An Easter Bouquet from Buster

Buster looks a little glum here, doesn't he? Not that the Great Stone Face smiled much, and really there may not seem to be much to grin about these days. But it is spring, and with it comes the Easter holiday, a celebration of renewal that is all the more pertinent in a time of pandemic.

To help make the time pass, I've put together "Buster's Easter Bouquet of Hits" themed to the holiday. As usual it is an eclectic bunch, including 32 samples of jazz, country, pop, polka, boogie, religious material and ethnic fare. Believe me, my designation of most of these as "hits" is more than a little optimistic. But they all have their points of interest, which I elucidate below, covering the collection in chronological order.

The first item is the oldest record ever presented on this blog. It is "Hosanna," an Easter song dating from 1901-4. The exact date is uncertain because Columbia recorded it with two different singers at different times, using one on some pressings and the other on others. I believe this singer is Bernard Bégué, a Met baritone who somehow makes this lugubrious hymn even more dreary. Not a stellar start to the collection, I know, but historically notable.

The prolific tenor Harry Macdonough recorded "The Palms" twice, once in 1906 and once in 1913. I believe this transfer emanates from the latter date, and is taken from a circa 1920 pressing. Macdonough was the head of Victor's New York studio in addition to being one of its top artists. Again, this is hardly what you would call lively, but things improve later on.

Joel Mossberg

But not right away. I wanted to include a few items from the important ethnic catalogs that the record companies were building at the time. The first is "Hosianna Davids Son" from the Swedish-American baritone Joel Mossberg. It dates from 1916.

Next we have a pleasant spring interlude, complete with bird calls, called "Down In Lily Land at Easter Time," with your guides Billy Burton and James Hall (pseudonyms for the popular recording artists Charles Harrison and Andrea Sarto, the latter of whom appeared in my Valentine collection). This comes from 1917.

"The Old Rugged Cross" is one of the most famous songs associated with Easter. Here is an 1921 recording from Oscar Seagle, a prominent musician and music teacher active in the early 20th century. He looks kind of rugged himself, I'd say.

Oscar Seagle

From 1922 comes the Trinity Quartet, another busy recording ensemble, here comprising soprano Lucy Marsh, contralto Elsie Baker, tenor Lambert Murray and baritone Clifford Cairns. Believe me, these folks were all over the Victor catalog for some time. They present "Christ the Lord is Risen To-day," an Easter song penned by Charles Wesley some 200 years earlier.

Another ethnic number for you - "Zlozcie Troski (Take Care)," a Polish song with Karol Dembek singing and Wincenty Czerwinski speaking, dating from 1922. I wanted to include this because of the Lady Liberty motif on the OKeh label. Immigration to the U.S. was becoming much more restricted during these years, with increasingly stiff quotas being imposed several times.

Frieda Hempel

The prominent German soprano Frieda Hempel regales us with "Alleluia - A joyous Easter Hymn" on a 1924 HMV recording with an anonymous backing.

Finally we come to a lively number that could actually be called popular, even if not strictly (or at all) Easter-related. It is "Hallelujah!" from the Youmans-Grey-Robin score for the 1927 Broadway smash Hit the Deck. Our rendition is courtesy of two of the busiest recording artists of the time - the talented tenor Franklyn Baur and Victor director of light music Nat Shilkret. Note that although Shilkret is credited on the label, the ledgers say that Leonard Joy directed the session. Regardless, it's a wonderful song.

The Westminster Central Hall

We're back in England for the next number, coming from the Choir of the Westminster Central Hall, a prominent Methodist church in London. Arthur Meale directs a good 1928 reading of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

Also from England, an old friend, tenor Steuart Wilson, who has appeared on this blog before. Here he takes up "This Joyful Easter-tide" in an arrangement by Arthur Somervell. I believe the anonymous accompanist is Gerald Moore. This comes from circa 1929.

Sir Walford Davies, 1929

One of my favorite numbers from this collection is the Sir Walford Davies Easter processional "O Filii et Filiae," conducted by the composer in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. As usual with such on-site recordings of processionals, the choir sounds distant at first, becoming more prominent as the hymn proceeds. Here, the engineer made them much too dim, so I have adjusted the gain so you can at least hear what is going on. The recording dates from 1931.

Clifton Webb, 1934

One of the two most famous pop songs associated with Easter comes from 1933 and the Irving Berlin revue, As Thousands Cheer. Introducing the "Easter Parade" were Clifton Webb and Marilyn Miller. Webb was a song and dance performer on Broadway for many years before moving to Hollywood. Victor had him record the song with Leo Reisman's orchestra.

Recognizing a good thing, Berlin reused "Easter Parade" in films several times - in Alexander's Ragtime Band, Holiday Inn and the 1948 picture named for the song. The music has a back story as well - Berlin first published it 1917 with different lyrics, "Smile and Show Your Dimple."

Webb and Reisman weren't the only contenders in the "Easter Parade" of recordings, of course. Brunswick had Freddy Martin and his soupy saxes step in for a Vocalion release that same year. An enjoyable effort, with an uncredited vocal trio, presumably plucked from the band.

Warwick Braithwaite

It wouldn't be Easter without a go at the "Halleujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. This 1939 recording surprisingly comes from the Sadler's Wells Chorus and Orchestra, whose main stock-in-trade was opera, not oratorio. It's a good effort, led by the then Sadler's Wells music director, Warwick Braithwaite - very broad and grand, the sort of thing you seldom hear these days.

Now we return to the other "Hallelujah!", the one from Hit the Deck. Bandleader Will Bradley revived the song for a 1939 Columbia flagwaver featuring drummer Ray McKinley. The arranger was Leonard Whitney.

Will Bradley

Kenny Baker

In a much different vein is a 1942 release, "Easter Sunday with You," from tenor Kenny Baker, who made his name on Jack Benny's radio show, then appeared in many films. Harry Sosnik leads the band in this Don Reid-Henry Tobias song. Baker made a specialty of such sweet, sincere material, in later years moving into the religious repertory. He was a fine singer.

Guy Lombardo and his brothers are most associated with New Year's Day, certainly, but they also had a shot at other holidays. Here is their 1945 plea, "I Want a Bunny for Easter," with the usual stiff vocal from a band trio. This number was from songwriter Dave Franklin, whose big hit that year was "Lily Belle."

One of the best records in this set is "Hallelujah Morning" from the Brown's Ferry Four, one of the first country super groups. The Four consisted of the Delmore Brothers, Grandpa Jones and generally either Merle Travis or Red Foley (sources differ on who appears on this recording). The Four recorded sacred material for King in the late 40s, including this Alton Delmore composition in 1946. This particular pressing has some 78 noise, but it is far superior to the commercial reissue, which is cut, off-pitch, over-filtered and has had echo added.

Freddie Mitchell could and did make anything into a boogie, and here he turns "Easter Parade" into "Easter Boogie," attributing the composition to himself and two other folks, not including Irving Berlin. It's characteristic, with the usual tinkling from the upright piano and honking from the tenor sax. Those tinkles and honks comes to us from 1949.

Vaughn Monroe

I am not a fan of the moaning of baritone Vaughn Monroe, but here he does well by an unfamiliar seasonal tune, "It's Easter Time," dating from 1950. He is backed by the Moon Maids and the Moon Men, who were named in honor of his first big hit, 1941's "Racing with the Moon."

The other big Easter song, leaving aside "Easter Parade," is "Peter Cottontail" (formally, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail"), from the team of Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. They also wrote "Frosty the Snowman," thus providing anthropomorphic kiddie tales for two different holidays. The hit version of the Easter song was by Gene Autry in 1950, but I am partial to the work of a lesser singing cowboy, Jimmy Wakely, who was one of Capitol's biggest stars. His relaxed baritone is just right here, as always.

1950  Billboard ad

I can't resist adding another "Peter Cottontail" to the pile, this one from the usually swinging and swaying but here mostly bouncing Sammy Kaye and his vocal Kaydets. Sammy's Columbia record appeared in 1951 - late to the party but welcome nonetheless.

Tommy Sosebee

Country singer Tommy Sosebee was dubbed "The Voice of the Hills" by his management or the Coral record company - and he did have an excellent voice, in fact, displayed well in his 1951 recording of the unfamiliar "She's My Easter Lily." Well worth hearing.

Record mogul Norman Granz started a fashion for jazz soloists appearing with string accompaniment when he paired Charlie Parker's alto sax with a bed of strings in 1950. Trumpeter Roy Eldridge got this treatment in 1952 with a recording of "Easter Parade" with lush backing from arranger George "The Fox" Williams. It's not the most successful example of the genre, but not displeasing either.

The Anita Kerr Singers (Kerr at front)

I am a great admirer of the singer-arranger-composer Anita Kerr, who brings us an Easter hymn, "The Strife is O'er, the Battle Won," adapted from Palestrina. But this 1952 record is just not one of her best. A shame because she made so many good ones!

In a much different vein is "The Bunny Hop," a hit for Ray Anthony in 1954. But here we eschew Ray's Capitol platter in favor of Lee Roy and His Band, on the Epic label. "Lee Roy" was in fact Ray's brother, who sometimes played baritone sax in Ray's band. I find this sibling record rivalry to be odd, to say the least. I do love the song, though.

Duke Ellington

Capitol was not above making the great Duke Ellington record some lesser material during his tenure with the label. Case in point is the "Bunny Hop Mambo" from 1954, which is just what is seems to be, only disjointed on the Duke's end. The "hop-hop-hop" in this one is more like "lurch-lurch-lurch."

Fortunately, Frankie Yankovic's "Bunny Polka," also from 1954, is not the "Bunny Hop" in disguise, but rather a piece by the bandleader and his arranger, Joe Trolli. This is not one of the Polka King's most regal accomplishments, but pleasant even so.

Country pop singer Rusty Draper had a number of big records for Mercury in the mid-50s. The unfamiliar "Easter Mornin'" from 1954 was not one of his  successes, but entertaining in its unassuming way. The conductor is famed producer Hugo Peretti.

I hope you will not mind one final reprise of "Easter Parade," in a smooth arrangement for the Men of the Robert Shaw Chorus, here conducted by Ralph Hunter, who succeeded Shaw as conductor of the Collegiate Chorale at about the same time as the record came out (1954).

Our final number is the little-noticed "Two Easter Sunday Sweethearts," the flip side of English singer Vera Lynn's 1954 pressing of "Du Bist Mein Liebshoen." But even "Du Bist" was a minor record compared to Lynn's big hit that year, "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)." In the ad at bottom, Lynn arrives on the HMS Queen Elizabeth bearing a big present of "If You Love Me" for the American market, with the other record tucked in her handbag.

I hope everyone has a good holiday. We always host a family gathering on Easter Sunday, but not this year. Facetime will have to do. I am grateful even so for all the blessings that have been bestowed on me over the years, not the least of which are the loyal readers of this blog. My best to you all.

1954 Billboard ad (click to enlarge)

20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s

My record record-transferring paraphernalia has had a bad case of the troubles for some weeks now. The main turntable isn't tracking properly and is having some speed issues. My usual analog-to-digital converter has been flaky. And even my audio drivers are acting up, resetting themselves to mono repeatedly for no good reason.

While these problems get sorted out, I've been plunging into the limitless depths of the Internet Archive in search of items to bring to you. Today I am kicking off the Christmas sharing season with a selection of 20 holiday tunes taken from vintage 78s, as extensively remastered and repitched by me. The sound on all these is very good, with the one exception noted.

The selections date from 1945 to 1957, when 78s were being phased out. (I am just old enough to have purchased quite a few new 78s myself - I've been a record collector as long as I can remember.) I've selected familiar items in versions you may not heard and unfamiliar songs, sprinkling R&B, jazz and country selections among the pop platters, plus a polka!

The earliest item in our collection is from orchestra leader Mark Warnow and vocalist Dick Todd, the "Canadian Crosby." Both were mainstays of radio's Your Hit Parade in 1945. As far as I know, "All Around the Xmas Tree" was only recorded by them.

Next we have one of the innumerable jazz takes on "Jingle Bells." This specimen comes from a 1946 single helmed by veteran pianist Frank Signorelli, who was in the Original Memphis Five way back in 1917, and later in the ODJB. He's best known for writing "I'll Never Be the Same."

Also in 1946, Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers had a success with "Winter Wonderland." Capitol had a habit of reissuing this number during subsequent holiday seasons. This pressing is from 1950.

Steel guitar virtuoso Leon McAuliffe made his name with Bob Wills' band during the 1930s. In 1947, he recorded "A Cowboy's Christmas Song" for Majestic, with a vocal by Gene Autry sound-alike Jimmy Hall.

Another little known song, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," comes from 1948 and the tonsils of Crosbyite John Laurenz, who recorded for Mercury, Pan-American and Jubilee during his career. If there are any Bowery Boys fans out there, you may be interested to know that Laurenz dubbed Huntz Hall's vocals in the great Blues Busters, in which Satch becomes the world's most unlikely romantic crooner.

Also in 1948, country artist Doye O'Dell became the first to record "Blue Christmas." It wasn't a hit then, but the following year, Ernest Tubb did well with it, as did Hugo Winterhalter with the pop version in today's collection.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" has endured so many awful recordings since it debuted in 1949 (in Neptune's Daughter), that it's refreshing to encounter one that throws away the coy aspect of the song in favor of a more straightforward approach. That's what you get from Pearl Bailey as the knowing female who is all too willing to be ensnared by the raspy wolfishness of Hot Lips Page, a trumpeter by trade. Their version came out on Columbia's budget label, Harmony, which Pearlie Mae manages to name-check during the proceedings.

Poor Hot Lips Page didn't even rate a mention in this ad

Frankie Yankovic, the most popular polka artist of the time, came up with "Christmas Polka" in 1949. As with many of Frankie's records, the chorus is nothing exciting, but the break is a wonder to behold. Yankovic also recorded a "Merry Christmas Polka" in 1950, but I believe the bigger hit version was by the Andrews Sisters.

Al Hibbler taped "White Christmas" for Decca later in the 50s, but today's version is an earlier one he did with the Ellingtonians for Mercer Ellington's label right at mid-century. The Ellingtonians were a side group from Duke's band led by Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Billy Strayhorn. Duke himself even showed up on one of their record dates. There is some overloading on the peaks here, which I have tried to moderate. This was caused by the transfer being done at too high a level, a no-no in digital recording.

Nineteen fifty also was the year for "Silver Bells," from Bob Hope's epic The Lemon Drop Kid. The hit versions were by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards for Decca and Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely for Capitol. Here we have Mercury's entry in this race, performed by Richard Hayes and Kitty Kallen.

Our final work from 1950 is the first of three tunes set down by the great Billy Eckstine for M-G-M - another version of "Blue Christmas." Skipping ahead slightly to 1953, we have Eckstine's two-sided holiday effort for the year, the unfamiliar "Christmas Eve" and the all-too-familiar "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve." The label says the conductor here is Lionel Newman. My ears say the arranger on "What Are You Doing" is Nelson Riddle.

M-G-M's holiday lineup for 1953

From 1952 or 1953, we have a "White Christmas" from the combination of adenoidal crooner Jack Russell and the Honey Dreamers, a vocal group that has appeared on this blog before. Russell was unknown to me, although he does appear on some Peter Pan children's records, as do the Honey Dreamers.

We move to Nashville and 1954 for an Ernest Tubb side called "Lonely Christmas Eve," with strong backing by some talented studio vets, including Owen Bradley on piano and Billy Byrd on guitar.

Also from 1954, jump blues artist Oscar McLollie joins us for a two-sided entry on Modern, the boisterous "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" and the lugubrious "God Gave Us Christmas." As with many of McLollie's efforts, these are Leon René productions.

Johnny Desmond, who has been featured here a few times, offers up "Happy Holidays to You," which comes from 1955. This is the flip of "Santo Natale," which I vaguely recall sharing here before.

To close things off, we have two earnest efforts from Big Maybelle, "Silent Night" and "White Christmas," on Savoy. Maybelle started out as the less colorfully named Mabel Smith, band singer for Tiny Bradshaw. Okeh records bestowed the fancier name on her when she joined its roster. This single comes from 1957, when the 78 era was drawing to a close.

Please enjoy these tunes, and the entire festive season! More soon, if my recording apparatus cooperates.

Frankie Yankovic - Early Columbia LPs

Not too long ago I posted one of Slovenian polka king Frankie Yankovic's Columbia 45s on my singles blog - a cover of one of Malcolm Arnold's tunes from The Key. Reader Mitch responded, "This is such happy music that is needed in this much too serious world today."

Well, I won't go so far as to say that Yankovic's music will solve the world's problems, but I agree it is happy music - polka lovers are fond of calling it "the happiest music on earth."

I will admit I am biased because this music is intensely nostalgic for me. Yankovic and his band were from Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood, where both my parents were born and near where I grew up. My folks were not of Slovenian descent (and didn't even like polka music), but these sounds were inescapable when I was young. I literally just had to open the window to hear it - the guy across the street played the accordion.

This package includes Yankovic's first and fourth Columbia LPs ("All-Time Hits" from 1950 and "Polka Parade" from 1951, both 10-inchers), along with an EP, "America's Polka King" from circa 1952. All compile songs recorded earlier. I've also included a transfer of the "Blue Skirt Waltz," one of Frankie's greatest hits, which doesn't appear on the LPs or EP.

When was the last time a polka was a national hit? Maybe 50 years ago with "Peanuts" by Art Perko (also from Cleveland). In the 1940s, however, polkas were popular. The first big hit may have been the "Beer Barrel Polka" as recorded by the German bandleader Will Glahé and covered by the Andrews Sisters (and included here in Yankovic's version).

In the years after the war, the best-selling records were Yankovic's. His biggest seller was "Just Because" in 1948 (actually recorded in late 1947). It was a country tune that virtuoso accordionist Johnny Pecon had brought to the band, after hearing it when he was in the armed services during the war. The song had been written in the 30s, but Pecon was familiar with a version from circa 1941 by the Shelton Brothers, a country duo from Texas. (The Sheltons' effort is included in the download.)

The Yankovic group didn't content themselves with a straight version of the song. They added an astonishingly catchy instrumental break based on an old Italian motif. You will hear this famous break (played here by Pecon) in many polka songs.

The unit's second big hit, from 1949, was completely different, but had an equally eclectic background. The "Blue Skirt Waltz" was originally the "Red Skirt Waltz," written by Bohemian composer Vaclav Blaha. Yankovic's producer, I believe, brought in the tune to him, and then had Mitchell Parish ("Stardust") add lyrics. As with "Just Because," a spectacular instrumental break adds to the appeal of this superb record.

So in these two big hits, we have country and Bohemian songs and an Italian tune, played by Slovenians from Cleveland. Assisting on the waltz were the Marlin Sisters, who were actually Goldie and Gittile Malavsky, daughters of Cantor Samuel Malavsky. Yankovic's music was more cosmopolitan than it might appear on the surface.

The musicians on these early records, besides the leader and Johnny Pecon, were Georgie Cook, the hyperactive banjo player who was an important element of the sound, Al Naglitch, the keyboards player who usually was heard on a Hammond Solovox, and Adolph Srnick, bass (Stan Slejko on "Blue Skirt Waltz"). The arranger was Joe Trolli.

The band on "Just Because": front from left, Cook, Yankovic, Naglitch.
Rear, Srnick, Pecon.

This lineup only lasted until 1949. On some of the later records heard here, the musicians were possibly Tops Cardone, accordion, Carl Paradiso, banjo, Buddy Griebel, keyboards, and Al Leslie, bass - these personnel listings are according to Yankovic biographer Bob Dolgan.

Yankovic's success led to other record companies rushing to sign Cleveland polka bands - Johnny Pecon by Capitol, Johnny Vadnal by RCA Victor and Kenny Bass by Decca.

The sound on all these sides is very good. "Blue Skirt Waltz" and the Shelton Brothers record are not my transfers, but I have refurbished the sound.

I originally transferred these records years ago for my own amusement - perhaps they will captivate a few of you as well.