Here's a real treat for fans of the great vocalist Teddi King. It's a complete set of her 1958 Out of the Blue programs for US Air Force Recruiting. There are 32 songs in all, many of which she did not record otherwise.
All this is courtesy of blog follower George of California, who was kind enough to send me the eight discs, which I have transferred for this post. Thanks so much, George for your generosity!
A few words of explanation about the programs: At this time, the Air Force was issuing its shows to radio stations on EP. Each side contained a single program lasting five minutes. This was enough time for an intro, a song, a recruiting pitch, another song, and an outro. The latter featured Teddi singing the "US Air Force Blue" song.
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| Don Morrow |
The intro and outro are the same for each show. The recruiting spots differ. They sometimes include King, sometimes sonorous announcer Don Morrow goes it alone.
I am sure that most of you will only want the songs from the show, while others may want the total package. They are available separately at the end of this post.
Let me mention that the songs are all quite brief, each lasting about one and a half minutes to squeeze two into the five-minute programs. This actually played to a few of King's strengths - her professionalism and excellent diction. However, it also did not allow for much in the way of slower songs.
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| Wade Denning |
Two musicians were at the helm of the programs. Wade Denning, who worked in films and commercials, handled the basic arrangements. Leading the small combo accompanying King is the amazingly facile keyboard artist Dick Hyman, who plays piano, organ and celesta at various times, no doubt to vary the musical texture. You also will hear contributions by unidentified clarinet, guitar and trumpet players.
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| Dick Hyman |
Here is a discussion of the selections in the set. In general, the programs tended to include one newer song with a classic.
Program #1. The first program paired the superb Burke-Van Heusen song "It Could Happen to You" with the then-new Bacharach-David tune "In Times Like These." As far as I can tell, the first commercial recording of the latter number was Gene McDaniels' version in 1959, making this a very early rendition.
Program #2. Next, the Irving Berlin classic "Let's Face the Music" is followed by "Chances Are," the Al Stillman-Robert Allen song that was a huge hit for Johnny Mathis at the time. As always, King sings it with a great deal of charm.
Program #3. Cole Porter's "It's All Right with Me" came from the 1953 show Can-Can. Dimitri Tiomkin's wonderful "Friendly Persuasion," with words by Paul Francis Webster, is from the 1956 film of the same name.
Program #4. Marvin Moore and Charles Grean's "I Dreamed" was a hit for Betty Johnson in 1956. Teddi handles this novelty exceptionally well. The J. Fred Coots-Sam Lewis classic "For All We Know" comes from 1934. It gets a sincere reading from Teddi.
Program #5. Even older than "For All We Know" is 1931's "Them There Eyes" by Tauber, Pickard and Tracey. That song is paired with the new "Magic Moments," one of the first Bacharach-David hits. It was a success on disc for Teddi's RCA Victor labelmate Perry Como. He did it well, but King is in no way inferior.
Program #7. Speaking of Frank, while "The Lady Is a Tramp" may be identified with him, it comes from Rodgers and Hart's 1937 show Babes in Arms. "Catch a Falling Star" was another Como success. The Lee Pockriss-Paul Vance song was on the flip side of Perry's "Magic Moments" single.
Program #8. The Fields and McHugh "On the Sunny Side of the Street" dates from 1930, while Fain and Webster's "April Love" was a new item that had become a hit for Pat Boone, who also had scored with "Friendly Persuasion" and had starred in both films of the same names. Here, the arrangement for Teddi seems a bit rushed.
Program #9. "Taking a Chance on Love" was a feature for Ethel Waters in 1940's Cabin in the Sky. The song is by Vernon Duke, John Latouche and Ted Fetter. King captures its exhilaration. It is coupled with "Little Things Mean a Lot" by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz, a soupy but sincere song that was a hit for Kitty Kallen in 1954.
Program #10. The 1936 film King of Burlesque gave us the fine Jimmy McHugh-Ted Koehler item "I'm Shooting High." Teddi excels in the kind of material. It's paired with the grandiose "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" by Fain and Webster, written for the 1955 film of that name. The reading here is good, but the song does call for a more sweeping arrangement.
Program #12. Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is from the 1929 show Wake Up and Dream. Its mate on this program is the much different ballad "Tammy," by Livingston and Evans. Debbie Reynolds sang it in the film Tammy and the Bachelor and made a hit as well. (Music from the film is available here, newly remastered, with Reynolds' solo on "Tammy" now available as a separate track.) King is a little sophisticated for this material, but does pull it off.
Program #13. "The Gypsy in My Soul" dates back to the 1930s. Moe Jaffe and Clay Boland wrote it for a University of Pennsylvania Mask & Wig Show. Teddi excels in this rhythm number. "An Affair to Remember" was a new item - it was the title song of a Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr film. The writers were Harry Warren, Harold Adamson and Leo McCarey. Again, a grandiose number that is taken too fast.
Program #14. Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's "Witchcraft," from 1957, is closely associated with Sinatra, but certainly suits King. "Who's Sorry Now?" is the oldie on the program - the Ted Snyder-Bert Kalmar-Harry Ruby tune dates back to 1923. Even so, it had been revived by Connie Francis at the time this program was recorded - and became a runaway hit. The trumpet obbligato gets in the way of Teddi's singing.
Program #15. "Sugartime," by the country singer Charlie Phillips and Odis Echols was a smash for the McGuire Sisters in 1958. King has fun with it. "If I Could Be with You" by pianist James P. Johnson and Henry Creamer goes all the way back to 1927.
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