Today's Soundie features trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen joined by J.C Higginbotham (trombone) performing "Count Me Out". This was released to Panoram viewers in June of 1946. Other notable names in this Soundie are bassist Benny Moten and Alvin Burroughs on drums.
Prior to leading this talented band, Henry "Red" Allen had played in the orchestras of Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman and Eddie Condon. This clip really captures the energy he brought to his performances and it also showcases some terrific dancing.
Enjoy!
Watch: "Count Me Out" by Henry "Red" Allen from 1946
Today's Snader is "I May Be Wrong" featuring the beautiful vocals of Peggy Lee with music by Dave Barbour and His Quartet. This is one of 10 Snader Telescriptions that Peggy Lee recorded in the early 1950's.
This song and clip is simply fantastic. The most impressive part may be Dave Barbour's guitar solo while Peggy sews a button on his collar. They were still married at this point and their chemistry really shines through.
Enjoy!
Watch: "I May Be Wrong" by Peggy Lee and the Dave Barbour Quartet
Today's Soundie features Sonny Dunham and His Orchestra performing their version of "Skylark". This was released to Panoram in June of 1942 and is just one of eight Soundies put out by this respected trumpeter. The vocal are handled by the beautiful Harriett Clark, who seems to be quite relaxed while performing her singing duties. Look for the superimposed caption that identifies Sonny Dunham during his solo.
Enjoy!
Watch: Sonny Dunham and His Orchestra perform "Skylark" from 1942.
Starting in 2024, I will no longer be sending out a Monthly Newsletter through Mailchimp. Mailchimp is a very good company but it's not really filling my needs.
But, this doesn't mean that I will no longer be sending you emails! You can still be on my Mailing List and receive Articles, Station Updates and Video Clips in your Inbox from Swing City Radio. Read further to learn how...
My Patreon Page now has a JOIN FOR FREE option that will enable me to email you on a more timely basis rather than waiting for the beginning of the month. It's easy to join, just click here: Swing City Radio Patreon Page and then click on the Join for Free button. (See Picture Below)
I'm very excited about this new Mailing List setup because I will be able to deliver you content in a more efficient and timely way. Just make sure to Join For Free by the end of this year. Also, if you currently a Hepcat Supporter, you will receive these emails and no action is needed on your part.
Today's Soundie is yet another one from Stan Kenton. "It's Been A Long, Long Time" was released to Panoram in December of 1945 and just one of the eighteen Soundies Kenton and His Band filmed through the years. It features the beautiful June Christy on vocals along with the postwar lineup of the Band.
This Soundie was filmed very well and manages to capture Stan Kenton being Stan Kenton. Enjoy!
Watch: A Soundie by Stan Kenton - "It's Been a Long, Long Time" from 1945
Liz Tilton was the younger sister of famed Benny Goodman vocalist, Martha Tilton. She never enjoyed the popularity achieved by her older sister, but Liz managed to put together a pretty good career in her own right.
Her career started in 1938 with Kenny Baker's band while she was still in high school. She was also featured by Buddy Rodgers before joining Ray Noble and His Orchestra in 1940.
In early 1941, she left Noble's band to join on with Bob Crosby's outfit. This move greatly increased Tilton's exposure. Shortly after World War II broke out, Liz was featured on many AFRS Programs and performed at many USO shows.
By the mid 1940's, Liz Tilton had created a bit of name for herself and was no longer just known as Martha's kid sister. She joined up with Jan Garber and His Orchestra for a couple of years and and also enjoyed a mildly successful solo career.
Listen to: "It's Been a Long, Long Time" sung by Liz Tilton.
Note: Liz was billed by her full name, Elizabeth Tilton on many recordings as well.
You can hear the beautiful voice of Liz Tilton right here on Swing City Radio.
This month I've added some pretty cool tracks to the Swing City Radio rotation. As always, I had to clean up the audio on these but they came out sounding very good. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the new additions:
Harry James
Source: Various Chesterfield Show Broadcasts from 1943
Tracks include: "That Old Feeling", "Mexico City" and "Somebody Loves Me".
Jimmy Dorsey
Source: Downbeat (AFRS) - May 26, 1943
This show contained some fantastic Dorsey music including: "Paper Moon", "Turn Right" and a great performance of "You Can't Get Stuff In Your Cuff".
Guy Lombardo
Source: Musical Autographs (AFRS) - Sep 11, 1945
I have to admit, I'm not the biggest Guy Lombardo fan. But, these tracks are very entertaining. Keep an ear out for: "Bell Bottom Trousers", "Oh! Brother" and "You Never Miss The Water Till The Well Runs Dry".
Also added to the station playlist this month are songs by:
Louis Armstrong, The Pied Pipers, The King Sisters, Sammy Kaye, The DeMarco Sisters and Johnny Desmond.
Kid Ory, born Edward Ory in 1886, is widely considered one of the best trombonists ever to play Jazz. He began as banjo player but then moved on to slide trombone in his early teens. He learned the instrument by playing an old trombone handed down to him from the Civil War era.
In 1910, Ory moved to New Orleans and had one of the best known bands in the city. The band was a bit of a revolving door, but at times contained names like King Oliver, Mutt Carey, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and Louis Armstrong.
During the 1920's, Ory would move his band to Los Angeles and then to Chicago. He was helping spread the sound and popularity of New Orleans Jazz nationwide. He was very active in Chicago recording with Armstrong and Jellyroll Morton. Ory would also mentor Benny Goodman and Charles Mingus.
Then, out of nowhere, the Great Depression happened. Ory retired from music to run a chicken farm in Los Angeles.
In 1943, Ory returned to music and became an important force in reviving interest in New Orleans Jazz. His band of All Stars made many radio broadcasts on The Orson Welles Almanac program in 1944. This led to a series of recordings for the Crescent label.
Listen to: "Tiger Rag" by the Mercury All-Star Jazz Combination
featuring Kid Ory from 1944.
Ory retired from music in 1966 (this time the retirement stuck) and he spent his last years in the beautiful state of Hawaii.
You can hear Kid Ory's great blend of New Orleans Jazz right here on Swing City Radio.
During the last week of this October, I actually had some free time to clean up and digitize some of the 78's in my collection. I still have a milk crate worth of Shellac to work on, but I'm also hoping to get out to the record stores sometime in November. I miss those dusty, discount bins.
Here are two of my favorites that I cleaned up this month:
"Jersey Bounce" by Earl Hines from 1941
"Fralich In Swing" by Ziggy Elman from 1939. This later became a hit for Benny Goodman when Johnny Mercer added lyrics and the name was changes to "And The Angels Sing"
If you want to listen to more of my 78rpms click here.
This October, Swing City Radio will be streaming for 4 years. Time flies when your playing Swing! It still blows my mind that so many people tune in daily and I want to thank all of you that listen to the station so passionately. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! -
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I really appreciate you listening and I'm so glad you enjoy this great music so much!
The Boswell Sisters were one of the most influential female singing trios of the Swing Era. Martha Boswell, Connee Boswell and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell hailed from New Orleans. The Boswell Sisters are remembered for their unique harmonies and ground-breaking arrangements. Simply said, they were HUGE in the United States during 1930's. The trio was also known for fusing a wide range of styles, vocalization and instrumentation into their music. Their collaborations with the popular musicians of their day including the: Dorsey Brothers, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, had a huge effect on the development of Big Band Music.
Martha, Connie, and Vet grew up with formal, classical musical education. But in addition to that, their mother would take her daughters regularly to see the leading African–American performers of the day at the Lyric Theatre. These experiences would later influence their "sound". In interviews, the sisters remembered driving around New Orleans listening for new and interesting sounds, which they often found outside African–American churches and barrooms. As the Boswell girls got older, Vet took up the banjo and Connie the saxophone. Martha continued playing the piano but focused on the rhythms of ragtime and jazz.
Listen to "The Object of My Affection" by The Boswell Sisters from 1935
In 1925, they made their first record for Victor Records. After touring with a vaudeville company through the Southern portions of the United States, the sisters arrived in Los Angeles in October 1929. They began appearing on radio programs and recording music for movies.
Their unique approach to reworking melodies and their improvisational styles had mixed reviews in the beginning. But, as we all know, most ground-breaking artists go through that and after relocating to New York City in 1930, the Boswell Sisters soon attained national attention. They began making national radio broadcasts including a program on CBS that ran from 1931 to 1933.
Also in 1931, The Boswell Sisters signed a contract with Brunswick Records and made recordings from 1931 to 1935. While recording for Brunswick, They were granted great artistic control and took greater liberties in their music like regularly changing style, tempo, lyrics and time signatures.
In 1936, the group signed to Decca, but after just three records they broke up. Connie Boswell continued to have a successful solo career as a singer for Decca. In the 1940's, she changed the spelling of her name from Connie to Connee.
The Boswell Sisters chalked up 20 hits during the 1930's, including their number-one song "The Object of My Affection" in 1935.They also appeared in movie during this time as well. When you get down to it, The Boswell Sisters were among radio's earliest stars. They were an influence to other artists as well, like Ella Fitzgerald and The Andrews Sisters.
The Boswell Sisters in a movie clip. Abe Lyman makes a cameo appearance.
You can hear the music of the Boswell Sisters right here on Swing City Radio.
I apologize that I haven't been able to upload videos to the channel at the rate I was achieving in the summer. But recently, I carved out some time and added some new vids. Also, I have another milk crate of 78rpm to digitize so you should see more of these videos released during the Fall months.
Here's a small sample of Shellac I recently posted:
Listen to: Johnny Long And His Orchestra – "How Are Things In Glocca Morra" from 1947.
Listen to: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra – "Perfidia"
Listen to: "Don Voorhees And His Earl Carroll Vanities Orchestra" – The Riff Song from 1929.
Sam Donahue was an excellent saxophonist and a darn good bandleader as well. Before leading his own band, Donahue was a sideman in the bands of Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman during the 1930's. He started his own band in 1940 and recorded some sides but then was called into military service in 1942 where he served as a sideman again in Artie Shaw's Navy Band. When Shaw was discharged in early 1944, Donahue took over that band and made it his own. You can hear many recordings by Donahue's Navy band right here on Swing City Radio. He recorded many V-Discs and some great live performances for the Armed Forces. Great stuff!
Listen to: "LST Party" by Sam Donahue's Navy Band from a 1946 V-Disc
After the war, Sam formed his new, civilian band and it enjoyed some moderate success. His orchestra featured names like trumpeter Doc Severinsen, vocalists Frances Wayne and Jo Stafford, and even had Leo Reisman aboard as an arranger. It was a good band, but in 1951 it dissolved due to Donahue re-enlisting in the Navy to serve in the Korean War.
After serving his second tour of duty, Donahue returned to the States and again worked as a sideman in Tommy Dorsey's band in 1952, in Billy May's Orchestra from 1954 to 1956, and with Stan Kenton in 1960.
Listen to: "Sunny Side Of The Street" by Sam Donahue's Navy Band
from an episode of Yank Bandstand (AFRS)
In late 1961, Donahue was named the leader of the late, Tommy Dorsey's band. Donahue and the Dorsey Orchestra recorded and toured throughout the early part of the 1960's and the band would later feature the vocals of a young Frank Sinatra Jr.
You can hear the music of Sam Donahue right here on Swing City Radio.
Today's Soundie features Will Bradley and His Orchestra performing "Boardwalk Boogie." Such a great song. The Soundie itself was filmed in 1941, and filmed quite well capturing a great band in it's prime as well as some very good dancing. While watching this you can feel the raw energy that defined the Will Bradley Orchestra.
The "Beach Party" where the "jitterbugs" are hanging out is really a soundstage in New York City. Ironically enough, this was shot in the chilly month of December.
There are some big names that appear in this clip including: Ray McKinley, Freddie Slack, Peanuts Hucko and, of course, Will Bradley himself. This song was originally titled "This Little Icky Went to Town" but was later changed to "Boardwalk Boogie" for this Soundie.
Enjoy!
Watch the Soundie: "Boardwalk Boogie" featuring Will Bradley and His Orchestra
Many of you probably know by now that I've been spending some time transferring my growing collection of 78rpm recordings to MP3. I've been publicly sharing the music on The Swing City Radio Youtube Channel. Here's a direct link to the playlist: Ronnaldo's 78rpm Collection
Here's a couple that I've posted in mid-July:
"Love Me! Love Me! Love Me!" by Sammy Kaye
This was released in 1949 on the RCA Victor Label. It includes vocals by The Kaydets.
Listen to: "Love Me! Love Me! Love Me!" by Sammy Kaye from 1949.
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"Bolero At The Savoy" by Gene Krupa and His Orchestra
This great track by Krupa was recorded in New York, NY on November 25, 1941. It was originally released on the Okeh label. This is from the Columbia release from 1944 and features Anita O'Day on vocals.
Listen to: "Bolero At The Savoy" by Gene Krupa from 1944
The Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top Dance Bands in the early to mid 1930's. The band was active from the late 1920's to 1947 and then re-emerged in 1957. The Casa Loma Orchestra had a few leaders over the years but the most notable was saxophonist, Glen Gray.
The band originally assembled under the name The Orange Blossoms in Detroit, Michigan. By the time of their first recordings in 1929, they had changed their name to The Casa Loma Orchestra.
The business model and structure of this band was much different than most others. Almost all other bands at this time had a "leader" for whom everyone worked. Casa Loma operated as a collective group. In 1930, the Casa Loma Orchestra was incorporated in New York with the members becoming owners, shareholders, and board members. The band members were hired on the grounds of musical competence and would have to follow a strict code of conduct and financial rules. Members who broke the rules could be summoned before the "board", have their contract bought out, and be ejected from the band.
Listen to: "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" performed by
Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orchestra (1942).
This recording is from my personal collection of 78 recordings.
The band was led by a person that was hand-picked by the band itself. Casa Loma's first bandleader was violinist Hank Biagini. In 1937, the band overwhelmingly voted in favor of Glen Grey leading the orchestra, and Gray finally accepted the job.
The Casa Loma Orchestra released A LOT of music during their run in the 1930's and 40's. They scored a boatload of hits and enjoyed a long run on radio including extended stints on Camel Caravan.
After 1947, the Casa Loma band had ceased touring, and Glen Gray retired. The later recordings on Capitol Records, beginning with Casa Loma in Hi-Fi in 1956 and continuing through the Sounds of the Great Bands series, were done with Gray leading a group of studio musicians in Hollywood. Several of the Casa Loma alumni would occasionally be featured as well. In all, some 14 high-fidelity and stereo recordings were made for Capitol Records under the name of Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra before Gray's death in 1963.
... and speaking of Casa Loma alumni, a few of the names that passed through the band over the years included: Pee Wee Hunt, Sonny Dunham, Kenny Sargent and Horace Henderson. Keep in mind, the band maintained a stable collection of personnel that didn't change much because of the member ownership structure they had in place.
Listen to: "Come and Get It" performed by
Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orchestra.
Interesting Note: In 1943, Eugenie Baird became "the first girl vocalist ever featured" with the Casa Loma Orchestra.
You can hear the many hits of The Casa Loma Orchestra right here on Swing City Radio.
Here's a breakdown of some of the songs that I've added into the Swing City Radio rotation this week. I've also included some information about programming change as well. Hint: It's New and Improved!
- Newly Added -
Select songs from "Here's To Veterans": -
"Here's To Veterans" was produced and distributed by the Veteran's Administration to help promote services and provide helpful information to U.S. Military Veterans. The successful series ran for a few decades or so. Each transcribed episode lasted for about 15 minutes and it was shipped to local radio stations for airplay across the country.
Most importantly for us, it contained some great music. Keep an ear out for some great tunes by Ray Anthony, Stan Kenton, Tommy Dorsey, Tex Beneke, Glen Gray and more.
Select songs from "Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors":
For those of you that like some of the more "sweeter" sounding Dance Bands from the 1930's, I have been adding select songs from a show called "Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors" that originally aired between 1931 and 1934. The sound quality is excellent on most of these and features music by bandleaders Gus Arnheim, Jimmie Grier and Ted Fio Rito.
The Cocoanut Grove was a huge nightclub located in the famous Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. For years it was the center of the music universe on the West Coast. Along with the great music, the club was also famous for having a policy forbidding unwanted cameras. As a result, The Cocoanut Grove became a magnet for high-profile guests including many Hollywood celebrities who wanted to enjoy themselves away from the prying eyes of the press.
Vintage Radio Ads and PSAs:
To give the station a more "vintage feel", I've decided to now play Classic Radio Ads and old Public Service Announcements throughout the day's programming. I truly feel that this will add to the listening experience.
Please keep in mind, these are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Swing City Radio does not endorse any of these products and does not receive any compensation for airplay. Heck, many of them don't even exist anymore. 😀
This month, I decided to showcase a 78rpm from my collection featuring Doris Day and Harry James. This was originally a part of a 4 disc set called "Young Man with a Horn", but I found it at the bottom of a dusty pile, no sleeve, lost to time in a second-hand store. I cleaned up the shellac so we can enjoy this great music together. The two songs I've included are: "The Very Thought Of You" written by Ray Noble and an instrumental called "Melancholy Rhapsody".
Listen to: "The Very Thought Of You" by Doris Day and Harry James from 1950
"Young Man with a Horn" was an album that was released by Columbia Records in March of 1950 featuring trumpeter Harry James and vocalist Doris Day performing songs recorded for the soundtrack of the film "Young Man with a Horn".
The film was loosely based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke. The soundtrack was played by Harry James and His orchestra. Doris Day, who appears in the film as well, provided the lead vocals on many of the album's tracks.
Listen to: "Melancholy Rhapsody" by Harry James and His Orchestra from 1950
As I wade through the archives of old radio performances and recordings from the 1940's, a name that pops up from time to time is a vocalist named Betty Bonney. After singing with various regional bands, Bonney joined Les Brown's Orchestra in 1941. She sang in the band's first major hit "Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio.” Bonney recorded and toured with Les Brown until August of 1942 and then left the band to get married.
She returned in early 1943 as a featured vocalist in Jan Savitt's Orchestra. This became the start of a carousel ride that would see Bonney sing for a bunch of major bands in a short amount of time. During the years of 1943 through 1945, Bonney sang in the bands of Jan Savitt, Jerry Wald, Frankie Carle and Charlie Spivak.
Listen to: "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" by Les Brown
Throughout the rest of the decade Bonney appeared on Broadway, had a stint in Hollywood and did quite well in the nightclub circuit. She also ended up doing a number of Soundies as well.
In 1950, after changing her name to Judy Johnson, she briefly joined Sammy Kaye's band. She eventually made a move to television where she made many appearances on shows like "Arthur Murray's Dance Party" and "Your Show of Shows".
You can hear the voice of Betty Bonney featured with many different bands right here on Swing City Radio.
.JPG "Jimmy Dorsey")
