Bobby Short's First Records

The great cabaret singer-pianist Bobby Short (1924-2005) started issuing LPs in 1955, with his first Atlantic release. But a few years earlier the small and short-lived Trend label issued his first records - one single and then one EP, which included the single.

Today's post is devoted to the fruits of that 1953 session, where he was backed by the band of the 23-year-old Buddy Bregman, who also may have been making his debut on records.

Short, who was 29 at the time of the Trend date, had been on stage for two-thirds of his young life, having started in shows at 11. His first recording session had been for the National label in 1944, but those sides were apparently never issued.

With his considerable experience, it is not surprising to find that the singer we hear on the Trend sides sounds very much like the artist who became increasingly familiar to cabaret enthusiasts as the years went by.

His song selection would not be out of place on any of his later albums, either. It starts off with "Let There Be Love," the biggest (only?) hit by Lionel Rand and Ian Grant, dating from 1940. This is a perfect vehicle for Short, whose phrasing makes a meal, so to speak, of such passages as "chile con carne and sparkling champagne." His strong but flexible sense of rhythm keeps it from seeming affected.

Next comes perhaps the most interesting song on the EP, "Sunday in Savannah," again the greatest hit of the obscure songwriter Hugh Mackay (also spelled MacKay and McKay). This slice-of-life-down-south song is so reminiscent of the work of Willard Robison that the original Trend 78 attributed it to him.

My guess is that Short learned the song from the first, 1952 LP of fellow cabaret singer Mabel Mercer, who did attribute it correctly. Regardless, it's a strikingly good composition that was later revived by a number of singers, notably Nina Simone. Here, Bregman's band is joined by the Jud Conlon Rhythmaires, who had accompanied Bing Crosby for several years. They don't add anything to the proceedings, but that's not Short's doing, as far as I know.

Short was known for his good taste, and he continues to show it with his third selection, "Taking a Chance on Love," a Vernon Duke-John Latouche-Ted Fetter song introduced by Ethel Waters in 1940's Cabin in the Sky. (Waters' memorable film version can be seen on YouTube.)

The composer of the final song, Bart Howard, was a cabaret pianist who once was Mercer's accompanist. "Let Me Love You" was on Mercer's third LP, but I believe that Short's EP had already been recorded by then. Howard was a talented songwriter. You can also hear "Let Me Love You" in Marian Bruce's interpretation here, and Howard's "My Love Is a Wanderer" performed by Shannon Bolin via this link.

The Trend and Kapp EPs

I mentioned that Trend was a short-lived label. Its catalogue was bought by the Kapp label, which reissued the Short EP in about 1957. My transfers of "Let Me Love You" and "Taking a Chance on Love" come from the Kapp release. The other songs are derived from a Trend 78 found on Internet Archive, which I used because it has better sound than the EP.

Note: This is newly available in excellent ambient stereo sound.

Mercury Artists Introduce Their 1948 Christmas Records

My friend Ernie brought this promotional record to my attention, and he has himself posted the contents in two of his giant Christmas collections. But I wanted to post it, too, because the records that the Mercury artists introduce have all appeared on my main blog at one time or another. But you don't have to go chasing them - I've packaged the bundle together in this single post.

The singers involved are Vic Damone, John Laurenz, Frankie Laine and Eddy Howard, all leading artists for Mercury in 1948. This particular promo record went out to disk jockeys with hopes that they would play the contents as introductions to the vocalists' respective Christmas offerings.

First, Vic Damone promotes his coupling of "White Christmas" and "Christmas Morn," which I included as part of a Damone holiday collection not long ago.

John Laurenz

John Laurenz is up next. He is the least known of the quartet, although he made quite a few records for Mercury in the late 40s. Laurenz was a warm vocalist, sort of a combination of Bing Crosby and Buddy Clark, with some Perry Como thrown in.

His record is "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," which appeared in a holiday compilation back in 2018. I hope to prepare a post devoted to Laurenz's other recordings for the main blog in the new year. 

Frankie Laine promotes his "Tara Talara Tala" and "You're All I Want for Christmas." My other blog shared these tunes back in 2016 as part of a Mercury holiday LP that also included the Eddy Howard selections in this group ("The Christmas Song" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas") - and the Damone items for that matter.

Billboard, November 13, 1948

Eddy Howard was a singing bandleader whose Christmas songs seem to have been issued first in 1947 on the Majestic label. Mercury must have purchased the master recordings, as it sometimes did with smaller labels that were folding.

Our final selection is the flip side of the Mercury promo record, an advance copy of Vic Damone's next record, "My Heart's in the Middle of July," scheduled for a January 1 release date. That song is of seasonal interest - and it's good - so it makes for a nice conclusion to this program.

Thanks again to Ernie, and happy holidays to all!

Betty Clooney at Christmas

Betty Clooney's sister Rosemary is a Christmas icon for her seasonal records and her appearance in the 1954 film White Christmas. But Betty herself was a fine singer who made a few holiday records, which we have for you today.

Those of you who have heard the Clooney sisters' Columbia recording of "Sisters" will know that Rosie and Betty had very similar voices. Betty's was slightly cloudier. She does quite well with today's pair of songs.

The first offering is "Christmas and You," which Joni James also recorded in 1953, and which appears on James' Christmas LP.

Betty's version came out on the ultra-obscure R.K.C. label, but is well produced with backing by the ex-Elliot Lawrence arranger Frank Hunter, who manages to work both "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells" into his chart.

The songwriters were Russell H. Faith and Clarence Way Kehner, whose biggest hit was Sinatra's "Somewhere in Your Heart." The B-side of "Christmas and You" wasn't by Clooney.

Stalwart blog follower gimpiero brought this one to my attention. Thanks to him and to longtime pal Ernie, who may have tipped me to the next number. (If I have that wrong, please let me know!)

Betty's second offering is "Let's Go Home for Christmas," an attractive waltz on another obscure label, Studio, out of Detroit. The backing this time is by a group led by Joel Nash, a popular local pianist.

I've also included the flip side of "Let's Go Home for Christmas," a non-holiday song called "I Was Wrong." On its first pressing of this number, Studio's label called it "Was It Wrong." (It was.) In its vast reaches, Internet Archive has each label, so I've included them in the download.

Both of these records may have been demos, which Betty was doing at the time, although they seem like elaborate productions for that purpose. And the Studio recording might not have reprinted labels if it wasn't a commercial issue.

I hope to prepare another post featuring Betty's other singles, which I'm sure are worth hearing. Although she did not make that many records, she was on television regularly in the 1950s, and certainly had a successful career before her early death at age 45 in 1976.

Betty Clooney does her Christmas shopping

An Early Take on Corelli's Christmas Concerto

The Christmas Concerto by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) is one of the best known classical pieces of the season, but was much less popular in the 1920s, when recordings of the work began to appear.

Today we have one of the first such recordings, with Frieder Weissmann conducting members of the State Opera Orchestra, Berlin. It dates from November 1928, just a year after the first recording I've traced, that of John Barbirolli and National Gramophonic Society Orchestra.

This vintage set is provided through the generosity of blog follower Steve Banks, who sent me this recording as well as the Matthew Locke string quartet I posted in October.

Frieder Weissmann

Weissmann (here called Dr. Frederick Weissmann) was one of the most active recording artists throughout the 1920s and early 30s, when he was forced to leave Germany upon the accession of the Nazis. He was the house conductor for Carl Lindström AG, which owned the Parlophone and Odeon labels. Despite his relative youth (he was 35 when these records were made), he had a wide repertoire, and gives a good account of himself in this work.

Although the original was on Parlophone, the set at hand was issued by the US Columbia label, and dates from about 1932 or 1933. This was when Columbia was pressing its releases on blue shellac, a practice that continued for a few more years.

Corelli's Christmas Concerto (his Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 8) is highly accomplished and deservedly popular. Weissmann's reading is not nearly as heavy as some of the baroque performances of the time, but you will hear some scoops and slides in the concertino strings that would be considered old-fashioned in just a few years.

A contrast is provided by I Solisti di Zagreb in its 1957 recording, which I posted some years back. By the late 50s, such ensembles specialized in baroque music, with a more lithe and lighter-textured approach. Even more of a contrast is provided by modern period-practice ensembles. A good example is the Freiburger Barockorchester, which can be heard on YouTube.

Still, the Berlin set is an interesting document in reasonably good sound. I should mention that the first record in the set was a bit warped, and there is some swish in the grooves, which I have minimized.

Thanks again to Steve for providing this set to us. Happy holidays to him and all!

Arcangelo Corelli by Hugh Howard (1697)

Holiday Greetings from Capitol and Margaret Whiting

We've explored RCA Victor's holiday offerings for 1949, now let's listen to the season's greetings message that the Capitol folks sent out that same year, featuring the great singer Margaret Whiting.

This particular disc was aimed at the jukebox operators of the nation. It seems as though that group was planning a convention in Chicago, and this record was supposed to tie in to that gathering.

It's more than a little contrived, but carefully produced none the less. The scenario was that Margaret Whiting had missed the Super Chief (that was a train) for Chicago, so she flagged down Santa Claus for a lift. The bearded one just happened to be headed that way himself, loaded down with Capitol records.

It turns out that those discs were the ones that Capitol was promoting at the time, and this special record had one or the other of them on the flip side.

Apparently there were a number of different versions of the disc, all with a different side B. This particular item has a song by Johnny Smith and the Jubalaires called "Home, Home, Home," well suited to the season.

The Jubalaires were a pop/gospel group in the vein of the Mills Brothers, Ink Spots and Delta Rhythm Boys. They had been on radio for years, first with Arthur Godfrey, more recently on the Amos & Andy show. The group went through many changes, so I'm not entirely sure who is on this record, but you can read more about them here. (You'll have to scroll down.)

The uncertainty about this record also relates to the identity of "Johnny Smith." In its review, Billboard seems to think it's Jack Smith, then a Capitol crooner. This would not be unusual; both Sinatra and Crosby recorded with such groups as the Delta Rhythm Boys and the Charioteers. But it doesn't sound like Smith on this record, and why would Capitol rename him for this outing? It's a little peculiar.

Both sides of the record are fun, though, and just the type of thing I love. Hope you might enjoy it as well.

Margaret Whiting

RCA Artists Introduce Their Christmas Records for 1949

RCA Victor went all out to capture the 1949 Christmas record market, and to a large extent succeeded, thanks to Spike Jones' "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," a holdover from the year before. But the label also put its promotional might behind an array of other holiday platters, largely in the pop realm but also a new disc from Eddy Arnold, which turned into a real winner for the country singer and the Victor folks.

To promote all its new wares, RCA sent disc jockeys a special recording for on-air use that had each of the artists introduce their own records. This two-sided 78 featured crooner Vaughn Monroe and bandleaders Sammy Kaye, Freddy Martin and Larry Green, along with Arnold. Today's post includes both those intros and the discs they promoted.

Victor's promotional campaign also extended to a huge insert in Billboard magazine with a garish full-page ad for each artist, complete with Santa, reindeer, mistletoe, holly, RCA's new 45-rpm record players, and of course disembodied heads of the various musicians.

First in line was Sammy Kaye, who was plugging his own "I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas," a nice if rudimentary tune with Don Cornell, the Kaydets and the Kaye Choir doing the warbling as accompanied by chimes and soupy saxophones.

"I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas" was backed by "Here Comes Santa Claus." Victor didn't have Sammy introduce the latter song, but I've included it as a bonus at the end of the playlist.

Victor did ask Eddy Arnold to intro both sides of his double-barreled hit, "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" and "Will Santy Come to Shanty Town." (The ad above gets the latter title a little wrong.) Arnold was the beneficiary of a two-page Billboard spread pushing his single.

Arnold, a polished performer, is easily the most effective of all the artists in his intros.

Vocalist and bandleader Vaughn Monroe also was granted two intros, for "The Jolly Old Man in the Bright Red Suit" and "Auld Lang Syne." RCA's ad would have us believe that Monroe "waited for these songs!", a peculiar claim considering that "Auld Lang Syne" was written in the 18th century.

Like Arnold, Monroe had a lot of presence in his intros, due to his booming voice. Unlike Eddy, Vaughn rushed through his spots, perhaps impatient with the promotional rigamarole.

Larry Green is probably the least remembered artist in this RCA grouping, even though the pianist-bandleader made quite a few records in the late 1940s and 1950s. 

This particular record has been featured on this blog before - back in 2012, when I gave the background on Green (a Boston society bandleader), vocalist Ray Dorey (ex-Goodman) and the song (a country cover). That post also depicts the 78 promo version of the record, which came from my collection - it's pressed on green vinyl.

Finally, the durable maestro Freddy Martin favors us with his "greatest hit!!!", or so the ad would have us believe. It's the "Merry Christmas Polka," and like all Martin's output, is skillfully done. This song, by Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster, was new in 1949, and Martin's version jostled for attention with those by Dinah Shore and the Andrews Sisters. Not sure who emerged victorious, but it's a fun song, well done here by Freddy's then-vocalist Merv Griffin, later a talk-show host and still later a media mogul.

Most of these enjoyable singles come from Internet Archive, with the Eddy Arnold drawn from my collection. The sound is excellent. The download also includes a Billboard article outlining Victor's promotional plans for the season.

Tired of Upsot Horses? Get a 1956 Ford for Christmas!

Rosemary Clooney has become almost as much of a holiday icon as her co-star in White Christmas, Bing Crosby, due to the repeated TV programming of that film this time of year. And Rosie did make a good number of seasonal records, too, a few of which have appeared on the other blog.

In 1955, Ford (presumably via its agency J. Walter Thompson) engaged Clooney to record a promotional song for the Christmas selling season. I'm not sure if this was used for radio spots, but it definitely was pressed onto a promotional flexi disc postcard that dealers sent out to their best prospects. I recently ran across a copy on the University of North Carolina library website, and cleaned it up for this post.

(Flexi discs, for those too young to remember, were 78 or 45 rpm analog recordings pressed onto a clear, flexible vinyl that then was bonded to cardboard. They could be sent out, as this example was, as a postcard, or more frequently were bound into a magazine. Musicians occasionally use them even today for their novelty appeal.)

This particular example of a flexi disc was sent by Ken Woodin of San Francisco's S&E Motors to Pete Tamony of that town. Ken let the record do the selling; his comments were limited to a "Hi Pete" message on the mailer (see second image below). The Clooney magic was in the form of a take on the usual holiday suspect, "Jingle Bells," a song that conveniently was in the public domain.

No horses got upsot in this version, instead you rode off in a new Ford: "You'll feel swell, they'll feel swell, Christmas will be gay / If you thrill 'em with a big new Ford for Christmas Day!" or so Rosie promises.

Santa loves his new Ford, but is concerned about the hole in the windshield

The flexi disc is shown in the image above; you can barely make out the grooves. The whole thing is over in 60 seconds; you couldn't fit more than that on a 78-rpm flexi disc printed on a postcard.

As a promotional spokesperson, Clooney got rather short shrift in comparison with Chevrolet's singing spokesperson, Dinah Shore. (I challenge you to use "shrift" and "upsot" in the same sentence.) Dinah was favored with two EPs that Chevy dealers gave away in 1957 and 1961. (You can hear them via the same post I mentioned above.) And she had the benefit of special material that wasn't a jingle based on a jingle.

Still and all Rosie's brief spot, made with the assistance of Mitch Miller, is fun to hear.

Ken says hi to Pete