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Friday, December 31, 2021

Mum's the Word....60 Fabulous Songs Your Mother Should Know by various artists

 

Tracklist
1-1    Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra*–    Your Mother And Mine
1-2    Eddy Arnold–    Mother's Prayer
1-3    Flatt & Scruggs–    Mother Prays Loud In Her Sleep
1-4    Bill Haley & His Comets*–    Teenager's Mother
1-5    Jimmie Rodgers –    Whisper Your Mother's Name
1-6    The Stanley Brothers–    Memories Of Mother
1-7    Al Jolson–    My Mammy
1-8    Hank Williams–    I Heard My Mother Praying For Me
1-9    Roy Acuff–    Mother's Prayers Guide Me
1-10    Nat King Cole–    Unforgettable
1-11    Roy Smeck–    My Mom
1-12    Lefty Frizzell–    Mom And Dad's Waltz
1-13    The Sons Of The Pioneers–    Gold Star Mother With Silvery Hair
1-14    George Formby–    Oh Dear Mother
1-15    Charlie Poole And The North Carolina Ramblers–    Write A Letter To My Mother
1-16    The Original Irish Boys–    Gentle Mother
1-17    Five Blind Boys Of Alabama–    Living On Mother's Prayer
1-18    Nina Simone–    My Baby Just Cares For Me
1-19    The Carter Family–    There's No One Like Mother To Me
1-20    Anne Shelton–    My Yiddishe Momme


2-1    Carmen Miranda–    Mama Yo Quiero
2-2    Eddy Arnold–    I Wouldn't Trade The Silver In My Mother's Hair
2-3    Frank Sinatra–    Young At Heart
2-4    Charlie Poole And The North Carolina Ramblers–    Mother's Last Farewell Kiss
2-5    Nat King Cole–    My Mother Told Me
2-6    Morton Downey–    I'll Always Be My Mother's Boy
2-7    Dean Martin–    Memories Are Made Of This
2-8    Peerless Quartette–    I Just Want A Girl Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad
2-9    Ella Fitzgerald–    Dream A Little Dream Of Me
2-10    Jim Reeves–    Have I Told You Lately That I Love You ?
2-11    Rosemary Clooney–    This Ole House
2-12    Roy Harvey And Leonard Copeland–    Mother's Waltz
2-13    Sammy Davis Jr.–    Someone To Watch Over Me
2-14    Paul Robeson–    Songs My Mother Taught Me
2-15    The Original Irish Boys–    Your Mother's Eyes
2-16    Bing Crosby–    You Are My Sunshine
2-17    Earl King–    A Mother's Love
2-18    Sister Rosetta Tharpe–    I Heard My Mother Call My Name
2-19    Arthur Tracy–    It's My Mother's Birthday Today
2-20    Al Jolson–    Remember Mother's Day


3-1    Bing Crosby–    My Mother's Waltz
3-2    Ella Fitzgerald–    The Nearness Of You
3-3    Elvis Presley–    Love Me Tender
3-4    Charlie Monroe's Boys–    Once I Had A Darlin' Mother
3-5    Nat King Cole–    Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
3-6    Dinah Washington–    Embraceable You
3-7    Little Richard–    Thinkin' 'Bout My Mother
3-8    Nina Simone–    Summertime
3-9    Vera Lynn–    This Is My Mother's Day
3-10    Ernest Tubb–    My Mother Must Have Been A Girl Like You
3-11    Jewel King–    I Broke My Mother's Rule
3-12    Judy Garland–    Over The Rainbow
3-13    John McCormack –    Mother My Dear
3-14    Arthur Tracy–    To Mother, With Love
3-15    Sammy Davis Jr.–    The Way You Look Tonight
3-16    Jeri Southern–    Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
3-17    Eddy Arnold–    That Wonderful Mother Of Mine
3-18    Frank Sinatra–    I Get A Kick Out Of You
3-19    The Pilgrim Travelers–    Mother Bowed
3-20    Bobby Breen–    M-O-T-H-E-R


 Mum's the Word...one...two...three

Monday, December 20, 2021

Have Yourself An Easy Listening Christmas - various artists

 

Tracklist
1    Bing Crosby–    Christmas Is Here To Stay    4:07
2    Connie Francis–    Baby's First Christmas    2:26
3    The Platters–    White Christmas    2:24
4    The Harry Simeone Chorale–    Little Drummer Boy    3:00
5    David Essex–    A Winter's Tale    4:10
6    The Harry Simeone Chorale–    Sleigh Ride    2:42
7    Roger Whittaker–    Little Shepherd    2:50
8    The Swingles–    I Believe In Father Christmas    2:41
9    Isla St Clair–    The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)    3:23
10    John Gregory Strings & Voices –    The Holy And The Ivy    2:29
11    Peters & Lee–    Mary's Boy Child    5:02
12    The Beverley Sisters–    And Kings Came A-Calling    2:19
13    Tommy Steele–    Must Be Santa    2:24
14    The Anita Kerr Singers–    The First Noel    3:06
15    The Springfields–    Bambino    2:30
16    The Statler Brothers–    Christmas Eve (Kodia's Theme)    3:12
17    Sweet Substitute–    A Musical Christmas Card    3:01
18    The Blue Diamonds–    Christmas Day Is Coming    2:42
19    Sari Martin–    Greensleeves    3:58
20    New Jordal Swingers–    Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer    1:51


 An Easy Listening Christmas

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Various Artists – What A Wonderful World: Hits Of Yesteryear...popular hits from the 50's and 60's

 

An eclectic mix of popular and classic hits from the 50's and 60's covering rock and roll, jazz-pop, soul, popular, crooners, swing, calypso, reggae and lounge.

Tracklist
1-1    Carl Perkins–    Shake, Rattle And Roll
1-2    The Crickets –    Oh Boy!
1-3    Jerry Lee Lewis–    Great Balls Of Fire
1-4    Elvis Presley–    Suspicious Minds
1-5    The Crystals–    Da Doo Ron Ron
1-6    Neil Sedaka–    Oh! Carol
1-7    Del Shannon–    Runaway
1-8    The Isley Brothers–    Should (Part 1 & 2)
1-9    Ben E. King–    Stand By Me
1-10    The Drifters–    Under The Boardwalk
1-11    Dion –    The Wanderer
1-12    Everly Brothers–    Bye Bye Love
1-13    Chris Montez–    The More I See You
1-14    Bobby Darin–    Dream Lover
1-15    Paul Anka–    Put Your Head On My Shoulder
1-16    Bing Crosby–    Dream A Little Dream Of Me
1-17    Frank Sinatra–    When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)
1-18    Bobby Vinton–    Blue Velvet
1-19    The Righteous Brothers–    Unchained Melody
1-20    Percy Sledge–    When A Man Loves A Woman
1-21    Rosemary Clooney With Perez Prado And His Orchestra–    Sway

2-1    Sammy Davis Jr.–    Mr Bojangles
2-2    Jimmy Durante–    As Times Go By
2-3    Doris Day–    Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
2-4    Buddy Greco–    One For My Baby
2-5    Charlie Rich–    The Most Beautiful Girl
2-6    Lesley Gore–    It's My Party
2-7    Mel Tormé–    I've Got You Under My Skin
2-8    Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes–    If You Don't Know Me By Now
2-9    Etta James–    At Last
2-10    Perry Como With Mitchell Ayres And His Orchestra–    Young At Heart
2-11    Ray Peterson With Shorty Rogers–    The Wonder Of You
2-12    Screamin' Jay Hawkins–    I Put A Spell On You
2-13    The Chordettes–    Lollipop
2-14    The Champs–    Tequila
2-15    Chuck Berry–    Johnny B. Goode
2-16    Johnny Nash–    I Can See Clearly Now
2-17    Mario Lanza–    O Sole Mio
2-18    Tony Bennett–    I Left My Heart In San Francisco
2-19    Johnny Ray & The Four Lads–    Cry
2-20    Harry Belafonte–    Banana Boat (Day-O)


 Wonderful World one Wonderful World two

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Monday, November 29, 2021

Julie London...Wild, Cool and Swingin'..the Artist Collection

 

Julie London (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a track she introduced on her debut album, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Born in Santa Rosa, California to vaudevillian parents,London was discovered while working as an elevator operator in downtown Los Angeles, and she began her career as an actress. In the mid-1950s, she signed a recording contract with Liberty Records, marking the beginning of her professional musical career. She released her final studio album in 1969.

1        Come On-A My House
2        My Heart Belongs To Daddy
3        Girl Talk
4        You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
5        You're My Thrill
6        Makin' Whoopee
7        Black Coffee
8        'Tain't What You Do
9        Blues In The Night
10        Comin' Thro' The Rye
11        Night Life
12        You And The Night And The Music
13        Nice Girls Don't Stay For Beautiful
14        Watermelon Man
15        Go Slow
16        Wives And Lovers
17        I Must Have That Man
18        Let There Be Love
19        Mad About The Boy
20        Daddy
21        Love For Sale
22        Mickey Mouse March


 Julie London

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Sunday, November 7, 2021

50’s Rock'n'Roll/Doo Wop Trio Johnny & The High Jives release ‘Teddy Boy Rock’

 

Birmingham, UK outfit Johnny & The High Jives recently released their first single "Teddy Boy Rock", a hot rockin' number that sounds straight out of the 1950's with a toe-tappin' beat, hot saxophone and enough jive to get you up and dancing from the first notes.

So who are these guys? Let founding member Jack Chetwynd tell the story:

"After playing in several rock/Mod/blues/soul bands over the years..and becoming slightly disillusioned with music, I decided to form a band playing the music that I first remembered hearing and loving as a child. The music that I learned to dance to in my Grandma’s front room and the music that inspired me to be a musician. The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, The Drifters, The Platters and Roy Orbison to name just a few.

Around 5 years ago, I enlisted my old Friends ‘Champagne’ Charlie (guitar) & Phil ‘The Count’ (Drums) And ‘Johnny & The High Jives was born.Since then, we have played gigs up and down the country, filling dance floors & making new friends as we go. To me, that is what music is all about. If we make people smile, laugh, dance & have a good time…then we’ve done our job! 

We have no burning ambitions/dreams in relation to our record, we just hope that people will give it a listen and enjoy what they hear."
 
Listen HERE
 
 

 

Monday, November 1, 2021

The Green Hills Of Ireland...Vintage Irish Songs...Original 1920's-1940's recordings

 

The rolling hills, gentle mountains and lush fields, the breathtaking natural wonders, the welcoming warmth of the pubs, the smell of the sea and the charm of the locals: all the very best of the Emerald Isle reaches out to our hearts through Celtic song. Cast your ears back to the tunes of the old country with this collection of vintage Irish songs. The Green Hills of Ireland is sure to rouse the nostalgia, the tradition, the emotions and the cheekiness of the Irish character.

From Galway to Tipperary, Belfast to County Down, from the lanes of Dublin to the Giants Steps, The Green Hills of Ireland is an experience not to be missed. Whether you’ve been enjoying these songs from your earliest years or are discovering them now for the first time, this album will bring alive one of the world’s richest musical cultures and landscapes. Singers Irish-born like John McCormack, James McCafferty and Delia Smith, together with those who embraced Ireland as a spiritual home, including Peter Dawson and Dame Maggie Teyte, bring to life some of the all-time classic Celtic ballads and folk songs enjoyed back home and in the adopted lands of the vast Irish diaspora in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

You’ll be sure to be whistling along to this grand celebration of vintage Irish song!


1 A Little Bit of Heaven 

2 The Kerry Dance

3 The Lark in the Clear Air

4 Off to Philadelphia

5 The Meeting of the Waters

6 That’s How I Spell I-R-E-L-A-N-D

7 Kathleen Mavourneen

8 That Tumbledown Shack in Athlone

9 The Garden Where the Praties Grow

10 Macushla

11 When They Sing ‘The Wearin’ o’ the Green’

in Syncopated Blues

12 The Last Rose of Summer

13 The Rose of Tralee

14 Rory O’More

15 The Dawning of the Day

16 The Mountains o’ Mourne

17 Oft in the Stilly Night

18 Mother Machree

19 The Star of the County Down

20 The Spinning Wheel

21 The Green Hills of Ireland

22 She Moved thro’ the Fair

23 The Pride of Tipperary

24 Danny Boy

25 Ireland, Mother Ireland


 The Green Hills Of Ireland


 

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Swingin' Talkin' Verve...various artists jazz/swing

 

Tracklist
1    Quincy Jones–    Air Mail Special    2:34
2    Louis Jordan–    Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens    2:32
3    The Lionel Hampton Big Orchestra*–    Flying House    3:14
4    Buddy Rich And His Orchestra–    Dateless Brown    3:16
5    Gene Krupa Big Band* With Anita O'Day And Roy Eldridge–    Let Me Off Uptown    3:20
6    Harry James And His Orchestra–    Crazy Rhythm    3:23
7    The Lionel Hampton Big Orchestra*–    The Blues Ain't News To Me    2:54
8    Buddy Rich Quartet–    Jumpin At The Woodside    10:04
9    Harry James And His Orchestra–    Back Beat Boogie    2:23
10    Louis Jordan–    Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?    3:16
11    Benny Goodman And His Orchestra–    Sing, Sing, Sing (Parts I and II)    14:25
12    Clarence Brown*–    Caldonia    4:31


 Swingin' Talkin' Verve

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Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Dutch Swing College Band...Collectors Items

 

The Dutch Swing College Band "DSCB" is a traditional dixieland band founded on 5 May 1945 by bandleader and clarinettist/saxophonist Peter Schilperoort.

Highly successful in their native home of The Netherlands, the band quickly found an international following. It has featured such musicians as Huub Janssen (drums), Henk Bosch van Drakestein (double bass), Kees van Dorser (trumpet), Dim Kesber (saxes), Jan Morks (clarinet), Wout Steenhuis (guitar), Arie Ligthart (banjo/guitar), Jaap van Kempen (banjo/guitar), Oscar Klein (trumpet), Dick Kaart (trombone), Ray Kaart (trumpet), Bert de Kort (cornet), Bert Boeren (trombone), Rod Mason, Rob Agerbeek (piano) - among many others.

The band provided the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 presented live from Den Haag.

The band continues to tour extensively, mainly in Europe and Scandinavia, and record directed by Bob Kaper, himself a member since 1967, following the former leader, Peter Schilperoort's death on 17 November 1990. Schilperoort had led the band for more than 45 years, albeit with a five-year sabbatical from 13 September 1955, when he left to pursue an engineering career before returning to lead the band again officially on 1st January 1960. 

With a recording history from 1945 to the present day in 2012 many albums and singles have been recorded. Recording media from 78 rpm discs, 33 and 45 rpm records and CDs and DVDs on variety of labels, including Philips and the band's own DSC production label.

As well as recording on its own, recordings were made with a number of notable US solo artists beginning in 1951 with Sidney Bechet and continuing into the 1970s with the likes of Jimmy Witherspoon in 1970, Joe Venuti in 1971, Teddy Wilson in 1972 and 1973, Billy Butterfield in 1973, Bud Freeman in 1975 and Wild Bill Davison in 1976.

Tracks recorded over the history of the band include amongst many others "Tin Roof Blues", "Apex Blues", "Panama", "Shake Rag", "Everything's Wrong, Ain't Nothing Right", "Freeze n' Melt", "Strange Peach", Royal Garden Blues, Jazz Me Blues, High Society, Out of the Gallion, At the Jazzband Ball, That's a Plenty, Nobody Knows When You Are Down and Out, Annie Street Rock, Figety Feet, "Margie". 

Tracklist
1        Oh, Baby     2:26
2        New Orleans    2:52
3        Milenberg Joys    3:53
4        Muskrat Ramble    3:11
5        Rockin' Chair    3:51
6        St. Louis Blues    2:35
7        Mandy, Make Up Your Mind    4:13
8        Aunt Hagar's Blues    3:23
9        I've Found A New Baby    3:08
10        Big City Blues    2:58
11        Stomp Meeting    2:49
12        East St. Louis Toodle-oo    3:42
13        From Monday On    3:17
14        Bei Mir Bist Du Schön    5:58
15        Flying East    3:20
16        Chinatown, My Chinatown    3:26
17        Blues For Pete    3:50
18        Fly Me To The Moon    2:21
19        Desiree    3:05
20        Flying Home    2:36


 Collectors Items

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Sunday, September 5, 2021

Chart-Toppers of the Forties - the 25 Greatest Hits of the decade ..original mono recordings

 

In the mood (Glenn Miller) (3:31) --
I'll never smile again (Frank Sinatra) (3:09) --
Tuxedo Junction (Glenn Miller) (3:31) --
Frenesi (Artie Shaw) (3:05) --
Only forever (Bing Crosby) (3:04) --
Chattanooga choo choo (Glenn Miller) (3:27) --
Amapola (Jimmy Dorsey) (3:22) --
Moonlight cocktail (Glenn Miller) (3:21) --
Paper doll (The Mills Brothers) (2:38) --
I've heard that song before (Harry James) (2:58) --
Pistol packin' mama (Al Dexter) (2:52) --
Shoo-shoo baby (The Andrews Sisters) (2:52) --
Swinging on a star (Bing Crosby) (2:29) --
Rum and Coca-Cola (The Andrews Sisters) (3:13) --
Sentimental journey (Doris Day) (3:14) --
Till the end of time (Perry Como) (3:08) --
Oh, what it seemed to be! (Frankie Carle) (2:58) --
The gypsy (The Ink Spots) (2:44) --
To each his own (Eddy Howard) (2:24) --
Rumours are flying (Frankie Carle) (2:52) --
Heartaches (Ted Weems) (2:34) --
Peg o' my heart (Jerry Murad) (2:06) --
Near you (Francis Craig) (2:48) --
Ballerina (Vaughn Monroe) (3:18) --
White Christmas (Bing Crosby) (3:03).


 Chart-Toppers of the Forties

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Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Ethel Waters 1931-1940

 

Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Waters notable recordings include "Dinah", "Stormy Weather", "Taking a Chance on Love", "Heat Wave", "Supper Time", "Am I Blue?", "Cabin in the Sky", "I'm Coming Virginia", and her version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Waters was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award. She was the first African American to star on her own television show and the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Tracklist
1        Georgia On My Mind    3:26
2        Frankie And Johnnie    3:04
3        Stop Myself From Worryin' Over You    2:45
4        Jeepers Creepers    2:46
5        Baby, What Else Can I Do?    2:57
6        I Just Got A Letter    2:24
7        Cabin In the Sky    3:21
8        Taking A Chance On Love    3:09
9        Honey In The Honeycomb    2:51
10        Love Turned The Light Out    2:56
11        Old Man Harlem    2:55
12        Down In My Soul    3:01
13        Push-Out    2:45
14        Y'Had It Comin' To You    2:17
15        Harlem On My Mind    3:27
16        Heat Wave    3:00
17        Shadows On The Swanee    2:59
18        Trade Mark    3:03
19        Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time)    3:10
20        I Can't Give You Anything But Love    3:05
21        I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby    2:54
22        Porgy    3:15
23        Shine On, Harvest Moon    2:59


 Ethel Waters 1931-1940

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Saturday, August 7, 2021

Helen Forrest ‎– Embraceable You

 

Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel, April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era (Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James), thereby earning a reputation as "the voice of the name bands."

In 1934, 17-year-old Forrest began singing for WNEW in New York. She also performed for WCBS where she was known as “Bonnie Blue” and “The Blue Lady of Song.” Eventually she found a singing job at the Madrillon Club, in Washington, D.C., where she performed for approximately two years. After seeing Forrest at the Madrillon, bandleader Artie Shaw asked her to go on tour with him; Shaw was looking for new talent when vocalist Billie Holiday decided to leave the band. Helen was hired in 1938. For a time she and Holiday were both working with Shaw's band.

Helen joined Benny Goodman in December 1939, with whom she recorded a number of celebrated songs, including the hit song "The Man I Love." Helen recorded 55 studio recordings with Goodman. After leaving Goodman, Forrest briefly recorded with Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton.

In 1941, she approached Harry James, offering to work for him under one condition: that she be permitted to sing more than one chorus. Although James was looking for a more jazz-oriented singer, he allowed Forrest to audition. The band voted her in and she was hired. It was with the Harry James Orchestra that Helen recorded what are arguably her most popular numbers, including "I Had the Craziest Dream" in 1942, and 1941's "I Don't Want to Walk Without You." In 1942, Helen also appeared with the Harry James Band in the Hollywood film Springtime in the Rockies, starring Betty Grable.

In 1942 and 1943, Helen Forrest was voted the best female vocalist in the United States in the Down Beat poll. At the peak of her career, Helen Forrest was the most popular female singer in the United States. Because of her work with the bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James, she is known as "the voice of the name bands" and is regarded by some as the best female vocalist of the swing era

Over the course of her career, Helen Forrest recorded more than 500 songs. In 2001, she was posthumously inducted into the now-defunct Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.



Embraceable You 

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Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Chart-Toppers of the Thirties - The 25 Greatest Hits of the Decade

 

Tracklist
1    Rudy Vallee–    Stein Song
2    Nathaniel Shilkret–    Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
3    Gus Arnheim–    Sweet And Lovely
4    Bing Crosby–    Please
5    Ted Lewis–    In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town
6    Fred Astaire–    Night And Day
7    Harold Arlen–    Stormy Weather
8    Al Bowlly–    Love Is The Sweetest Thing
9    George Olsen–    The Last Round Up
10    Paul Whiteman–    Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
11    Bing Crosby–    June In January
12    Al Bowlly–    Isle Of Capri
13    Fred Astaire–    Cheek To Cheek
14    Benny Goodman–    The Glory Of Love
15    Bing Crosby–    Pennies From Heaven
16    Fred Astaire–    The Way You Look Tonight
17    Bing Crosby–    Sweet Leilani
18    Tommy Dorsey–    Once In A While
19    Ella Fitzgerald–    A Tisket A Tasket
20    Tommy Dorsey–    Music Maestro Please
21    Larry Clinton–    My Reverie
22    Artie Shaw–    Begin The Beguine
23    Larry Clinton–    Deep Purple
24    Glenn Miller–    Over The Rainbow
25    Frankie Masters–    Scatterbrain


 Chart-Toppers of the Thirties

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https://youtu.be/Q6CIDved-bY

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Chart-Toppers of the Twenties..the 25 Greatest Hits of the Decade..original mono recordings

 

1    Dardenella - Ben Selvin
2    Swanee - Al Jolson
3    When My Baby Smiles At Me - Ted Lewis
4    Whispering - Paul Whiteman
5    Wabash Blues - Isham Jones
6    April Showers - Al Jolson
7    Three O'Clock In The Morning - Paul Whiteman
8    Yes! We Have No Bananas - Billy Jones
9    It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo' - Wendell Hall         
10    Somebody Stole My Gal - Ted Weems
11    I'll See You In My Dreams - Isham Jones        
12    The Prisoner's Song - Vernon Dalhart
13    Sweet Georgia Brown - Ben Bernie
14    If You Knew Susie - Eddie Cantor
15    Who? - George Olsen
16    Valencia - Paul Whiteman
17    Some Of These Days - Sophie Tucker
18    In A Little Spanish Town - Paul Whiteman
19    My Blue Heaven - Gene Austin
20    Charmaine - Guy Lombardo
21    Ramona - Gene Austin
22    Sonny Boy - Al Jolson
23    Carolina Moon - Gene Austin
24    Honey - Rudy Vallee
25    Tip-Toe Through The Tulips - Nick Lucas



Chart-Toppers of the Twenties

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https://youtu.be/AGQJnCAmuXE 

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Roberta Sherwood 'I Gotta Right To Sing' The Rare Singles and More

 

Roberta Sherwood (1913–1999) was an American singer, notable in part for her sudden rise to fame at the age of 43.

Roberta's father, Robert Sherwood, was the manager of a traveling minstrel show; she and her sister Anne were raised on the road after their mother died. Roberta started performing in vaudeville at age 11, and the sisters soon became a vaudeville and nightclub act. In 1932 they met Broadway actor Don Lanning, who mentored Roberta and ultimately married her in 1938. They both abandoned careers to settle in Miami, opening a small nightclub where she continued to perform. After the restaurant lost its lease, they got a concession to operate a hotel lounge. In 1953 Don was diagnosed with lung cancer and lost their concession. After an attempt to start another nightclub failed, Sherwood began to seriously pursue her career.

For several years she met with little success. A trip to Las Vegas failed to advance her career. In September 1955 a chance meeting led to a nightclub gig in a Miami Beach club, and in January 1956 she suddenly became a success. The comedian Red Buttons became a fan and brought columnist Walter Winchell to see her; he gave her rave reviews. Soon she was performing in clubs nationwide and had a contract with Decca Records. She was profiled in Life magazine in October. A November 1956 Billboard poll of DJs picked her as the 19th most popular "album artist" and #8 on a list of "Most Promising Female Vocalists".

Sherwood was usually described as a torch singer; she appeared on stage in a sweater and glasses, and used a cymbal held in her hand for accompaniment. Life described her as "flashy, richly sentimental, as unsubtle as her crashing cymbal and as unpretentious as her $49.50 dress"!

This 2CD collection contains three complete albums, 'I Gotta Right To Sing', 'My Golden Favorites' & 'Live Performance!', plus 25 rare single sides. A must for fans and collectors, but also a terrific way for new listeners to discover her unique voice and vocal style.


 https://youtu.be/RgzL9bjxPE8

disc one disc two
 


 

Friday, April 30, 2021

Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.....The Lonely Bull and S.R.O.

 

The Lonely Bull

Herb Alpert set up a small recording studio in his garage and had been overdubbing a tune called "Twinkle Star", written by Sol Lake, who would eventually write many of the Brass's original tunes. During a visit to Tijuana, Mexico, Alpert happened to hear a mariachi band while attending a bullfight. Following the experience, Alpert recalled that he was inspired to find a way to express musically what he felt while watching the wild responses of the crowd, and hearing the brass musicians introducing each new event with rousing fanfare. Alpert adapted the trumpet style to the tune, mixed in crowd cheers and other noises for ambience, and renamed the song "The Lonely Bull".

He personally funded the production of the record as a single, and it spread through radio DJ's until it caught on and became a Top 10 hit in the Fall of 1962. He followed up quickly with his debut album, The Lonely Bull by "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass". Originally the Tijuana Brass was just Alpert overdubbing his own trumpet, slightly out of sync. The title cut reached No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. This was A&M's first album with the original release number being #101, although it was recorded at Conway Records. For this album and subsequent releases, Alpert recorded with the group of L.A. session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew, whom he holds in high regard.


 S.R.O. (Standing Room Only)

Saturday, April 24, 2021

The Chronological Cab Calloway and His Orchestra...1934-1937

 

Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer, dancer, bandleader and actor. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years.

Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the most popular big bands in the United States from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. His band included trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, guitarist Danny Barker, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Cozy Cole.

Calloway had several hit records in the 1930s and 1940s, becoming known as the "Hi-de-ho" man of jazz for his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher", originally recorded in 1931. He reached the Billboard charts in five consecutive decades (1930s–1970s). Calloway also made several stage, film, and television appearances until his death in 1994 at the age of 86. He had roles in Stormy Weather (1943), Porgy and Bess (1953), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and Hello Dolly! (1967). His career saw renewed interest when he appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.

Calloway was the first African American musician to sell a million records from a single and to have a nationally syndicated radio show. In 1993, Calloway received the National Medal of Arts from the United States Congress. He posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. His song "Minnie the Moocher" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2019. He is also inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame and the International Jazz Hall of Fame. . 


 Cab Calloway


Friday, April 16, 2021

Sing Me A Swing Song...Parade of Jazz Vocalists...original recordings from 1928-1939

 

1 Thursday - Helen Humes    
2 Restless - Helen Ward    
3 Don't Try Your Jive on Me - Una Mae Carlisle        
4 Drop in Next Time You're Passing - Elisabeth Welch        
5 I Wish I Were Twins - Valaida    
6 When I Grow Too Old to Dream - Putney Dandridge    
7 Loveable and Sweet - Annette Hanshaw    
8 Dream Man (Make Me Dream Some More) -    Fats Waller    
9 I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby - Jack Teagarden   
10 Ten Cents a Dance - Ruth Etting    
11 Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)- Ella Fitzgerald   
12 Zaz Zul Zaz - Cab Calloway    
13 Louisiana - Bing Crosby    
14 Three Little Words -    Rhythm Boys    
15 Troubled Waters - Ivie Anderson    
16 I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Connee Boswell    
17 Wha'd Ja Do to Me? - The Boswell Sisters    
18 Isle of Capri - Wingy Manone    
19 More Than You Know -    Mildred Bailey        
20 Am I Blue? -    Ethel Waters    
21 One, Two, Button Your Shoe -    Billie Holiday        
22 Thanks a Million - Louis Armstrong   
  


Sing Me A Swing Song

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Helen Merrill "Dream of You"....18 track compilation

 

Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1955 release Helen Merrill, was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation of bebop jazz musicians. After a prolific 1950s and '60s when she recorded with Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown, Merrill spent time recording and touring in Europe and Japan, falling into obscurity in the United States. In the 1980s and '90s, a contract with Verve Records and high-profile performances in America returned her to prominence. Noted for her emotional, sensual vocal performances, her career continues in its sixth decade with concerts and recordings. 


Helen Merrill


Friday, March 5, 2021

Steve Conway...My Foolish Heart...24 original mono recordings 1946-1951...British balladeer

 

Steve Conway received notoriety as a British balladeer in the post-World War II era. Although forgotten today, he was considered a star being compared to Bing Crosby, had a string of best-selling 78rpm records, sung to sell-out performances, and his own BBC radio show on Sunday afternoons.

b. Walter James Groom, 24 October 1920, Hackney, London, England, d. 19 April 1952, London, England. Conway was a ballad singer with a smooth, straightforward delivery, sometimes compared to the 30s heartthrob, Al Bowlly. As a young boy Conway suffered rheumatic fever that left him with a weak heart, making him unsuitable for military service during World War II. After singing in local bars and ballrooms, he made his broadcasting debut in 1945 on Variety Bandbox, followed by appearances with top dance bands Lew Stone and Ambrose and a series of broadcasts with Peter Yorke and His Concert Orchestra. 

In 1945 Conway signed for Columbia Records (UK), and recorded nearly 100 titles through to 1951. Some of these were solemn ballads such as ‘Bless This House’, ‘At The End Of The Day’ and ‘Good Luck, Good Health, God Bless You’. The rest included schmaltzy treatments of standard songs such as ‘My Foolish Heart’, ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘Look For The Silver Lining’, ‘The Gypsy’ and ‘Too Young’. Orchestra accompaniments were by Roberto Inglez, Peter Yorke, Jack Byfield, Arthur Young, Jackie Brown and Philip Green with occasional assistance from the Hastings Girls’ Choir. 

In the late 40s and early 50s Conway toured the UK variety circuit, but his health steadily deteriorated. After collapsing onstage in December 1951, he died a few months later at Guy’s Hospital, London. 

Steve Conway

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Monday, January 18, 2021

Billy Vaughn 50 Golden Greats

 

Richard Smith Vaughn (April 12, 1919 – September 26, 1991), known as Billy Vaughn, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader and A&R man for Dot Records.

Vaughn was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, where his father, Alvis Radford Vaughn, was a barber who loved music and inspired Billy to teach himself to play the mandolin at the age of three. He went on to learn a number of other instruments.

Vaughn charted a total of 42 singles on the Billboard charts, often based on the sound of two alto saxophones. He also charted thirty six albums on the Billboard 200, beginning with 1958's Sail Along Silv'ry Moon and ending with 1970's Winter World of Love. He also had nineteen Top 40 hits in (Germany), beginning with the chart-topping "Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon", also a gold record, which was a cover of a 1937 Bing Crosby hit. He had two more number ones in Germany: "La Paloma" and "Wheels" (all three were reportedly million sellers).

Billy Vaughn's recording of "Wheels" was No.1 for 14 weeks in Germany (Hit Bilanz) as well as No. 1 in India, New Zealand, and Italy (Billboard hits of the world, various issues 1961). Vaughn also charted in Australia, Latin America, and Japan. "Pearly Shells" was a major success in Japan. Vaughn's tours of that country began about the time "Pearly Shells" was a hit in 1965. Many songs which were not US hits or even singles releases there, were major hits in other countries. These included "Lili Marlene", "Zwei Gitarren am Meer", "Blueberry Hill" (Germany), and "Greenfields". Also successful were "Song of Peace", "It's a Lonesome Old Town" (Japan), "Michelle" (No 1 in Argentina and Malaysia), "Mexico" (No. 1 in the Philippines), and "Bonanza" (a major success in Brazil and Italy [Billboard Hits of the World, 1960s]) plus "Theme from the Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (various Latin American countries). The album La Paloma was a success throughout Latin America. 

He also had a number one album in Germany in the early 1980s with Moonlight Melodies, which consisted of 20 of Billy's biggest hits (original Dot recordings, original LP notes and credits). 


 BV1 BV2

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Thursday, January 7, 2021

Pure Nostalgia...The Greatest Artists...1928-1941...original mono recodings

 

This wonderful compilation, with 79 minutes of music, is a great introduction to long gone names whose music still sparkles after many decades.

What we have here is some really fun and entertaining music, even from the times when ballads were supposed to be sad (Al Jolson chest-beating became unintentionally funny). The album opens with the (then) young and awful-voiced Marlene Dietrich singing her signature song "Falling In Love Again", which sounds much, much different than her later versions (later she honed it to a perfection, here she was just a young German woman who was falling in and out of pitch!), and what follows is really glowing with humour. Listeners will recognise Cab Calloway's "Minnie The Moocher" from the "Blues Brothers" movie. Also of note is the great Paul Robeson and Fred Astaire, the lovely, happy "Louise" by Maurice Chevalier, the breathtaking vocal acrobatics of The Mills Brothers and Ink Spots and the wonderful "Leaning On A Lamp Post" by George Formby.
 


Pure Nostalgia

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