The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Club Fifteen: Mmm Mmm Good - Show 164 -
Features Big Band music by Bob Crosby, The Pied Piper, The Modernaires and many more. We learn about the great music featured on the old radio show "Club Fifteen".
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Club Fifteen: Mmm Mmm Good (Show 164)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street was a fantastic show that first appeared on NBC's Blue Network in February of 1940. The show ran until 1944 and some of it's later episodes were also carried by Armed Forces Radio Services (AFRS). The show was rebooted in the 1950's, but in my opinion, lacked the appeal of the first run.
Last week, I spent a considerable amount of time "mining" the series: identifying, isolating, and cleaning up the audio of select tracks to add to the Swing City Radio Playlist. And I have to say, I feel that I've uncovered some true gems that I'm sure you will really enjoy, over 50 different tracks. So be sure to listen for them on the station.
As I wrote above, the show itself was fantastic. "The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street" was a satire of those old, stuffy, highbrow symphonic broadcasts that were so popular on 1930's radio. The show featured Dixieland, Swing, Jazz and Blues music but introduced it in a comedic manner mimicking the dry, snobby way similar to those Classical Music Shows. It was hosted by Gene Hamilton. I rarely ever say this, but I enjoyed Hamilton's introductions just as much as the music itself.
"The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street" featured two house bands which were both excellent. Henry "Hot Lips" Levine, a former member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, led an eight-member combo that handled the Dixieland songs and Paul Laval (who later changed the spelling to Lavalle) led a band that would perform the more swing based material. Both of these bands were tight and talented and many of their show performances have been added to Swing City Radio.
The beautiful voice of Dinah Shore was discovered on this program. Some other vocalists featured were Delores O'Neill, Diane Courtney and Linda Keene. I was also able to capture some very good guest appearances by Erskine Hawkins, Lionel Hampton, John Kirby and Toots Mondello. The John Kirby appearance was especially good which included a great rendition of "Close Shave".
I plan on playing select tracks from this show on The Big Band and Swing Podcast in April, but until then, enjoy these classic Dixieland, Swing and Blues performances on Swing City Radio.
Here are two sides I have in my personal 78rpm Collection for you to enjoy:
The Dixieland Jazz Group Of NBC's Chamber Music Society
Of Lower Basin Street performing East St. Louis Blues from 1941.
The Dixieland Jazz Group Of NBC's Chamber Music Society
Of Lower Basin Street performing Aunt Hagar's Blues from 1941.
Johnnie Davis is more remembered for his work in Hollywood. He appeared in over a dozen films including "The Varsity Show", "Hollywood Hotel" and "Cowboy From Brooklyn". His success as an actor was a direct result of the attention he received while in the music industry.
Davis was a singer, trumpeter and led a band of his own for a brief time. While still in high school, Davis worked as a musician in the bands of Paul Johnson and Leo Baxter. It was also at this time that Davis Discovered and developed his skills as a scat singer. Hence the nickname, Johnnie "Scat" Davis. In the mid 1930's, he worked with Fred Waring as a musician and vocalist, and his success during this time led him to Hollywood.
In 1937, he appeared in the movie "Hollywood Hotel", where he introduced the Johnny Mercer song "Hooray for Hollywood". His lively rendition became extremely popular and became closely associated with the film industry. Note that on the 78's below, he is credited as "Johnny". I've found that he was listed as both "Johnnie" and "Johnny" throughout his career.
Listen to: "Hip Hip Hooray" (1942) by Johnny "Scat" Davis And His Orchestra from my 78rpm Collection.
On the other side of this fine piece of shellac is his version of "White Christmas". There's nothing like listening to a good Christmas Song when the weather is warm outside.
Listen to: "White Christmas" (1942) by Johnny "Scat" Davis And His Orchestra
from my 78rpm Collection.
Remember, I have a boatload of 78 recordings that I've posted on the Swing City Radio YouTube channel. Check it out.
Recently, I've added some great music into the Swing City Radio rotation. The bulk of the tracks come from two classic radio shows, "G.I Journal" and "Club Fifteen". I thought it would be a good idea to provide a brief summary of the shows and the artists and music that was featured on both.
G.I Journal:
G.I. Journal's "first edition" was recorded on June 29, 1943. The show can be described as "a news paper of the airwaves" and was from the same mold of other AFRS variety shows like "Command Performace and Mail Call". The show host was known as the editor. Throughout it's run Kay Kyser, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Jack Carson all served as "editors".
Some of the great tracks you'll hear from this show are songs by Kay Kyser, Skinnay Ennis and Glenn Miller. Very good stuff!
Club Fifteen:
Club Fifteen is a radio program that ran from June 1947 until January of 1953. It was hosted for the most part by Bob Crosby, except for 1949-50 when Dick Haymes took over to host. The program was sponsored by Campbell Soups.
Jerry Gray did a fantastic job leading a very talented show orchestra and Del Sharbutt was the announcer and played a big part in the show. I was able to extract and "clean up" great tracks by the regulars and guests including songs by: The Andrews Sisters, The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, Margaret Whiting, Gisele Mackenzie and many more. Oh, and of course, Bob Crosby and Dick Haymes. Very good music that I think you are going to enjoy.
Also, I was able to recover a boatload (or I should say, a heaping bowl full) of Campbell's commercials that are fun to listen to.
So keep an ear out for songs from these two classic shows. They were added to the rotation the first week of May. Enjoy!
John Kirby led a successful band in the late 1930's - early 40's, and was a fantastic double-bassist. He also played trombone and tuba.
Kirby began his career in the late 1920's and by 1930, he landed a spot in Fletcher Henderson's great band as a tuba player. As the tuba fell out of favor as a popular instrument, Kirby switched over to double-bass and later played in the bands of Chick Webb and Lucky Millinder.
In 1937, Kirby put together a sextet that later became known as The Onyx Club Boys and was promoted as "The Biggest Little Band in the Land". Kirby and the band were famous for their Chamber Jazz style, which was a lighter, Classical influenced style of Jazz. They scored a few hits including "Loch Lomond" and "Undecided".
Listen to: "Tweed Me" by John Kirby from my 78's Collection.
The most prominent vocalist for John Kirby's band was Maxine Sullivan, who later became Kirby's second wife. As Kirby's career declined in the late 1940's, he drank heavily which led to an issue with diabetes.
Listen to: "Loch Lomond" by John Kirby with Maxine Sullivan on vocals.
Kirby planned a comeback in the early 1950's but died at the young age of 43.
You can hear the music of John Kirby right here on Swing City Radio.
Consider supporting Swing City Radio by becoming a Hepcat. Learn more at: SupportSwing.com.
The Ink Spots were a Vocal group who gained world wide fame in the 1930s and 1940s. They had a unique musical style and landed over 30 hits on the US Pop Charts with 18 of them on the top 10 during the 1940's.
The Ink Spots formed in 1934 in Indianapolis. The original line-up included Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, Jerry Daniels and Orville Jones. They achieved so initial success when touring the United Kingdom with Jack Hylton's Orchestra. Their early record releases were not commercially successful but they were steadily gaining a following.
In 1936, Daniels was replaced by Bill Kenny. When Kenny added his unusual high tenor ballad singing style with the rest of The Ink Spots, the result was almost magical. This was when things really started to happen for the vocal group and this lineup is considered by most to be their "classic" lineup.
In January of 1939, the band recorded "If I Didn't Care." This ballad became one of their biggest hits and has sold over 19 million copies through the years. It was also their first of many, many recordings to reach the US Pop Charts.
Listen to: "The Gypsy" by The Ink Spots from my 78rpm Collection.
In 1943, singer and guitarist Fuqua was drafted into the US Army and Jones died in October of 1944, after collapsing on stage in New York City. This started a merry-go-round of line-up changes within the band that lasted until their break up in 1954.
An interesting note: Since the Ink Spots broke up in 1954, there have been over 100 vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" without any rights to the name, and without any original members of the group. These groups often have claimed to be "2nd generation" or "3rd generation" Ink Spots.
You can hear many of The Ink Spots ballads right here on Swing City Radio.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Skunks and Price Stabilization - Show 160 -
Features vintage recordings by The Dorsey Brothers, Martha Tilton and Harry James. Ronnaldo dusts off the Panoram 2000 to play a Soundie called "The Skunk Song".
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Skunks and Price Stabilization (Show 160)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
Red Norvo was known as Mr. Swing and enjoyed a musical career that spanned over six decades. Along with Lionel Hampton, Red helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments.
Norvo began his career in Chicago, IL in the mid 1920's playing for the famous "Collegians" in 1925. Throughout the 1930's and 40's, Red played in the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Charlie Barnet and Woody Herman. He also led his own band at times, which proved very successful.
In 1933, Norvo married vocalist Mildred Bailey, and they soon became known as Mr. and Mrs. Swing. The marriage lasted almost ten years and even after their divorce in 1942, the two remained friends and continued to record together.
During the height of his career, Norvo also recorded tracks with Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin and many others. He landed a bunch of charted hits and also managed to appear in a handful of films.
Listen to: "Please Be Kind" by Red Norvo with Mildred Bailey on vocals recorded in 1938
from my personal 78rpm Collection.
You can hear the music of Red Norvo right here on Swing City Radio.
Bob Strong is not a name that most remember from the Big Band Era. The majority of his body of work came as a staff musical director for a few radio shows but he did manage to assemble a pretty good touring band to take out on the road in the mid 1940's.
Strong got his start in Chicago as a sideman in the orchestras of Paul Ash and Jean Goldkette in the 1920's. He was an accomplished musician on every instrument in the reed family and could also play oboe, violin and mellophone. A very talented guy!
He eventually made a home for himself working in Chicago radio market and this led to him being one of the busiest staff music directors in the Midwest. Two of the biggest shows he worked on were The Buddy Clark Show and The Red Skelton "Avalon Time" Show.
During the mid 40's, Strong took his band on the road and they played all the main spots, including gigs at the Glen Island Casino and the Roseland Ballroom. Bob Strong and His Orchestra also spent a good amount of time performing for troops and war workers all over the United States.
Largely due to The Musicians' Strike of 1942-44, only a small amount of Strong's work made it onto shellac. Below, I included a track that I transferred from my 78rpm Collection. There's also a few others to listen to on my Youtube Channel here.
Bob Strong passed away in March of 1976.
Listen to: "Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are" by Bob Strong from 1944.
Today video features the song "Hepster's Dictionary" by Cab Calloway. The clip is from the movie "Sensations of 1945" released by United Artists in 1944. (I included an image of the movie poster at the end of this article.) The film also showcased the talents of other artists including Woody Herman, Dorothy Donegan, Gene Rodgers and Les Paul.
The song "Hepster's Dictionary" is a Cab Calloway classic. Watching this clip you'll witness for yourself why Calloway was such a draw. He was simply a top-shelf entertainer. Have a look at this video and then learn more about his book that inspired this clip below...
Watch: "The Hepster's Dictionary" from the 1944 film "Sensation of 1945"
The New Cab Calloway's Hepster's Dictionary: Language of Jive
Frist released in 1938, Cab Calloway's "Hepster's Dictionary" introduced the language of Jive to the masses. This little eight page book was so popular it was published in many editions up to 1944.
Calloway summed up the book in his own words in the foreward of a later edition:
“'Jive talk' is now an everyday part of the English language. Its usage is now accepted in the movies, on the stage, and in the song products of Tin Pan Alley. It is reasonable to assume that jive will find new avenues in such hitherto remote places as Australia, the South Pacific, North Africa, China, Italy, France, Sicily, and inevitably Germany and wherever our Armed Forces may serve.
I don’t want to lend the impression here that the many words contained in this edition are the figments of my imagination. They were gathered from every conceivable source."
The book has now been out of print for over 70 years now. Used edition can be found on Ebay ranging between $3,000 to $4000!
Here is just a small sampling of some of the gems found in this book:
Blow the top (v.): to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., “You’ll blow your top when you hear this one.”
Dig (v.): (1) meet. Ex., “I’ll plant you now and dig you later.” (2) look, see. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left duke.” (3) comprehend, understand. Ex., “Do you dig this jive?”
Frisking the whiskers (v.): what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing session.
Lay your racket (v.): to jive, to sell an idea, to promote a proposition.
Set of seven brights (n.): one week.
All of the book's content is located on the web, you just have to look. You'll be surprised to find out how many words stuck and are still used today. I will be playing and discussing the song a little more in an upcoming episode of the podcast.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Clean, Neat and Jumpin’ - Show 159 -
Features music by Dick Jurgens, Dean Hudson, Bea Wain and more. Ronnaldo also plays select audio clips from an educational film called "Keeping Clean and Neat".
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Clean, Neat and Jumpin’ (Show 159)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
Perry Como enjoyed a career that spanned more than fifty years. His intimate vocal style and good looks made him one of the most popular "crooners" of the era. It was also a career that came close to not happening at all because of Como's other passion of becoming a the best barber in his hometown of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Como, by all accounts, was a fantastic barber. But, there was no denying that he was also a great vocalist and musician. Those talents were soon noticed by bandleader Freddy Carlone that asked Como to join his band in 1932.
In 1935, a spot opened up in the Ted Weems Orchestra, and Carlone himself encouraged Como to move on to Weems' band. This launched Como unto a national stage and during his time with Ted Weems, Como developed the vocal style that would define him for the rest of his career.
Perry Como spent over seven years as Ted Weems' featured vocalist. It was a very successful partnership, but as Como started raising a family, the constant touring and time away from his family weighed too heavy on him. Como left the band in 1942 with the full intention of returning to his passions of being a barber.
Soon after Como's departure, he began to field offers to host radio shows which promised to keep his travel limited. He also signed a contract with the RCA Victor label and remained with them for 44 years. From that point forward, Como would go on to become one of the most successful vocalists of his time, sell millions of records and become a major draw on both radio and television.
Listen to: "It's a Lovely Day Today" by Perry Como
You can hear the intimate vocal style of Perry Como right here on Swing City Radio.
Consider supporting Swing City Radio by becoming a Hepcat. Learn more at: SupportSwing.com.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - If At First You Don’t Succeed... - Show 158 -
Features vintage recordings by Larry Clinton, Jan Savitt and Jimmy Dorsey. We also learn what product makes your "whites so bright, you'll need sunglasses".
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: If At First You Don’t Succeed... (Show 158)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
Vaughn Monroe was a gifted vocalist, trumpeter and a very successful bandleader. He rose to popularity in the 1940's and maintained that popularity throughout the 1950's. His voice was unmistakable. One of his well deserved nicknames was "Leather Lungs".
In 1940, Monroe formed his first band in Boston and became its main singer. He was signed to the Bluebird label of RCA Victor. Monroe recorded extensively until 1956, and his signature tune was "Racing With the Moon". It sold more than one million copies and Monroe was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Among his other hits were "In the Still of the Night", "There I Go", "There I've Said It Again", "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", "Ballerina", "Melody Time" and "Riders in the Sky."
Listen to "Ballerina" by Vaughn Monroe from 1947
Monroe's orchestra had a number of excellent musicians. They focused mainly on romantic ballads in the studio, these songs became the hits for them. When live, the band had a fiercely swinging side only occasionally captured on record. In ballrooms, Monroe often reserved the final set of the evening for unrestrained, swinging music.
Listen to Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra on Swing City Radio.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - We The People Love Swing - Show 156 -
Features vintage recordings by Bunny Berigan, George Paxton and Will Bradley. We also listen to select clips from a fire prevention awareness film called "Crimes of Carelessness".
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: We The People Love Swing (Show 156)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
The radio program "Sound Off" was a mainstay on the Armed Forces Radio Service from late 1942 to 1947. This popular "request" show included a countdown each episode and was approx. 15 minutes in length. Most importantly, it featured a great selection of music.
Throughout the month of March, I spent a lot of time "mining" the series and was able to extract and "clean up" about 100 songs that I think you will enjoy. Many of these versions were never released commercially.
Listen for great tracks from the "Sound Off" series by artists like: Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Jordan, Jimmie Lunceford, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and many, many more. They have already been added to the Swing City Radio song rotation and I will be dedicating a whole podcast episode featuring music from the series in April.
Below is an example of an episode I found posted by someone on Youtube. The audio hasn't been cleaned up but you'll get the idea what the series was like. Enjoy!
Hey there everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I've added a new section to the Swing City Radio Youtube Channel called "Ronnaldo's 78rpm Collection".
As of the moment, I only have a handful of videos posted in the section, but I will be adding a lot more in the future. This will provide me a way to feature all the great music I find on my record hunting quests. Some of these records are in horrible shape when I find them, and I take great pleasure in cleaning them up and digitizing them. And now I get a chance to share them with you. Snaps, pops, clicks and static included. I do what I can to clean up the audio, but I do so while keeping the integrity of the recording in mind.
Listen to: "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" by Glenn Miller
Today's post includes a Glenn Miller Shellac 78 from 1941 released on the famous Bluebird label. On Side A we find a song called "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" featuring Ray Eberle and The Modernaires on vocals. Side B contains the track "Ring, Telephone Ring". Not the most popular recordings released by Miller, but these are the tracks I see myself focusing on in these posts. The songs that are sometimes forgotten. 😀
Listen to: "Ring, Telephone Ring" by Glenn Miller
This 78 was found on the floor, covered with dust and grime in a local record store. Let's just say it was in some dire need of love. The audio, of course, is nowhere near CD quality. But that's the beauty of it. Enjoy! ...and don't forget to Subscribe to my Youtube Channel to listen to more of these great 78's as I add them.
The G.I. Journal was a popular show that aired on the Armed Force Radio Service. It was a variety show known mostly for it's comedy sketches but also featured a lot of good music including performances by Glenn Miller, Kay Kyser, Tommy Dorsey and many others.
In 1944, film footage of an episode of "G.I. Journal" being recorded appeared in a bi-weekly newsreel called The Army-Navy Screen Magazine which was viewed by U.S. soldiers.
This video clip includes a track featuring Kay Kyser and His Orchestra. The beautiful Georgia Carroll provides the vocals. Kyser was the guest host for the episode. It provides a "behind the scenes" look at how they pulled off these great recordings. I think you will find it interesting to watch. Enjoy!
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Sisters and Savings Bonds - Show 155 -
Features music by Kay Kyser, Raymond Scott and Charlie Spivak. We also listen to select tracks from an old radio show starring The Andrews Sisters and some PSA's about the U.S. Savings Bond Payroll Plan.
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Sisters and Savings Bonds (Show 155)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Moon Over Miami - Show 154 -
Features vintage recordings by Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee and Guy Lombardo. We also listen to an interesting Dean Hudson track that I'm sure you will enjoy.
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Moon Over Miami (Show 154)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
Tex Beneke started playing saxophone when he was nine years old. His first professional work was with bandleader Ben Young in 1935, but it was when he joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra three years later that his career took off. Glenn Miller immediately featured Beneke as his primary tenor sax soloist and Beneke played all but a few of the tenor solos on the recordings and personal appearances made by the Glenn Miller Orchestra until it disbanded in late 1942.
Tex moved on to play in Horace Heidt's band for a short time then led a couple of bands while serving in the navy. Beneke kept in touch with Glenn Miller while they were both in the military and he made it clear that he wanted to reunite with Miller after the war and learn more about leading a band. That sadly never happened due to Miller's death overseas.
Listen to: "Give Me Five Minutes More" by Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke eventually went on to lead his own successful band as well as becoming the first leader of the post-war, Glenn Miller "ghost" band.
You can hear his music right here on Swing City Radio including the songs: "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop", "Give Me Five Minutes More" and "A Girl in Calico".
Consider supporting Swing City Radio by becoming a Hepcat. Learn more at: SupportSwing.com.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Kissing Bugs and Zoomers - Show 152 -
Features vintage recordings by Count Basie, Lucky Millinder and Jimmie Grier. We also listen to a Soundie by Florence Pepper and a couple of Ellington tracks from "A Date With The Duke"
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Kissing Bugs and Zoomers (Show 152)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
Throughout the month of February, I've been working hard on cleaning up the audio of a show called "Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch" that featured some great music by The Andrews Sisters. Since I've spent so much time with the content, I figured I'd write a quick post about the show.
By the end of 1944, The Andrews Sisters had been touring and recording at an amazing pace. They were also amongst the biggest acts in America at the time and an opportunity to host their own radio show presented itself. They jumped at the idea.
On December 31, 1944, "The Andrews Sisters Show", subtitled "Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch", made it's premiere on the Blue Network. It was sponsored by Nash-Kelvinator, the makers of Nash Automobiles and Kelvinator Kitchen Appliances. Vic Schoen and His Orchestra provided the music.
Personally, I'm torn in half with my opinions about the show. The scripts, storylines and acting were horrible. The jokes were drawn out and predictable.
The premise of the show was that the Sisters inherited the fictitious Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch from their Uncle Ed Andrews. But, there was one condition: The Andrews Sisters had to operate it themselves. (Insert laughter here!) 😜
The overall theme for the show just baffles me. The Andrews Sisters had only two or three hits that were considered "Country" ("Don't Fence Me In" and "Pistol Packin' Mama" come to mind). So the whole Western theme was quite puzzling. After the first couple episodes I found myself skipping through the broadcasts just to locate the music.
But, when I did find that music was well worth it. There are so many Andrews Sisters gems buried in that audio. Songs that they never recorded in the studio. Great versions of tracks like "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "The Trolley Song" and "Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night" to name just a few. I was able to pull out about 20 songs and they clean up quite good.
So keep tuned to Swing City Radio to hear some fantastic music by The Andrews Sisters from their short lived show.
Today's video is a short film called "Frances Carroll And The Coquettes" and was released to the public by Vitaphone in 1940. The short movie itself was filmed in 1939. I have posted this video before in recognition of drummer Viola Smith's passing but I felt it deserved another post as the main focus.
If you are a fan of the "All-Girl Bands" of the 1940's then you will LOVE this. The film runs close to 10 minutes and includes the songs:
"When I Swing My Stick"
"Snake Charmer"
"The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish"
"Jitterbug Jump"
The song "Snake Charmer" features a fantastic drum solo by Viola Smith. Frances Carroll And The Coquettes were a great, tight band and in my opinion deserved much more exposure than they got.
Enjoy!
Watch: The short film "Frances Carroll And The Coquettes" from 1940.
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Reenacting the Playlist - Show 149 -
Features vintage Big Band performances by Kay Kyser, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Freddy Nagel. We also learn why you should have an extra package of Alka Seltzer on the side.
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: Reenacting the Playlist (Show 149)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
The Big Band and Swing Podcast - "Pot" Goes The Weasel - Show 148 -
Features music by Vaughn Monroe, Raymond Scott, Artie Shaw and The Sportsmen Quartet. We also listen to clips from an old radio program that tackles the marijuana problem. You know, those Reefer Cigarettes. The Dope!
* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.
Listen to: "Pot" Goes The Weasel (Show 148)
Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com
As promised, I've added more great Big Band music containing introductions by radio's sweetheart, G.I. Jill. These tracks will appear on "After Dark" which streams every night from 8pm (ET) to Midnight. They were originally broadcasted over the AFRS network in the 1940's on the show "G.I. Jive". I was able to capture a very good variety of artists including songs by:
Tex Beneke (leading the Glenn Miller Band)
Benny Goodman
Gene Krupa
Bing Crosby
Kay Kyser
Lucky Millinder
Frank Sinatra
Harry James
and Artie Shaw.
More than 70 tracks in all and I got most of them sounding very good so I think you will enjoy them very much. Keep and ear out for a great track by Woody Herman called "Fan It". It's an absolute "Killer Diller"!
Enjoy.
Listen to: Ep #602 of "G.I. Jive" starring G.I. Jill
The name Oran Thaddeus Page might not immediately jump out at you, but as a trumpeter, Oran had a huge influence on The Big Band Era. More widely known as Hot Lips Page, he began his career as a member of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils in 1927.
Hot Lips played and toured with the Blue Devils until 1931, then joined the ranks of the Bennie Moten Orchestra. He became known throughout the Midwest as one of the hottest, up and coming trumpet players. After the death of Moten, Hot Lips spent time with Count Basie's band but was never really known as an official member of the band.
In 1937, Page formed his own Orchestra and had some immediate success. But over time, as talented as Hot Lips was, he struggled to maintain a regular working band. Throughout the 1940's, Page managed to tour the United States and Canada, but it's believed he did so with up to 13 different bands and combos that featured his name.
It's also important to note that in 1941 and 1942, Page joined on with Artie Shaw's band as a vocalist and trumpet soloist. In that short period of time, he recorded over 40 sides with Shaw.
It's estimated that Hot Lips Page made over 200 recordings during his career is considered by many to be one of the founders of what came to be known as rhythm and blues. Page passed away in 1954 at the age of 46.
Listen to: "Skull Duggery" by Hot Lips Page and His Band
You can hear the hot trumpet of Hot Lips Page right here on Swing City Radio.
Today's film clip is from the 1941 film "Ball of Fire". It features Gene Krupa and His Orchestra in their prime performing the classic "Drum Boogie". The director of this film did a fantastic job capturing the raw energy that Krupa and the band put into all of their appearances.
The beatiful Barbara Stanwyck appears onstage as the vocalist, but the truth is that Martha Tilton provided the singing voice and Barbara was just lip syncing.
"Ball of Fire" was a comedy film released in 1941 and starred Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.
Enjoy!
Watch: "Drum Boogie" by Gene Krupa and His Orchestra from 1941
Tiny Hill (Harry Lawrence Hill) was one of the biggest bandleaders of the era. Not purely based on his popularity, it was because he weighed in at over 365 lbs. For a time, Hill was billed as "America's Biggest Bandleader". Hill was also a drummer and a vocalist.
In 1931, Hill formed his first band which was simply known as the "Fat Man's Band." Dixieland jazz and hillbilly music was their original focus but by the last 1930's, Hill and his band were churning out warm dance music.
Helped by good exposure on the radio station "WGN" based out of Chicago, Tiny Hill aquired a nice follwing throughout the Midwest. In the early 1940's, Hill branched out and developed a national audience and toured the country. 1943 saw Tiny Hill and His Orchestra become the summer replacement band on the hit radio show "Your Hit Parade.
Listen to: "Angry" by Tiny Hill and His Orchestra from 1939
Tiny and his band continued to enjoy success for many years, well into the 1950s, until the end of the big band era. You can hear the music of Tiny Hill right here on Swing City Radio.
Today's Soundie features Red Allen and J.C. Higginbotham performing "Drink Hearty". This was released to Panoram in March of 1946. It was one of five Soundies the duo did together. Two others were: "Count Me Out" and "House On 52nd Street".
Red Allen is best remembered as an excellent sideman that played with Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman. J.C. Higginbotham is best known for his work with Chick Webb, Mills Blue Rhythm Band and Louis Armstrong.
Excellent Soundie. Enjoy!
Watch: "Drink Hearty" by Red Allen and J.C. Higginbotham from 1946.
