Bobby Troup - The Bethlehem Recordings

Singer-songwriter-pianist Bobby Troup didn't stay at Bethlehem records long, but long enough to record two or three LPs, depending on how you look at it.

His 1955 sojourn produced the 10-inch Songs of Bobby Troup, which was soon subsumed into the 12-inch Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer, and then another 12-incher, The Distinctive Style of Bobby Troup. 

I have both/all three for you today, plus a bonus. These are a follow-up to my recent post of Bobby's Capitol recordings and his first Liberty LP.

The Songs of Bobby Troup / Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer

Troup had his last session for Capitol in September 1954. On January 27, 1955 he recorded a "live" date for the stillborn Nocturne label that eventually came out as his first Liberty LP. The very next day he was in the studio to tape his initial effort for the Bethlehem label.

For the Bethlehem session, Bobby programmed songs associated with his mentor, singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer. I say "associated with" Mercer because two of the songs had no vocals, and Mercer only wrote the lyrics for them. (They are "Laura" and "Jeepers Creepers," with music written by David Raksin and Harry Warren, respectively.) For the LP, Mercer and Troup collaborated on a new song, the excellent "I'm with You."

Troup is in good voice for the session, although his pitch was at times errant, particularly in "(Love's Got Me in a) Lazy Mood." The standout numbers are the less-often-heard "Cuckoo in the Clock" and "Jamboree Jones," both highly amusing. The latter is the only song on the LP for which Mercer wrote music and lyrics. Mercer had a gift for this type of material, not to say he wasn't versatile, as his songs with Harold Arlen demonstrate. "Come Rain or Come Shine," "That Old Black Magic" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" are included here.

For some reason, Troup also programmed the awful "Midnight Sun," with its repetitive melody line and flossy imagery, in place of the many other wonderful Mercer songs.

Bobby Troup and Johnny Mercer

Working with Troup on the recording were his usual accomplices of the time - Bob Enevoldsen (here on trombone rather than bass), the excellent guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Red Mitchell was the bassist for this session.

Bethlehem handled the release of this material in a peculiar manner. In May 1955 it issued eight of the songs in a 10-inch LP , titling it The Songs of Bobby Troup. This was despite the fact that Troup wrote only one of the songs ("I'm with You"), and that one was misattributed on the cover to Robert Allen and Al Stillman, who had written another song with the same title a few years earlier. Shirley Hoskins Collins (then wife of DJ Al "Jazzbo" Collins) wrote the discursive liner notes, which mention Mercer only in passing as a mentor of and influence on Troup. Burt Goldblatt's moody scrub grass cover could hardly be less appropriate to the contents of the LP.

In his article Bobby Troup on Record, 1948-55, James Harrod says that Troup's ensemble recorded four more Mercer songs on July 9 to fill out the 12-inch LP - "Lazy Mood," "Day In, Day Out," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Jamboree Jones."

Bethlehem retitled the 12-inch version Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer. The Collins notes were gone, replaced by Mercer notes in verse, which are entirely about the songs and mention Troup only briefly (as his collaborator on "I'm with You"). Goldblatt scrubbed the scrub grass in favor of a weird if striking dual portrait of Mercer and Troup eating each other's faces.

As usual with these dual 10-inch/12-inch releases, I've transferred the 10-inch LP, then added the four new songs from its bigger sibling. The 12-inch LP was mastered a quarter-tone sharp, which I've corrected.

The Distinctive Style of Bobby Troup

Troup and his quartet, with Enevoldsen on bass, were back in the studio in August 1955 to tackle the 12 songs that were to appear on his LP The Distinctive Style of Bobby Troup. All are standards, half by Rodgers and Hart, two by the Gershwins, one by Kern, and one from Martin and Blane. The final selection was "The Gypsy in My Soul" by Clay Boland and Moe Jaffe.

The latter song has an interesting history and connection to Troup, unmentioned on the cover. Boland and Jaffe wrote the song for the 1937 University of Pennsylvania Mask and Wig Show. This could have been when Troup was a Penn freshman, and it's possible that he saw or performed in the show. His own tune "Daddy," which led to his early fame, came from the 1938 Mask and Wig Show. Despite his hipster façade, Troup was a prep school grad and became Phi Beta Kappa at Penn's Wharton School.

Troup at the piano

The only other song on the LP that is at all unusual is "I Still Suits Me," which Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein wrote for the 1936 film version of Show Boat, where it was introduced by Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel. Troup's performance is very effective.

By this time, Bethlehem's covers had been turned over to a certain Hannan, but again the artist did Troup no favors, rendering him as cross-eyed, moon-faced and orange-skinned.

Bonus - Julie London's Brief Bethlehem Career

Troup's protégé and future wife Julie London recorded four songs for Bethlehem before she departed for Liberty records and immediate fame via her single release of "Cry Me a River."

Bethlehem issued London's four songs on a 1956 EP, after her chart success with Liberty, and on a compilation LP, Bethlehem's Girl Friends. You'll find the four songs in a new post over at my other blog.

Bobby Troup on Capitol, Plus a Bonus LP

Two recent posts on my other blog were devoted to the earliest recordings by singer-composer-pianist Bobby Troup. (Thanks again to lafong for his contributions!) You can read about Troup's early exploits on those posts.

By 1953, Capitol had scooped up Troup, and his first LP was soon on record store shelves. I transferred that 10-inch LP many years ago and offered it here. I've now remastered it, added the four songs added to the album's 12-inch incarnation from 1955, and thrown in the three Capitol sides that were never issued on LP.

Here's some of what I wrote about the singer way back when:

Troup first came to notice as a songwriter, with "Daddy" as early as 1941, followed by "Route 66," a big hit for Nat Cole. Later compositions included "Girl Talk" and "The Girl Can't Help It." (Too bad Little Richard didn't do a whole album of Troup, eh?)

This album has three of Troup's own numbers - "The Three Bears" (offered here previously in two different Page Cavanaugh renditions), "Hungry Man" and "Lemon Twist." The latter is set to a familiar bop riff that I can't quite place.

Within the limits of his style, Troup was an enjoyable performer. He never had much of a voice, but what he had he used stylishly, although on these early sides the style can veer into mannerism. He sounds remarkably like Bob Dorough - who, I should add, did not begin recording until three years later.

The four songs added to the 12-inch LP included one by Troup - "You're Looking at Me," a particularly good one.

Capitol issued two Troup singles. First was "12 Five Days, Six Hours and Thirteen Minutes," included on the 12-inch LP, backed with the orphaned "When You're With Somebody Else," which I've added to the download.

Music Views, December 1954

The second single was "Instead of You," coupled with one of Troup's best known compositions, "Julie Is Her Name." Troup wrote the latter in honor of Julie London, the singer who was his protégé. When he moved to Bethlehem records and then Liberty he brought her along, producing her first hit, "Cry Me a River," for the latter. Julie Is Her Name became the title of her first LP. Troup and London would marry in 1959.

This last Troup single for Capitol came from 1954. Nelson Riddle was the conductor. That was the extent of Bobby's relationship with the label. He was soon to move to Bethlehem and Liberty.

Music Views, July 1954

Troup's First Liberty LP

An excellent article on the Jazz Research site gives the background to Troup's first Liberty album, which dates from 1955. At the time, his trio was playing at LA's Celebrity Room. His manager recorded the trio after hours in an empty club, and the tapes eventually became Bobby's first Liberty LP - just the second album issued on the label.

I transferred that LP in 2011 and have now remastered the results, almost entirely eliminating the surface noise that marred a few cuts.

Here is some of what I wrote 11 years ago:

Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.

Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!

But before the Liberty LP could be released, Bobby had to complete a commitment to Bethlehem records. For that label, he recorded a 10-inch LP, The Songs of Bobby Troup, which soon was expanded into the 12-inch Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer. His final LP for Bethlehem was The Distinctive Style of Bobby Troup. I have all these albums and will transfer them in the future.

Links to both the Capitol and Liberty recordings are in the comments, as well as the comments sections of the original posts. 

Gil Peterson - Our Last Goodbye

I am happy to provide a transfer of this, the sole LP by the obscure vocalist Gil Peterson, in response to a request from my longtime friend and blog supporter Scoredaddy.

Don't be put off by the clumsy cover, featuring a moody Gil standing on a woman's wrist. This is a very good album, primarily of standards well rendered by Peterson, who is mostly known (if at all) for his acting career. If you need convincing, note that the primary accompanists are guitarist Herb Ellis and pianist Bobby Troup. The notes are by Page Cavanaugh, a pianist-vocalist who is a particular favorite of mine.

Our Last Goodbye dates from 1961, when Peterson was 25 and just a few years out of Mississippi State, where, if Cavanaugh is to be believed, the young singer played football. Not to dispute this assertion, but I would note that the liner notes for a large proportion of similar vocalists extol their athletic prowess, for some reason.

Gil Peterson and Debbie Watson in The Cool Ones

Shortly after making this album, Peterson moved to California, seeking work as an actor and singer while supporting himself as a physical education instructor. He never achieved stardom, although he does have quite a few television and film credits. His biggest role was as the male lead in the 1967 teen musical The Cool Ones, opposite Debbie Watson. Also in the film were Roddy MacDowell, Phil Harris, Glen Campbell, the Leaves and Mrs. Miller. It's available on DVD and YouTube Movies, if that lineup appeals to you.

Our Last Goodbye was a rare foray into the pop vocal field by the Ace label of New Orleans and Jackson, Miss., best known for Jimmy Clanton, Huey (Piano) Smith and Frankie Ford. The Both Sides Now discography site claims that the LP is the only one issued by Ace in stereo. Unfortunately, my copy is in mono, but don't let that deter you. After a little coaxing, the sound turned out to be excellent.

More Bobby Troup

In my last post, I said that I would lay off the singers for a while, and return to offering other genres. Hate to make myself a liar, but here is another vocal record - in this case Bobby Troup's first recording for Liberty, which was only the second LP to be issued on that label, in 1955. It has not been reissued, to my knowledge.

Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.

Bobby and Howard Roberts

Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!

Stan, Helen, Bobby

The LP was recorded in 1955, at about the time Troup was appearing with Stan Freberg and Helen O'Connell (among others) on the summer television show, "Musical Chairs."

The cover tells us this was recorded at a place called "The Celebrity Room" in Hollywood, but there is no trace of an audience and it doesn't sound like a live date.

My LP is is very good shape, except for some surface noise during part of "The Hucklebuck" and all of the brief "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," which I've almost entirely eliminated.

Bobby Troup!

By request, some Bobby Troup - the first LP by the singer-pianist-composer-actor, the 10" version of "Bobby Troup!", from 1953.

Troup first came to notice as a songwriter, with Daddy as early as 1941, followed by Route 66, a big hit for Nat Cole. Later compositions included Girl Talk and The Girl Can't Help It. (Too bad Little Richard didn't do a whole album of Troup, eh?)

This album has three of Troup's own numbers - The Three Bears (offered here previously in two different Page Cavanaugh renditions), Hungry Man and Lemon Twist. The latter is set to a familiar bop riff that I can't quite place.

Within the limits of his style, Troup was an enjoyable performer. He never had much of a voice, but what he had he used stylishly, although on these early sides the style can veer into mannerism. He sounds remarkably like Bob Dorough - who, I should add, did not begin recording until three years later.

The West Coast style arrangements are by trombonist-saxophonist Bob Enevoldsen, who often worked with Troup. The other musicians are Newcomb Rath, Jack Dulong, Bill McDougal (ts), Don Davidson (bar), Howard Roberts (g), Harry Babasin (b), and Don Heath (d). (That info is courtesy of my friend Mel - thanks!)

Note: I've now expanded this post to include the four additional songs contained on the 12-inch version of this LP, plus three more sides never issued on LP. There is a new post here, and the link also is in the comments to this post.