got older. :)   She began performing in vaudeville at a very young age.  Her history as an actress is well documented.  Her role as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" cemented her as a movie icon of the Golden Age of Movies.

Listen to a young Judy Garland sing "Stompin' at the Savoy" with Bob Crosby and His Orchestra from 1936

Garland, of course, had many musical soundtrack hits to her credit but also had many hits for Decca Records during the 1930's and 1940's.  She later recorded for both the Columbia and Capitol labels as well.  Judy made many recordings with orchestras led by Bob Crosby (at the young age of 13), Harry Sosnik, Victor Young, Bobby Sherwood and David Rose to name a few.  Judy also shared the microphone in duets with such names as Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer and the Merry Macs.

You can hear many Judy Garland songs right here on Swing City Radio. 

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.

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Command Performance

Command Performance was a radio program produced exclusively for the U.S. troops and aired between 1942 and 1949. The program was broadcast on the Armed Forces Radio Network (AFRS) and transmitted by shortwave to the troops overseas, it was not broadcast over domestic U.S. radio stations.  Most of the episodes were recorded before a live studio audience in the Vine Street Playhouse in Hollywood, California.

The basic theme of the program was that soldiers would send in requests for a particular performer or program to appear. They also suggested unusual ideas for music, sketches, or sounds from home on the program, for example: "Ann Miller tap dancing in military boots"; "a sigh from Carole Landis"; "foghorns on San Francisco Bay"; "Errol Flynn taking a shower"; "a slot machine delivering the jackpot" and "Bing Crosby mixing a bourbon and soda for Bob Hope". Top performers of the day appeared, including Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland and The Andrews Sisters.

The first Command Performance was broadcast on March 1, 1942, almost exactly three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Its success paved the way for the creation of the Armed Forces Radio Service in May 1942. Time magazine described Command Performance as being, "the best wartime program in America".  I'd have to agree with them.  It's ironic and a shame that very few listeners in the United States ever heard it because of it's exclusive distribution to the U.S. Troops around the world.  Variety Magazine also observed that “sometimes the language on these shows is just a little more robust than is passed by standard broadcasting stations. Jack Benny, as we recall, last Sunday night encouraged our fighting men to ‘give ’em hell.'”  Oh, that salty language of Jack Benny.  :)

Watch a behind the scenes film about the AFRS Radio Show: "Command Performance"

The main reason that the show wasn't broadcast on domestic U.S. radio stations was that performers volunteered their talents for the program. In 1943, Tune In magazine estimated if "Presented by a commercial sponsor, Command Performance would have a weekly talent cost of $50,000."  Another reason was that performing and production unions waived their rules for the war effort on the condition that the shows were only broadcast to service personnel.

An episode of Command Performance generally ran for 30 minutes with the exception of holiday specials.  The program featured some great musical performances and entertainment that can only be found on these shows.

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.

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Sammy Kaye

Sammy Kaye was a memorable name of the Big Band Era whose catchy tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the of that time.  His signature tune was "Harbor Lights".  Kaye could play both saxophone and clarinet, but for some reason he never featured himself as a soloist on either one.

He made a large number of records for many different labels. Kaye was also a hit on the radio because of his radio-friendly "Sweet" style and sound. He was famous for an audience participation gimmick called "So You Want to Lead a Band?" where audience members would be called onto stage in an attempt to lead the band.  He just wasn't a good bandleader, he had a great grasp of marketing and band promotion.  I'm not sure if any other band leader from the era even came close to Sammy Kaye as far as his creative promotions and branding.

Listen to "Don't Fence Me In" - Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye

His band members included a few big names including Ralph Flanagan and Don Cornell. All the members of the band sometimes sang backing vocals in various combination as the "Kaydets". His musicians were always competent, but because of his radio-friendly style, reviewers felt the band was unoriginal.

Though the music critics were hard on Sammy Kaye, this didn't keep him off the charts, and it didn't stop him from being one of the bigger names of the Big Band Era.

You can hear many of Sammy Kaye's songs right here, on Swing City Radio.

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.

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Kitty Kallen

Kitty Kallen was an amazing female vocalist whose career spanned from the 1930's into the early rock years of the 1960s.  Kallen performed with the popular big band leaders of the 1940's, including Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James, before establishing her successful solo career.

Kallen started quite young! She had a radio program on a Philadelphia radio station (Yes, Kitty was a Philly Girl) and sang with the bands of Jan Savitt, Artie Shaw and Jack Teagarden as a teenager.

In 1942, still only 20 years old, she sang the vocals for "Moonlight Becomes You", with Bobby Sherwood and His Orchestra.

At 21, she joined the Jimmy Dorsey band and recorded a string of hits including "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" and "Besame Mucho". At the end of 1943, she joined Harry James's band.

Listen to Kitty Kallen with Jimmy Dorsey perform "They're Either Too Young or Too Old"

Her work with Harry James led to another string of hits including "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "It's Been a Long, Long Time."

After a long successful career Kallen died in 2016 at the age of 94.

Listen to "Juke Box Annie" by Kitty Kallen

You can hear Kitty Kallen's music, especially her work with Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James, right here on Swing City Radio.

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.

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Happy Birthday Swing City Radio

Today, October 15th, marks the First Anniversary of Swing City Radio. In some ways I can't believe Swing City Radio has been on the air for a year now, and in other ways I can't believe it has ONLY been a year. 

I want to thank all of you for listening and supporting the station this past year.  It's been so exciting for me to watch the audience grow like it has and to receive such positive feedback.

I'm truly looking forward to "Playing Your Big Band and Swing Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today" for years to come.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  ...and stay tuned, this is just the beginning.

~ Ronnaldo

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA. Commercial Free!

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The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century. The group consisted of three sisters: LaVerne (1911), Maxene (1916) and Patty (1918). The Andrews Sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records, recorded over 600 songs and had 113 charted Billboard hits. Forty six of those charted recordings reached the Top 10. 

They started their career as imitators the Boswell Sisters, who were very popular in the 1930s.  They first came to national attention in 1937 with their hit "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön".  The release of that song marked the beginning of a string of hits that continued well into the late 1940's.  The Andrews Sisters had quite a run.

Listen to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by The Andrews Sisters

In the years just before and during World War II, the Andrews Sisters were at the height of their popularity, and the group still tends to be associated with the war years. They had so many hits during these years, both on their own and in collaboration with Bing Crosby. (They recorded 47 songs with Bing Crosby.)  Many of these hits had military related themes, including "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Three Little Sisters", "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)", "A Hot Time In the Town of Berlin" and "Rum and Coca Cola". 

Listen to an episode of: The Big Band and Swing Podcast Celebrating The Andrews Sisters

During the war, they entertained the Allied forces in Africa and Italy. They entertained in the U.S. as well, visiting countless military bases, hospitals, and munitions factories. While touring, they often treated three random servicemen to dinner when they were dining out. They recorded a series of Victory Discs (V-Discs) for distribution to Allied fighting forces only, again volunteering their time for studio sessions for the Music Branch of the Army Service Forces. They were dubbed the "Sweethearts of the Armed Forces Radio Service."

Watch The Andrews Sisters perform "Six Jerks in a Jeep" from Private Buckaroo

You can listen to The Andrews Sisters right here on Swing City Radio. 

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA. Commercial Free!

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Station Update and Some Glitches

Message from Ronnaldo:

These updates and changes have been successfully implemented.  I hope you enjoy the improved listening experience provided by these upgrades.  If you ever notice an issue with the station, please don't hesitate to me to let me know.

**************

I wanted to give you a quick heads up that you may notice some glitches with the station over the next few weeks.  You might hear the same song back to back, hear some songs by the same artists very close together, you might even notice some of our shows starting a little late. 

Well, we've recently moved Swing City Radio to a more improved platform and we've encountered some little bugs along the way.  These details are being addressed and we should have things cleared up in the near future.

As you know, I'm very passionate about Swing City Radio and your listening experience is very important to me.  I just wanted to give you this quick update so you know these issues are being worked on. 

... As always, thank you for listening to Swing City Radio!

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA. Commercial Free!

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GI Jill and GI Jive

GI Jill was the DJ host of a music program on the Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II named "GI Jive".  Her personality and the Big Band music she played provided American troops with a link to home and was a huge morale boost.  GI Jive was the No. 1 overseas attraction on the AFRS and by the end of January 1945 she had made 870 shows and GI Jive was broadcasting daily over 400 Army radio stations.

GI Jill was born Martha Wilkerson, but she never gave her real name over the air.  Her listeners had no idea that she was married and had a young family.  Like an actress playing a role, Wilkerson considered Jill a whole separate person. She later told a reporter: "The men overseas created Jill. They made her what they wanted her to be — the girl back home."

One Navy Veteran later reflected, "GI Jill did so much to bolster our morale. She came across like a wholesome girl-next-door who began each radio show with 'Hi-ya, fellas! This is GI Jill with the GI Jive.' ... We all loved her."

Watch a short film reel of GI Jill on the air.

Jill's relationship with the troops went well beyond the 15 minutes of each broadcast. As servicemen wrote letters asking her to play certain records, she tried to reply to each letter she received, answering as many as 500 letters per week and including a photograph of herself with her letter. The interaction went both ways as some listeners sent Jill pictures of themselves, leading her to comment, "I think I was the only person in the world who had pinup boys." Some troops even sent her hand-made trinkets like a bracelet fashioned from a crashed airplane's broken window and a crudely inscribed heart-shaped pendant saying, "To Jill from Lou, 1944".

Reflecting on her experiences in broadcasting, Wilkerson called her work as GI Jill, "the most important thing I've ever done in my life."  Martha Wilkerson sadly passed away in 1999 at the age of 80.  GI Jill will always be remembered as a radio hero for the Allies.

You can learn more about GI Jill on The Big Band and Swing Podcast.

Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Broadcasting Online from King of Prussia, PA.

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