Betty Clooney

There was a fair amount of interest in vocalist Betty Clooney (1931-76) after my recent post of a few of her Christmas records.

So here is a compilation of her recordings, primarily making use of Internet Archive transfers suitably cleaned up for your listening enjoyment (or so I hope). It's a program of 25 songs, which as far as I can tell is the majority of her recorded output.

Betty was the younger sister of the far more famous Rosemary Clooney. The two had been in a sister duo, making records with Tony Pastor's band for Cosmo and Columbia from 1946-49 before Rosie went solo and the still teenage Betty went home.

The split was not a surprise - Rosemary had done quite a few solo records with Pastor, and she was the lead singer of the duo, with Betty providing harmony. That's not to say that Betty was not a talented singer - she was, and these records are the evidence.

Betty had a darker voice than Rosie, although the phrasing and sound are very similar. On these records, she tends to sing in a slightly lower key than Rosemary might have chosen. She has the familiar Clooney vocal characteristics - very good diction and intonation, and an ability to sing different styles convincingly. Betty also tends to be more emotionally direct than Rosie.

A Semi-Final Columbia Record

Betty's solo career began not long after Rosemary's. She was in the studios for King Records in 1950, but before we examine her King singles, let's start with one of her final duo recordings with Rosemary. The song "I Still Feel the Same About You" was going around in 1951, and Columbia recorded it with "Rosemary Clooney and Her Sister Betty." The uncredited bandleader was Percy Faith. Rosie also recorded a solo version of the song, but that was unreleased at the time.

In 1953, Betty and Rosie duetted on "Sisters," which can be found in my recent White Christmas post.

King Recordings

The Clooney sisters were from Maysville, Kentucky, not far from Cincinnati, Ohio. King Records of the latter city had become known for its country and R&B releases during the 1940s, and had begun venturing into pop music, when it engaged Betty in 1950.

Her first King release was with the band of Clyde Trask, a Cincinnati musician who had spent time with Russ Morgan. "Anyone Can Fall in Love" is a lively performance of a worthy song, and Trask's ensemble does well. The B-side did not feature Clooney. Note that "Betty" is spelled "Bettie" on all the King releases.

Betty's next record was with an ensemble led by pianist Eddie Smith, who also was the King Records house engineer. It coupled "Strangers" with "When You Love (You Should Love from the Heart)." Both songs are good without being in any way memorable. Betty's performances are perfectly fine - as is Smith's piano (leaving aside the quality of the instrument), but the arrangement and technical quality are lacking. Both songs are plagued by a wordless vocal obbligato that adds nothing to the proceedings. And the mastering or pressing of "Strangers" is faulty. There were persistent noise and peak distortion problems on two different 78s. I have addressed the noise but not entirely successfully.

Clyde Trask returns in Miller mode with an arrangement of "This Is Our Night." Another proficient performance by the band is enhanced by Clooney's sensitive vocal. Even after her big band experience, she was not an "on the beat" singer. Her flexible phrasing helps to make her singing more conversational.

Betty plays what looks to be an acetate

"Faithful" was popular in 1951, being recorded by Frank Sinatra and Margaret Whiting (whose version can be found here). Betty's vocal stands up to the comparison. The well known lyricist Jimmy Kennedy worked with the French composer Alex Alstone on this secular hymn. The band is unidentified.

Betty went back to a vocal duo for her next record, only this time her partner was herself, double-tracked. "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)" was another song making the rounds in 1951. This Latin-tinged piece was composed by Harold Spina with lyrics from Bob Russell. It's an enjoyable number, and Betty shows her versatility in this performance, which sounds much like the Clooney Sisters, as you might expect.

"Good Lookin'" also was a new song in 1951. Not to be confused with Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'" from the same year, this number is by Jimmy Wilber and Teddy Rakel. The latter was a Cincinnati pianist and bandleader. This transfer comes from a radio station copy (see below) that is marked in grease pencil "don't play" and "risqué," which is decidedly not the case. It's actually a good song. Clooney handles this material naturally, with an keen sense of rhythm and an insouciant attitude.

The "risqué" Betty Clooney

The backing for "Good Lookin'" is "Trust in Me," which marked the unwelcome return of the echoey soprano obbligato. This earnest plea is quite a contrast with its flip side.

Betty's final King single was a cover version of both sides of a 1951 Tommy Edwards release - "All Over Again" and "It's All in the Game." Elliot Lawrence, during his brief stay at King, was the bandleader for this coupling. The former song, written by Edwards, was an R&B hit in 1951. The lyrics are the likes of "Say you love me forever / Promise you'll leave me never / We're so happy together," etc.

"It's All in the Game" was a huge pop hit for Edwards - but not until his 1958 remake. Clooney's phrasing is far more flexible than Edwards'. The song was based on a 1911 melody by Charles Dawes, a politician and amateur composer who was to become Calvin Coolidge's vice president in the 1920s. Carl Sigman added lyrics to Dawes' melody 40 years later.

A Stopover at Hi-tone

Hi-tone was a Bob Thiele label that specialized in cover records made with name artists. Clooney recorded a few singles for the label in 1951 and 1952. Three songs are included in this package.

First was a cover of Georgia Gibbs' "While You Danced, Danced, Danced." This is the old tale of catching your sweetheart in another woman's arms, boo-hoo.

Next is a coupling where the two songs couldn't be more of a contrast. Side one was a cover of "Detour," which had been a big Western swing hit for Spade Cooley with Tex Williams on vocals in 1946. (It's available via this post of Cooley's complete Columbia recordings.) The Hi-tone version was probably occasioned by Patti Page's 1951 pop release.

The Hi-tone flip side was "Wonder Why," which Jane Powell introduced in 1952's Rich, Young and Pretty. (The soundtrack LP is here.)

Betty's renditions are good, but the pressings were not. I did what I could to reduce the background racket. (Note: thanks to reader gimpiero, a clean version of "Wonder Why" is now available via a separate link in the comments.)

Scott Fisher and his orchestra provided the instrumentals on this release. Fisher had been a New York area bandleader as far back to the 1930s, and the arrangement on "While You Danced" shows it.

Coral Recordings

Clooney's next two stops were at Coral and "X", subsidiaries of Decca and RCA Victor, respectively. Working with major recording companies made all the difference in the quality of production she was afforded.

Betty's first Coral record was in late 1952. "You're All I See" is a pleasing ballad from Russell Faith, who co-wrote the impressive "Christmas and You," which I recently posted. On both records the bandleader was ex-Elliot Lawrence arranger Frank Hunter. The flip side was another sultry item, "I Idolize You." Clooney handles this romantic material superbly.

Moving into 1953, her second Coral offering was quite a contrast - a proto-rock 'n' roll item called "Sin in Satin." It's really quite good, and Betty does a wonderful job forcing her tone and getting hot on this one. The only competing disc I've found was by the teenage Bell Sisters.

The B-side was a galloping country tune, based on "Turkey in the Straw," called "A Great Big City Boy Like You." Betty does this wonderfully well with her excellent sense of rhythm. The author was Bernard Hirsh, who co-wrote "Christmas and You" with Russell Faith. Jack Pleis handles the orchestra on this and her next, final Coral coupling.

"How Many Sweethearts Have I" is a lilting waltz from Milton DeLugg and lyricist Sammy Gallop, handled sympathetically by Betty. It's a really good record, but the prize is its coupling, Bart Howard's "My Love Is a Wanderer," a beautiful quasi-folk song that has been heard here previously on a Shannon Bolin album. Clooney's performance would be hard to match; it's one of my two favorites in this collection. The second is in the next grouping.

On to "X" Records

Clooney made eight sides for RCA's short-lived subsidiary, "X" Records in 1955. Four are in this collection.

Cash Box, January 15, 1955

First was an attractive waltz called "Whisper," done with Richard Maltby's band. This is a quality production although the lyrics are clichéd. Betty sings in harmony with her own voice on a few of the choruses.

The next two were R&B covers done as duets with big band veteran Bill Darnell (sometimes spelled "Darnel"). "So All Alone" was a cover of a Bobby Lester and the Moonlighters single, written by Lester and Harvey Fuqua. "Ko-Ko-Mo" was a cover of Gene and Eunice's popular single. Darnell and Clooney competed in the market with upwards of a dozen covers. Perry Como's was the most successful. The songs' popularity does not negate the fact that they both are dreadful. The singers alternate top billing on the two sides, but Betty sings harmony on both.

Let's end on a high note with my favorite of the group - "Kiki," a tune by the French composer-bandleader Andre Popp with English lyrics by Charles Tobias. The song's initial success was as "Les Lavandières du Portugal," with lyrics by Roger Lucchesi. It was a continental hit for Jacqueline François in 1955. It then became an American hit as an instrumental for Joe "Fingers" Carr in 1956 under the title "Portuguese Washerwomen." (I wonder if they knew the "Irish Washerwoman.") 

It's too bad the Tobias version is not better known - and with it, Clooney's remarkable recording. It's a standard song-story scenario - a pretty Parisian is pursued by rich men but falls for a poor farmer boy. But the combination of Popp's infectious bolero, Tobias' witty lyrics ("From Deauville came a count named Louis / With a glint in his one good eye") and Betty's deft singing is irresistible. Gordon Jenkins' stylish backing is a bonus.

Bonus - Egbert the Easter Egg

I've appended one of Betty's few children's records as a bonus. It is the tale of "Egbert the Easter Egg," a little yellow disc I owned myself as a very young fellow.

It's a cute song, and Clooney has the same sure touch with kiddie material as her sister. Mitch Miller and the Sandpipers accompany on this Golden Record dating from 1952.

Missing from this collection are a few of the King and several of the "X" singles, one Hi-tone, a single on Studio, and perhaps others. Even so, what we have here is a substantial legacy for a talented singer who deserves to be remembered along with her far more famous sister. Betty died young, of a brain aneurysm at age 45 in 1976.

Betty Clooney in 1954

Elliot Lawrence Plays Gerry Mulligan, Plus 'Just a Minute!'

Two contrasting sides of bandleader Elliot Lawrence today - in the main attraction, he plays the compositions and arrangements of West Coast jazz icon Gerry Mulligan. In the bonus, he shows his commercial side by presenting a bunch of minute-long instrumentals designed for easy airplay. Both are from the 1950s.

Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements

Mulligan and Lawrence had been affiliated since 1945, when the 18-year-old began writing arrangements for Lawrence's Philadelphia radio band. Lawrence himself was only 20 at the time.

The bandleader looked on admiringly as Mulligan became one of the prime movers in cool jazz. Within a few years he was composing and arranging for Miles Davis' "birth of the cool" ensemble, one of the most famous in jazz history.

The cool Gerry Mulligan

After a few more years of increasing renown, Mulligan moved to the West Coast and soon began playing with young trumpeter Chet Baker from Oklahoma. Their combo became a sensational success, only broken by Mulligan's 1953 imprisonment on drug charges.

That detour hardly interrupted Mulligan's successes - he was remarkably busy throughout the 1950s. One notable project was this 1955 Lawrence LP. It was billed as being "Gerry Mulligan arrangements," but it was mostly his compositions as well - only "Bye, Bye Blackbird," "My Silent Love," "Strike Up the Band" and "But Not for Me" are not by Mulligan.

As always, Lawrence selected the finest studio musicians for his band - Al Cohn, Hal McKusick, Nick Travis, Eddie Bert, Don Lamond and many others. Mulligan himself does not appear, although the leader was in the piano chair, as usual. It's a wonderful band, fully attuned to Mulligan's aesthetic. 

This is a highly enjoyable, beautifully played and recorded LP. You can explore Lawrence's other records via the many posts here, which cover a variety of styles.

'Just a Minute!'

This is one of the more unusual of Lawrence's many records. Dating from 1958 or 1959, it presents 16 selections of barely more than a minute's duration. It's one of a series put out by the publishing rights organization SESAC, and, I believe, sent to radio stations.

The idea may have been to provide instrumentals that programmers and disc jockeys could use to fill up those awkward bits before the station broke for news or other programming. I would guess that these were royalty-free pieces, and that would serve as an additional inducement.

It would be idle to pretend that this session is musically as interesting as the Mulligan record, but it's fun in its own right, and of course if you don't like the tune, just wait a few seconds and the "Maple Leaf Rag" turns into "The Yellow Rose of Texas."

The composers were presumably all SESAC members, and those who weren't, like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, weren't around to complain. The standout compositions include "Skullduggery" and "Skin and Bones," which I believe are by trumpeter-composer Rusty Dedrick.

The sound is OK, but has had a fair amount of reverb added, which engineers of the time found irresistible.

The LP is billed as being by "Elliot Lawrence, His Biting Brass and Hi Fi-ing Winds," with the brass and winds appearing on separate sides of the record. (A full "Hi Fi-ing Winds" LP can be found here.)

These albums are both from my collection, but let me acknowledge my friend and fellow blogger, the illustrious Ernie, who sent the SESAC LP to me as a gift. Thanks, pal!

Elliot Lawrence

Elliot Lawrence started at the top as a Broadway conductor. His first show as music director was Bye, Bye Birdie, and he won a Tony for his second - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. But before director Gower Champion chose him for Birdie, the 35-year-old Lawrence had already spent 15 years as a bandleader.

Lawrence died early this month at age 96. To celebrate his life, this post will present his first-ever LP, dating from 1950, back when he was one of the most popular bandleaders on the nation's campuses and in its ballrooms. Then I will point you to the singles blog, where I am uploading a few of his 1951 records for King, where he surprisingly recorded a cover of "Sixty Minute Man" and a country tune with Cowboy Copas. 

You can find my earlier posts of Lawrence's music here, and a remembrance on this site.

College Prom

One of my earlier Lawrence offerings involved his Decca album Moonlight on the Campus. It was actually the bandleader's second release for that label; the first was today's subject, the 10-inch College Prom LP.

Johnny Mandel

It's quickly apparent from listening as to why Lawrence was a campus favorite. It's hard to imagine smoother, more danceable music. The arrangements are by another notable and long-lived musician, Johnny Mandel, who died just last year. (My tribute to Mandel and an upload of his The Americanization of Emily score is here.)

Mandel spent few years as Lawrence's staff arranger after several years as a trombonist in the bands of the time. Even then he was composing; his composition "Hershey Bar" was recorded by Stan Getz, also in 1950.

The College Prom music is not jazz, although Lawrence's band included such musicians as Herbie Steward, Phil Urso and Ollie Wilson. That said, you can hear Steward's obbligatos in some songs, and Lawrence solos on piano throughout - politely, of course. Mandel does manage to work some boppish turns of phase into "I Can't Get Started."

Rosalind Patton

Vocalist Rosalind Patton, who had been with Lawrence since his high school band, can be heard on five of the eight songs. She was a good singer, although her phrasing here was not without some of the affectations of the time.

The LP, which comes from my collection, is very well recorded.

Singles on King

Following his two Decca LPs - and singles drawn from their contents - Lawrence moved on to the King label, mainly known for country and R&B fare. And perhaps predictably, the king of King Syd Nathan had him cross over into those styles.

More about those records on the singles blog.

Elliot Lawrence leads the band, circa 1950

Elliot Lawrence's Woodwind Band

In 1957, bandleader and arranger Elliot Lawrence was recording with studio bands for both Fantasy and RCA's Vik imprint. (Examples of his work for both labels can be found on this blog here.)

Lawrence had retired his road band a few years before, and soon thereafter was taking lessons from the famed conductor Pierre Monteux, who had premiered works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev and others. That tutelage inspired Lawrence to try arranging for a different ensemble than the dance and jazz bands that had made his reputation. The result is this album, clumsily titled Hi Fi-ing Winds, scored entirely for woodwinds and rhythm section - no brass, or saxophones for that matter.

Elliot Lawrence

Unlike many of his records, the arrangements here are all Lawrence's own, and they are a delight. He chose from among his own compositions, added some standards, plus a few items particularly suited to the woodwind sections. Among the latter, Lawrence transformed the "Dance of the Reed Flutes" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet score into "Flight of the Flutes," and unearthed the catchy novelty tune "Piccolo Pete" from 1929. The album begins in ironic fashion with a string-free version of "Holiday for Strings."

I should mention that this is not a jazz LP. I only noticed three solos - Barry Galbraith's obbligato guitar on "Holiday for Strings" (mixed so low as to be almost inaudible), the leader's piano on his own "Windfall" and a clarinet solo on "Fascinating Rhythm," probably by Sam Marowitz.

I can't tell you what is transpiring on the cover. The clarinet and oboe players have shoved their instruments into the sand (which couldn't have been good for the reeds), inspiring a young woman to pose in the surf in her evening frock. If any of you can decode any significance from this odd tableau, please enlighten me in the comments.

Elliot Lawrence Special

There was a very positive reaction to my previous Elliot Lawrence post, so today I'll double down by presenting two of his LPs.

My friend Mindy, a show music fanatic, asked me if I had "Jazz Goes Broadway" in response to the earlier Lawrence offering. I had to tell her that I didn't - but as sometimes happens, I came across a copy of the desired LP a few days later, and here it is as our first selection.

"Jazz Goes Broadway" is not, strictly speaking, a Lawrence LP, even though he conducted it, plays piano, arranged half the songs, and appears on the cover in a pose that suggests he is in charge of the proceedings. Vik did not list the LP as being "by" anyone on the spine, back cover or labels, although it is clearly Lawrence's effort in all but name. I can tell you that the other two fellows on the cover are Jimmy Cleveland playing the trombone, and Al Cohn on the baritone sax. (Al was legally required to be on every big band LP made in the 50s.) I cannot tell you why Al and Jimmy are serenading a fire hydrant.

The tunes were selected from shows that were then (this was 1957) on Broadway, or had been recently. A look at the posters behind the musicians shows the amazing quality of the productions at that time. Today, the least known is Happy Hunting, an Ethel Merman vehicle that ran for a year.

The record is all very enjoyable, as you might expect considering the quality of personnel involved.

The other LP is a 10-incher from several years earlier, showcasing Lawrence's working band that was striving for popularity on the nation's campuses, as denoted by this college-themed program with the title "Moonlight on the Campus." This ensemble was decidedly more of a dance band than the one Lawrence fronted on the Vik LP.

Rosalind Patton

Lawrence, who was 25 when these songs were taped in 1950-51, was already a veteran bandleader, having formed his first band in high school. The Elliot Broza Orchestra (his full name is Elliot Lawrence Broza) had Rosalind Patton (Roselyn Mae Piccurelli), heard here, as the vocalist. (The male vocalist of his high school band was Al Alberts, later of the Four Aces.)

I love this kind of mid-century dance band sound - just don't expect to hear jazz solos and you won't be disappointed.

Dream On with Elliot Lawrence

Conductor Elliot Lawrence has had a remarkably long career. Still active today, there are photos of him leading a youth band in the 1930s (with Buddy DeFranco on clarinet).

Lawrence's career splits neatly into two parts - first, as leader of big bands on the road and on records; and second, as conductor and arranger for Broadway and television, after being enlisted for Bye Bye Birdie by director Gower Champion.

In his band days, Lawrence had some association with jazz, notably using the arrangements of Gerry Mulligan on a number of occasions. But his niche was a soft, danceable variety, reminiscent of the style of Claude Thornhill. Here he enlists the services of several notable arrangers:

Mood Midnight - Al Cohn, composer and arranger
Someone to Watch Over Me - Lawrence
The Pretty One - Lawrence, composer and arranger
Our Love Is Here to Stay - Cohn
Nightfall - Cohn, composer and arranger
Deep Purple - Johnny Mandel
Cheek to Cheek - Frank Hunter
To a Wild Rose - Nelson Riddle
They Didn't Believe Me - Cohn
The Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful - Hunter
Jazz Lullaby - Cohn, composer and arranger
I'll Follow My Secret Heart - Lawrence

As you might expect, the band is composed of New York's finest studio musicians (Cohn, Nick Travis, Urbie Green, etc.). Lawrence had given up his road band a few years earlier.

This was one of Fantasy's first stereo releases. The recordings were made in December 1957.

There was a considerable amount of interest in this disc in my recent poll, so I hope you like it. I have many Lawrence records, and have already transferred one of his first LPs for future presentation.

The Honey Dreamers

The Honey Dreamers are all but unknown today, but they had some renown back in the 1950s. I enjoy their sound and have quite a number of their records. Here is their Gershwin LP, presented by request.

The Honey Dreamers were founded in 1946 by Keith Textor, but by the time this record was made in 1955, he had moved on and the group was led by Bob Davis, whom I believe to be the chap in the glasses and Hawaiian shirt on the cover above. In this group, the lead female voice is Nan Green, the blonde in the center of the photo. (She had replaced Patty McGovern, perhaps the best known singer to have appeared in the group.) Also on the cover to Green's left are Marion Bye, Bob Mitchell and Jerry Packer. That appears to be bandleader Elliot Lawrence snuggling up to Bob Davis.

Bob Davis, Nan Green, Marion Bye, Bob Mitchell and Jerry Packer

As the liner notes say, on this record, the group makes an attempt to take on instrumental lines in their singing. That's an idea that goes back as least as far as the Mills Bros. in the 30s, but in doing so the Honey Dreamers predate such better known groups as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, although their soft-centered attack is in no way reminiscent of LH&R. While they had jazz leanings, the Honey Dreamers were decidedly a pop group.

Hope you enjoy this; I intend to present more of their records in the future. Good sound on this one. [Note (July 2023): this has now been remastered in ambient stereo. The sound is vivid.]