Teddi King's 1954 Brunswick EP

The recent George Shearing Cool Canaries share on my other blog featured singer Teddi King during her 1952-54 tenure with the pianist.

Soon thereafter, King had an opportunity to record four songs for the Decca group of labels, issued first on Coral singles and then on this Brunswick EP.

They were the only records she made for Decca at the time, but she returned in 1959 for the LP All the King's Songs.

Teddi was a gifted singer who continued to grow as an artist throughout this period. This is demonstrated by her performances on this EP, where she elevates three little-known songs and one peerless standard.

The pleasing backings are by Dick Jacobs, who contributed to countless recordings in the 1950s.

Dick Jacobs

The EP starts off with "In the Year You've Been Gone," an affecting recital of loneliness by Larry Coleman, Don Wolf and Irvin Niles. Coleman had just come off three hits in 1953 - "Changing Partners" (Patti Page), "Ricochet" (Teresa Brewer) and "Tennessee Wig Walk" (Bonnie Lou). Teddi did not have similar success with "In the Year You've Been Gone," but it is nonetheless a good song.

"I'll Never Be the Same" is the only standard in the set. It's a superior number by Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli and Gus Kahn. Dating from 1932, the song began life earlier as an instrumental called "Little Buttercup," before Kahn added the lyrics and Ruth Etting sang them.

Songwriter Wally Gold had not had any big hits before his "My Funny Little Lover," but he was to have much more luck later with "Because They're Young," "Good Luck Charm," "Half Heaven, Half Heartache" and "It's My Party," all quasi-rock tunes that are much different from the ballad that Teddi recorded,

"The Dragon" is a contrived concept by Gladys Shelley, a prolific composer whose best-known works range from 1940's "How Did He Look?" to 1958's "My, My, How the Time Goes By."

None of these authors had any reason to be upset with the meticulous performances on this record by King and the band. Teddi was a supreme professional.

The main blog will present a collection of her RCA Victor singles in the relatively near future.

LINK

A Pajama Party with Julius La Rosa!

Julius La Rosa was not with RCA Victor records very long (only in 1956-57), but he was popular enough to be chosen as the face of the promotional efforts for the label's spring 1957 release. Considering that Elvis Presley's first LP was among those releases, this was quite an honor.

As part of its campaign, RCA saw fit to release a promotional EP and call it the "Julius La Rosa Pajama Party," an almost excessively odd idea until you consider that it was co-sponsored by the folks from Schrank's Dreamware, a pajama company. You received the EP with each purchase of a nightie. Also on board for the promotion were Canada Dry ginger ale and Coty cosmetics.

The Life magazine ad below ties all these themes together, while displaying La Rosa's LP along with those from Perry Como, Eddie Fisher and Elvis, who do not appear on the promotional record. The EPs in the background are by Ralph Flanagan and Teddi King, who are represented on the promo.

I suppose I could imagine La Rosa, Flanagan and King as entertainment at a pajama party. But Bob Scobey and his clunky Frisco Jazz Band? Dennis Farnon and his "Mother Magoo Suite"? The Three Suns and Pipe Organ?? Having been a young person in good standing during the 1950s, I cannot conceive of any situation that would have caused me to play the any of these records for my friends.

Anyway, I do love the portrait of Julie on the wall. And I especially love his spoken introductions to each number, the texts of which must have been thrust in front of him about 30 seconds before they was recorded. Only Bing Crosby and occasionally Frank Sinatra could make such scripted nonsense work - but nonetheless I find it endearing. The truth is, I avidly enjoy all such promotional items.

The download includes RCA's trade ad for this promotion, which utilizes the grim-looking La Rosa portrait from his sole Victor LP. Please head on over to my main blog for a transfer of that LP along with 12 sides taken from Julie's single output for the label.