Martha Raye Swings It

Today we hear from Bing Crosby's other co-star in Waikiki Wedding, Martha Raye. We have her Brunswick recording of "(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It," also known by the title "Mr. Paganini." This song is from an earlier Crosby opus called Rhythm on the Range, which was Raye's first feature film.

Those of you who remember Raye probably think of her as a comic actor. She populated quite a number of films during the 30s and 40s. But she was literally born into vaudeville (backstage during one of her parents' shows), and had experience as a band singer and in nightclubs. As far as I can tell, this Brunswick 78 was her first issued recording. It dates from May 1939, three years after the film was made - and well after Ella Fitzgerald had a hit with the song.

In Rhythm on the Range, Raye is supported (if that is the right word) by a strange assortment of musicians including trumpeter Louis Prima, novelty musician Bob Burns and his home-made "bazooka," and the Sons of the Pioneers. It's too bad they couldn't have enlisted Leopold Stokowski to conduct.

Louis Prima, Martha Raye, Bob Burns

The accompaniment on the 78 is more straightforward, being under the direction of the young David (here Dave) Rose. Rose and Raye were married at the time, and made records for both Brunswick and Columbia in 1939. All were compiled on an Epic LP in 1954 (with "Mr. Paganini" in an alternate take).

The flip side of the Brunswick disc is a peculiar swing version of "Ol' Man River," which must have made Jerome Kern's gray hair stand on end.

Raye did not make many other records. There are a few songs on Decca and Mercury, a 1949 LP on the Discovery label that I have just reuploaded on my other blog, and a later joint LP with Carol Burnett, which I also have.

Vocal maven Will Friedwald takes Martha Raye very seriously as a jazz artist. His Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers has a chapter delving into her slim recorded opus in great detail. Will loves her singing; I much prefer someone like Shirley Ross who is less histrionic.