More Rare Singles from Hal Derwin

Once again I have the pleasure of presenting vocalist and bandleader Hal Derwin in a selection of his Capitol recordings from the late 40s. These rare sides are courtesy of vocal maven Bryan Cooper, who has gifted us with so many unusual items.

My previous Derwin collection included what I thought was all of Derwin's records, save for six. It turns out that there were (at least) eight missing - the eight contained in this collection direct from Bryan's stash. Most of the eight date from 1947, with the final two set down in 1949, after the recording strike was settled.

The first song in the set is Irving Berlin's "Kate (Have I Come Too Early, Too Late)," which may have been written for or in honor of Kate Smith - Berlin's publishing company put her photo on the sheet music. Several male vocalists recorded it - Bing Crosby, Alan Dale and Eddy Howard among them. Derwin's rendition is very accomplished. 

The flip side is "Home Is Where the Heart Is," a standard sentiment that has inspired several songwriters over the years. This edition is by Charles Tobias and Dave Kapp, and is not the same song that later appeared on Elvis Presley's Kid Galahad soundtrack.

The next single leads off with "No One But You," a lovely minor-key ballad that, oddly enough, originated with the soundtrack for Bambi, where it was heard as "Looking for Romance." Derwin is great, but I have to say I don't care for the woozy muted trumpet obbligato. The backing is "One Dozen Roses," a formulaic but pleasant song that was a hit for Harry James in 1942.

"At the Flying 'W'" is a enjoyably bouncy tune from Allie Wrubel. Derwin's competition here was Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, back when Bing was in his Western phase. The other side of the 78 was "Sissy," written in 1938 by bandleader Louis Panico with Irving Kahal and Jack Fascinato. It is very much in the style popular then - a two-beat businessman's bounce.

Frank De Vol

All the songs above have backing by Derwin's own band, along with the Hi-Liters vocal group on all but the last song. They are just fine, but singer was better served by the lush sounds provided by arranger-bandleader Frank De Vol, who backed him on the final two songs in this set, which come from a 1949 release.

Derwin reached back in time for his repertoire on this last disc. "Just Like a Butterfly (That's Caught in the Rain)" was introduced in an unforgettable version by Annette Hanshaw in 1927. And "Goodnight, Sweetheart," dating from 1931, was one of the greatest inspirations of composer-bandleader Ray Noble and his remarkable vocalist Al Bowlly. Derwin handles each song beautifully.

The sound is excellent on these records. Thanks again to Bryan for bringing us these rare recordings by a most talented singer!

The Warm Voice of Hal Derwin

I am sure I have a few of Hal Derwin's Capitol 78s, but I paid him little mind until my recent post of the first Buddy DeSylva tribute album. There, Derwin contributed a most pleasing account of "When Day Is Done," so I decided to look at his recorded legacy more closely.

Today's post, consisting of 25 Derwin single sides from 1946-49, is the result of that examination. Most of these little-known recordings are distinguished by Derwin's warm, relaxed vocals - in the vein of Crosby or Como, and not markedly inferior to them, either. The set also includes two pleasant instrumentals from the big band that Derwin was leading at the time. And it also includes the sole single by an odd Capitol all-star ensemble called Ten Cats and a Mouse, which included Derwin. In total, the collection includes all but six of the songs that Derwin recorded for Capitol.

Hal Derwin is answering fan mail -
or so his publicist informs us

Derwin (1914-98) apparently started off as a vocalist (he was in a trio with Lee Gillette, himself later associated with Capitol), but also played guitar at times when he was with several bands, including Shep Fields and Artie Shaw (where he was called Hal Stevens). I'll post a few of his Shaw records later on. Derwin eventually got the call to record for Capitol, and formed his own band at about the same time.

Fortunately for him, his first record - "The Old Lamplighter" - did well, and that set Derwin up for a three-year run in the Capitol studios. The flip side of the record - "I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home" - may bear some explanation to any young readers. "Papers" refers to newspapers, now scarce, but then plentiful. In the major cities, publishers would time the first edition of the morning paper to his newsstands at about midnight. So theoretically, one could finish a lonely evening by picking up the papers and heading home.

Next in queue is Lecuona's "Another Night Like This," from Dick Haymes' film Carnival in Costa Rica, featured here in the soundtrack rendition. Derwin does well by it, even if he is not in the Haymes class. The coupling is "You'll Always Be the One I Love." The romantic backing on these earliest records is by the busy maestro Frank De Vol.

"It Might Have Been a Different Story" and "You Can Take My Word for It, Baby" are two pop items of the day, the latter also recorded by a bouncy Frank Sinatra.

At this point (1947), Derwin switches to his own band for backing, along with a vocal group. For "An Apple Blossom Wedding" and "Blue and Broken Hearted" the vocal assistance is by Gloria and Diane, of whom I know nothing. (If I were to speculate wildly, the Gloria might be Gloria Wood.)

For "How Lucky You Are" (also done by Buddy Clark) and "On the Avenue," Gloria and Diane are supplanted by the Co-Eds. In turn, they were replaced by the Hi-Liters for "My, How the Time Goes By" and "The Little Old Mill" (another song that Clark put out). The Hi-Liters stayed around for "The Dream Peddler" and "You're Too Dangerous, Cherie." The latter song is "La Vie en Rose" in English mufti - and another Clark specialty.

Hal Derwin and two unidentified members of the Hi-Liters.
That could be Gloria Wood on the right.

Derwin reached back to 1932 for the old favorite "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye," which came out then on a memorable Boswell Sisters disc that he does not surpass (who could?). The flip is "Worry Worry Worry."

Capitol assembled the Ten Cats and a Mouse is October 1947 to play "Ja-Da" and "Three O'Clock Jump," the latter credited to "Felis Domestica." The trick here is that the musicians all play instruments other than their specialties. So, for example, trumpeters Billy May and Bobby Sherwood take up the trombone, lamentably. The best soloist is surely Benny Carter on tenor saxophone, but this is a bit of a cheat, since Carter played that instrument (and several others, including trumpet) regularly. The inaudible drummer is Peggy Lee (presumably the Mouse). Derwin plays guitar.

In addition to its Buddy DeSylva tribute album, Capitol included Derwin in a Jerome Kern memorial package in 1947, assigning him one of my favorite songs, "The Touch of Your Hand," an quasi-operetta piece that is not suited to the singer's style.

We move on to 1948 and "Melody Time" from the Disney film. The backing was an instrumental from Derwin's band, "Always," from Irving Berlin and 1925. The group sounds very good; I suspect it was a studio ensemble rather than a road band.

Derwin's last solo in this set is another lonely-guy song, "I Go In When the Moon Comes Out." Capitol coupled it with an instrumental of "Louise."

The final, 1949 recordings were two enjoyable duets with ex-Goodman singer Martha Tilton, both backed by Frank De Vol. The dance novelty "Ballin' the Jack" was coupled with Derwin's own "Take Me Back," a nostalgic number that features an unconvincing "soft-shoe" solo probably played by the drummer. It's nicely done, even so.

Derwin had his limitations, and his band was nothing to set the pulse racing, but at his best he was a smooth and very pleasing singer who deserves to be remembered. After his Capitol stint, he continued to lead a band for a piece, and eventually landed back at Capitol in an A&R role.

These records were obtained from lossless needle drops on Internet Archive, as redone by me. The sound is generally very good.

The First Buddy DeSylva Tribute Album

A few days ago, I published a private record that Capitol issued to commemorate the 1950 death of Buddy DeSylva, one of its founders.

At that time, I lamented the fact that Capitol didn't see fit to use its own artists to celebrate DeSylva's songwriting career rather than repurposing a radio show from seven years earlier.

Buddy DeSylva examines his catalog. "Mother Me,
Tennessee" and the other songs here
did not make the cut for this collection.

Two friends of the blog, Bryan and Randy, quickly drew my attention to the fact that Capitol had indeed issued an earlier DeSylva tribute using its own stars, back in 1947.

I felt a little embarrassed by my forgetting this album, particularly because I have a copy of it in my collection. I told Bryan that I could not transfer it, however, because my 78 turntable is having speed-regulatory seizures. So Bryan sent along a link to an Internet Archive transfer, which I have remastered for this post.

Promo in Capitol News

The Capitol set is called Somebody Loves Me: The Beloved Songs of Buddy DeSylva - no doubt especially beloved at the company because he was chairman of the board. But I will admit that he wrote lyrics for many excellent songs, and this collection does a good job at presenting eight of them.

Among those who contributed vocals were Johnny Mercer, Peggy Lee, Nat Cole and Margaret Whiting. They may need no introduction, but here are a few words about the other artists involved.

Andy Russell was a fine balladeer who had many hits for Capitol. Russell's popularity waned in the 1950s, when he relocated to Mexico. Even though he was born in Los Angeles and spoke little Spanish, he was of Hispanic descent and quickly became a star in Latin America, returning to the US (and Capitol) in the 1960s. He performs one of DeSylva, Brown and Henderson's best songs, "Just a Memory."

Martha Tilton and Johnny Mercer

Martha Tilton came to prominence as a Benny Goodman band singer in the late 1930s. She joined Capitol early in its history, and here is paired with company mogul Johnny Mercer for another DeSylva, Brown and Henderson item, "If I Had a Talking Picture of You."

Clark Dennis was a radio singer who made records for Capitol from 1946-50. You can read more about him via this post on my other blog. He also has appeared on this blog, providing vocals for a 1939 Paul Whiteman set. On this album, he sings the famous DeSylva-Brown-Henderson waltz, "Together."

If Hal Derwin's vocals did not dazzle you,
his outfit's clashing patterns would

The most obscure name in the lineup may be Hal Derwin, but his easy manner is perfectly suited to "When Day Is Done." Derwin was a bandleader during the 40s and 50s, but I believe he recorded for Capitol solely as a vocalist.

Capitol repurposed the inside front cover of this 78 set as the front cover of the later 10-inch LP. That image and other photos and scans are in the download, including a Capitol News article announcing the project. The ad below comes from the June 1947 Capitol News.