From the Back Room: Gloria Wood

Gloria Wood was a supremely talented singer who had the misfortune of being best known for the novelty records she made with Kay Kyser and later for Capitol records, although her career was far more diversified than those outings.

Today's "From the Back Room" post is the completed version of a project I started more than a decade ago, devoted to bringing together most of her singles output from the 1940s and 50s.

For these "Back Room" posts, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my commentary may be less elaborate than is sometimes the case.

This particular post includes 33 songs.

About Gloria Wood

Wood (1923-95) was the daughter of a professional singer, which set a career path both for her and for her older sister Donna. The elder sibling sang with Horace Heidt and then with Kay Kyser. When Donna died of a heart ailment at age 29, Gloria succeeded her in the Kyser band. Gloria would go on to be one of the most in-demand studio singers, for her rare virtuosity and range.

First Records with 4 Star

These days 4 Star records is mainly remembered as a country and western outfit, but the small West Coast outfit also recorded other types of music in its early days, mainly Latin outfits but also a few jazz and big band records as well. Wood's first records, dating from 1945 and 1946, were with these ensembles.

The 4-Star-5 was a traditional jazz combo with such well-known musicians as Zutty Singleton and Gus Bivona. Gloria's first record with that crew was a cover of Hoagy Carmichael's new "Memphis in June," followed by three songs by the obscure West Coast singer-composer Slim Coates: "Hitch Your Wagon," "Some Guy" and "Toy Boy." The first is, predictably, the best of the lot, but Coates' songs are not bad.

Wingy Manone

Wood's next assignment was with another traditional jazz figure, Wingy Manone, who led a raucous band backing her in the standard "My Blue Heaven" and the trumpeter's own "I Must Be Dreaming." She acquits herself well in both songs.

Finally, big band vet Ted Fio Rito used her voice on two songs, his own "Now That You're Gone" and the standard "East of the Sun." She's particularly impressive in the former.

With Kay Kyser

Kay Kyser

Kay Kyser had a polished and versatile band, but it was known for novelty records. Gloria's first record with the group in 1947 was a notable and catchy example. "The Possum Song" has the subtitle "Six, Tall, Slim, Slick, Sycamore Saplin'," which I cannot explain to you. This song was the work of singer-songwriter Terry Shand, working with a Dunham, who might or might not be bandleader Sonny Dunham.

Next was one of several duets with longtime Kyser singer Harry Babbitt, a polished performer. Gloria works well with him on Jack Brooks' "Saturday Date." Gloria then worked with the Campus Kids vocal group on the mock calypso "There Ought to Be a Society (For the Prevention of Cruelty to Poor Unfortunate Lovers)."

Now comes the big hit - "Woody Wood-Pecker," by Ramey Idriss and George Tibbles. Wood (who would have seemed to have been preordained to sing this song) manages to avoid having to imitate Woody's annoying laugh, and is otherwise charming.

Another Hoagy Carmichael song (and another faux calypso), "Too Much-a Manana" also did well for Gloria and Kyser.

Babbitt and Wood combined for another major hit, Frank Loesser's "On a Slow Boat to China." Finally, we have 1949's "I'll Wait," with Gloria billed over Harry Babbitt for the first time.

Kyser would soon wind down the band and Wood was off for a freelance career, working with Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires among others.

Capitol Recordings

Gloria recorded several songs for Capitol records in 1953. These started with two songs with keyboard player Buddy Cole, notably Vincent C. Fiorino's "Red Canary," which Cole (presumably) gave an African feel. Percussion is prominent, along with piccolo and a fascinating bass line produced in a manner unknown (to me).

"Hello Sunshine" has an old-timey feel that is accentuated by Wood's virtuosity, a tuba, banjo and some effects that Cole probably produced from his organ.

The next song is something of a classic. "Hey Bellboy" has Gloria singing insanely high (and loud), both by herself and in duet with Pete Candoli's trumpet, alternating with sexy calls of "hey bellboy!"

"Hey Bellboy" EP

"By the Waters of Minnetonka" has Wood singing the melody quite high both in harmony with her own voice and with Candoli's trumpet. She also sings a chorus conventionally.

"Anybody Hurt?" has her scatting both extremely high and fast. Both this and "Hey Bellboy" were written by Candoli and Tom Mack.

Finally, for "Oh, Honey" she moved on to Dave Cavanaugh's semi-R&B outfit. Dave's band plays a riff over and over while Gloria alternately pleads "Oh, honey, please!" and again ascends into the stratosphere vocally.

Capitol's Music Views magazine devoted a two-page spread to Wood's vocal heroics in 1953. The pages are below - click to enlarge them.

With Decca-Coral

Wood recorded several songs for Decca-Coral in 1955. First was "Lover-Lover (Why Must We Part?)" written by Charles Wolcott for the film Blackboard Jungle, but not, as far as I know, used as such in the film. It is, unexpectedly, a country tune, which Gloria does idiomatically.

This was backed by "Teen-Time," which, far from being adolescent fare, is boppish high harmony vocalese accompanied by vibes, clarinet and rhythm.

Coral got in on the "Hey" songs with "Hey Mister," which leaves out the vocal pyrotechnics in favor of a simple ballad accompanied by growl trumpet, tenor sax groans and clarinet. The flip side is "I Keep Telling Myself," a nice tune with a good arrangement from George Cates.

Finally, Wood moved from Coral to the main Decca label for a single with another former Capitol artist, Jimmy Wakely. "Are You Satisfied?" melds Gloria's vocalese with some awkward harmony with Wakely. "Mississippi Dreamboat" is semi-R&B. Neither Jimmy nor Gloria seem convinced.

A Few Unpolished Diamonds

Billboard ad

In 1956 Gloria surfaced on the rejuvenated Diamond label, once headquartered in New York and headed by Irving Gwirtz. That concern went under in the 1940s, leaving a trail of lawsuits, but Gwirtz and Diamond seem to have be resurrected in Hollywood in 1956. At least a "Gwirtz" is listed as co-author of the tune "The Rock and the Roll," which apparently was the B-side of the record. "Honey Bee" (with the "vocal magic of Gloria Wood") was the plug side.

"The Rock and the Roll," as you might imagine, is rock 'n' roll. The label proclaims this to be a Billy May arrangement, and there are some trumpet squeals that might suggest his hand in the charts.

"Honey Bee" is an awful song, a marriage of "Be My Little Baby Bumble-Bee" of Doris Day infamy with the vocal approach of Teresa Brewer.

There are a few other Diamond sides that I don't have, and at least one 45 on Zephyr.

The Columbia Singles

Billboard ad

Wood was back with a major label in 1957, landing at Columbia Records, where she made a few singles and one LP that came out in early 1959. All were with Jerry Fielding.

The first item, "Back Door," is rock 'n' roll, although sung at a high level. The flip, "Mr. Sorrow," is a downcast ballad. At least this one gives Gloria a chance to be expressive, which she does beautifully. Fielding wrote both songs. 

The second single coupled a song co-written by Wood and Fielding, "Heartless Kisses," another R&R effort, with "I Won't Be a Fool Again," which is even more rock-lite.

The material on Gloria's Columbia LP, Wood by the Fire, is better than the singles. I have the LP if there is interest.

LINK

The Margaret Whiting Holiday Collection

The distinguished vocalist Margaret Whiting (1924-2011) made records for 50 years but never produced an complete album of holiday songs. This post collects the ones she did make, dating from 1947-93. By using a broad (very broad) definition of seasonal music, I've been able to corral 19 items in all.

Whiting was born into a musical family. Her father was the songwriter Richard Whiting, who wrote the music for many standards in his short life (he died when Maggie was 14) - including "Beyond the Blue Horizon," "My Future Just Passed," "She's Funny That Way," "Till We Meet Again," "Too Marvelous for Words" and "You're an Old Smoothie."

With Johnny Mercer

Maggie became a professional singer at a young age, and quickly showed that she had great talent - excellent intonation, clear diction, sensitivity to lyrics, lovely tone, and so on.

Her father's former co-writer, Johnny Mercer, brought her into the studios the day before her 18th birthday for a Capitol recording date that included her father's "My Ideal." It was the beginning of regular Capitol sessions, but it wasn't until five years later that Maggie set down a holiday song - and that's where our chronological review begins.

The 1940s

Frank Loesser's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" was new when Whiting recorded it in May 1947. Hers was the first recording of this standard, and it's a good one, with backing by her frequent collaborator, bandleader Frank De Vol. Loesser did not intend his song to be a seasonal item - he pictured it being sung earlier in the year - but no one else seems to agree. This collection includes both Capitol's originally-issued take and an alternate.

With Frank De Vol

These days, "While the Angelus Was Ringing" is better known by its original title, "The Three Bells." It is a Swiss-French song, first a hit for Édith Piaf and Les Compagnons de la chansons as "Les trois cloches." In the US, "Angelus" was originally more popular than the competing "The Three Bells," but that was to change, particularly following the Browns' 1959 hit under the latter title.

In common with many other American artists, Whiting recorded "Angelus" in 1948. (On the record label, Capitol managed to mangle the title into "When the Angelus Is Ringing.") Under any name, the song's simplicity and sincerity make it well suited to the season. Whiting herself was to record "The Three Bells" years later - we'll get to that below.

Maggie set down another new Frank Loesser song in 1949, this one definitely seasonal - "Baby, It's Cold Outside," here in a duet with Johnny Mercer. Paul Weston conducted. It's a good, professional version; I prefer a little more nuance, a la the Pearl Bailey-Hot Lips Page rendition.

Later in the year, Whiting was to go to work on several seasonal songs, along with a special Capitol promotional record.

First is "(It Happened at) The Festival of Roses," which is a nice song but only the most generous of judges would consider it a holiday item. Fortunately I am just such a benevolent character. The song is by Al Goodheart and Dick Manning, the latter of whom also wrote the words for "While the Angelus Was Ringing."

Whiting's big Christmas coupling for 1949 was "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" along with the "Mistletoe Kiss Polka." The former, a Martin and Blane classic, came from the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis. Maggie is suitably sensitive. For the contrasting latter number, she is appropriately bouncy. Polkas were popular in the late 40s - this entry is unexpectedly by the Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, working with Constance Palmer. De Vol again is the bandleader, with the Mellomen as supporting vocalists.

"Season's Greetings from Capitol" was a fun promotional record from 1949 aimed at the jukebox operators of the nation. I first posted it last year; you can read more about it here.

The 1950s

Also in 1949, Whiting had begun recording with singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely. They were successful right out of the gate with a cover of Floyd Tillman's honky-tonk anthem "Slipping Around." The next year, Capitol decided to have them attempt some seasonal fare, and again the results were pleasing. One side was a cover of Livingston and Evans' "Silver Bells," which was written for the Bob Hope epic The Lemon Drop Kid. The Bing Crosby-Carol Richards recording of the song became a hit in 1950, well before the film's 1951 release.

Vocally, Whiting and the unassuming Wakely were well matched, and their "Silver Bells" is nicely sung. The backing is by yet another singing cowboy, Foy Willing, and his ensemble. It lacks impact and has little holiday flavor so the record was never a threat to Bing's disk.

Willing, Wakely and Jack Kenney collaborated on writing the flip side, "Christmas Candy," which is more lively. Musically, the song is strongly reminiscent of 1947's "Here Comes Santa Claus."

Whiting was to remain at Capitol for several more years, but no more Christmas songs were forthcoming from that label. However, let me add another "bells" number - 1952's "Singing Bells" by George Wyle and Eddie Pola, who were responsible for the Christmas classic "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." "Singing Bells" is sort of a clog dance, which you can do around your Christmas tree if you so choose. Lou Busch - then Whiting's husband - leads the band.

On the radio

Also from this period we have an aircheck of Maggie doing "It's Christmas Time Again," a very good song by Sonny Burke, Jack Elliott and James Harwood that was introduced by Peggy Lee in 1953. The Whiting edition likely comes from a 1953 or 1954 Bob Hope Show - she performed it both years.

Let's zoom ahead to 1959 and Maggie's new home at Dot records. There, she remade two of the songs discussed above. First was a version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with studio vocalist Bill Lee, a member of the Mellomen group that assisted on the "Mistletoe Kiss Polka." Lee was a talented singer, but he is too bland for this song. This cut comes from the LP Margaret Whiting's Great Hits. It's one of those early stereo affairs with extreme separation of the two voices. At one point, they change sides, which I imagine is supposed to suggest Bill Lee pursuing Maggie. Russ Garcia conducts.

Circa 1960

Next we revisit "The Three Bells," recorded in the wake of the Browns' chart success. The Whiting version, which comes from the LP Ten Top Hits, includes the tolling bells vocal backing ("bum, bum, bum, bum") identical to the Browns and similar to Les Compagnons de la chanson on the original. Milt Rogers was arranger and conductor.

Later Recordings

Maggie was to produce no more seasonal records for another 20 years. For her 1982 album Come a Little Closer she included the obscure (and depressing) "After the Holidays," where she implores her mate to stay with her for one more season. As a downer, it is right down there with Gordon Jenkins' "Happy New Year."

Circa 1980s

Whiting contributed two numbers to pianist Loonis McGlohon's 1990 album We Wish You a Merry Christmas - "White Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." McGlohon was an excellent musician and these are accomplished readings, although Maggie's voice is not as fresh as it once was.

Loonis McGlohon

McGlohon's follow-up was 1992's A Christmas Memory. Whiting is heard on a remake of "Silver Bells," thankfully without Foy Willing.

The following year, Maggie recorded "The Christmas Waltz" for the album A Cabaret Christmas. Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wrote the piece for Frank Sinatra. Whiting's rendition includes a bridge that sounds improvised; the entire performance is quite free, interestingly so. Her music director, Tex Arnold, is the pianist.

That's all we have from Maggie's sporadic holiday output. It's a shame there was no seasonal album from such an accomplished artist. This collection was assembled from a variety of sources, including Internet Archive and my collection. The sound is generally very good.

LINK

 

Les Brown - Six Navy Shows from 1953

Here from the original 16-inch transcription discs are six episodes of The Les Brown Show, which the bandleader produced for US Navy recruiting purposes in 1953.

The 15-minute programs each include four songs, two instrumentals and two vocal features. The singers are Jo Ann Greer, Butch Stone and Stumpy Brown from the band, and guests Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely.

The provenance of the musical selections is largely unknown. It's assumed in some quarters that these are from broadcasts, but I think that is unlikely. For one thing, the applause is obviously dubbed in. These may items may be from transcriptions for radio stations or commercial issues, probably both. Whatever the source, the music is uniformly excellent - Brown had a top-notch working band at the time - and the sound is quite good as well.

So in total we have 90 minutes of programming, including 24 songs. Each program is fully tracked, so you can listen to Hy Averback's announcements and Navy promos once (if that often) and then move on to the musical selections.

Program No. 1

We start off, appropriately, with Program No. 1 in the series, which has Margaret Whiting as guest vocalist. Her numbers are "C.O.D. (My Broken Heart)" and "No Other Love," both popular favorites at the time. Whiting did a commercial recording of "C.O.D." for Capitol, but this is not that performance. She did not record "No Other Love" commercially.

Margaret Whiting

As usual with Whiting, she presents each tune sympathetically, with perfect diction and a fine rhythmic sense. The Capitol version of "C.O.D." can be found here. Back in 2011 I called it an execrable song, but I must be mellowing - now I like it! "No Other Love" is the Richard Rodgers melody originally titled "Beneath the Southern Cross" when used in his music for the Victory at Sea television series. He then repurposed the tune for the musical Me and Juliet, with the addition of Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics.

Ronnie Lang

The program also includes the instrumentals "Midnight Sun," a Sonny Burke-Lionel Hampton theme that is not a favorite of mine, and "That Old Black Magic," the Harold Arlen composition that is a favorite. The former is a showcase for alto saxophonist Ronnie Lang, who was with the band only in 1953. Brown did record "Midnight Sun," both for Coral and World transcriptions. There also is a Coral single of "Black Magic," dating from 1951.

Program No. 2

Jo Ann Greer

Program No. 2 features Les' new singer Jo Ann Greer, who was to stay with him for several decades. And why not - she was a supremely talented vocalist who had the great presence that a band singer needs. Not as welcome is singing saxophonist Butch Stone, who was with Brown for the better part of 30 years and whose novelties were reputedly popular with audiences. I must be hard to please.

Greer's showcase is "Something Wonderful Happens." This is neither the King and I's "Something Wonderful" nor the Sinatra favorite "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer." It is a enjoyable pop song from 1953 that was recorded by Margaret Whiting, among others I imagine. Jo Ann deploys her extraordinary vibrato to good effect here.

Les is awed by Butch Stone's shiny mouth

Butch Stone's feature is called "The Shiniest Mouth in Town," in which he is proud of all the gold fillings in his mouth, which apparently were the sum total of his net worth. This Stan Freberg concoction merited a 1952 commercial recording. (This may be it.)

Les also recorded "Ramona," an L. Wolfe Gilbert-Mabel Wayne composition from 1928, both for Coral and for transcription. Another oldie, "My Baby Just Cares for Me," is from 1930. A Walter Donaldson-Gus Kahn song, it was introduced by Eddie Cantor in the film Whoopie! There isn't a commercial recording of this number. Both are smoothly done.

Program No. 9

We leap ahead to Program No. 9 in the series, with vocal features for both Jo Ann Greer and Les' brother Stumpy, so named because he was short. (People were less sensitive back then, or, more likely, they were inured to such mocking monikers.) The label calls him "Stompy," but that isn't correct. Stumpy played the bass trombone in addition to singing.

Greer's feature is "When I Fall In Love," which she didn't record with the band. Former Brown vocalist Doris Day had a hit with the Victor Young-Eddie Heyman piece in 1952, but her version does not eclipse Jo Ann's passionate reading. There also is a striking trombone solo, possibly by Dick Noel.

Stumpy/Stompy

Stumpy Brown's feature is "Lulu's Back in Town," the Warren-Dubin item that Dick Powell and the Mills Brothers introduced in 1935. Brown wasn't a great singer but he could carry a tune and had a good sense of time, helpful when you are a jazz musician.

The instrumental features are "Brown's Little Jug," a take on you-know-what that the band also recorded for Coral in 1953, and "Rain," a Eugene Ford item from 1927 that appears on Les' 1952 LP Musical Weather Vane.

Don Fagerquist

"Rain" is a feature for trumpeter Don Fagerquist. Frank Comstock was the arranger. Les' other arrangers back then included Skip Martin and Van Alexander. He hired the best.

Program No. 10

Jimmy Wakely

The guest artist for Program No. 10 was Jimmy Wakely, who was ubiquitous at the time, having appeared in dozens of B Western movies, either as the lead or a supporting act. He also was a recording artist, on Decca for several years in the 1940s, then on Capitol, where he was particularly successful in duets with Margaret Whiting - "Slippin' Around," "Silver Bells" and others.

Jimmy's first feature is "Side by Side," which to me works better as a duet. His genial version of the 1927 Harry Woods song was probably occasioned by Kay Starr's hit record of the period.

Wes Hensel

"Crying in the Chapel," written by Artie Glenn, was a hit for his son Darrell in 1953, and was covered by many artists, including a big R&B success for the Orioles. Wakely did not record it for Capitol; that label's entry was by Wesley Tuttle. I actively dislike this piece, probably because of Elvis' insincere 1965 version.

The band's features are the "One O'Clock Jump," Count Basie's famous 1937 blues number, and "The Montoona Clipper," written by Wes Hensel, trumpeter and arranger for Les' group. Brown recorded the latter composition twice for Coral - once for a single, once for his LP Concert at the Palladium, Vol. 1.

Program No. 13

The vocal soloists for Program No. 13 were again the band's own Jo Ann Greer and Butch Stone. Greer's specialty was "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues," written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler and introduced by Lillian Shade in Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1932. Jo Ann is again superb.

Butch Stone and Stumpy Brown - that's entertainment!

Butch Stone weighed in with "Etiquette Blues," written by Gayle Grubb and first recorded by several artists in 1928. "Always put both elbows on the table" is among the dubious pointers in this one, and "Thank you for your very kind attention" is the catchphrase. It suits Butch's persona poifectly.

"Green Eyes" was a big hit for Helen O'Connell with Jimmy Dorsey in 1941, but had been written back in 1931 as "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" by Adolfo Utrera and Nilo Menéndez. Les Brown's version is an instrumental, although I am sure Jo Ann Greer would have had no trouble improving on O'Connell's strained vocalizing. The composition also appeared on Brown's Over the Rainbow LP and his first live Palladium album.

Frank Comstock in emphatic mode

The other instrumental in this session was "Happy Hooligan," written by arranger Frank Comstock and the band's pianist, Geoff Clarkson.

I believe all the music in this program may have come from transcriptions. 

Program No. 14

Jo Ann Greer and Stompy/Stumpy Brown again were the vocal soloists in the final program on today's docket.

Jo Ann's feature is "Don't Take Your Love from Me," a Henry Nemo piece first recorded by Mildred Bailey in 1940. Stumpy added a easygoing version of "When I Take My Sugar to Tea," a Sammy Fain composition recorded in 1931 by everyone from the Boswell Sisters to the Chocolate Dandies.

Meanwhile, the band offered a lively version of "Stompin' at the Savoy," one of the hardiest of jazz standards, written by Edgar Sampson in 1933 and made famous by Benny Goodman in 1936.

The other instrumental feature was "You Are My Sunshine," which Les introduces as a folk song. That it may have been, although some research claims that a Georgia musician named Oliver Hood wrote it. Singer and later politician Jimmie Davis bought the music from Hood in 1939 and copyrighted it soon thereafter. This may have been the best $35 Davis ever spent - it made him famous. Surprisingly, it works nicely in a big band arrangement.

These shows demonstrated several things. The Brown ensemble was highly proficient and swinging, certainly one of the best postwar big bands. Jo Ann Greer was a terrific vocalist. Brown used two musicians from the band - his brother Stumpy and Butch Stone - to provide some variety to his programs and no doubt add some levity to live appearances. I make light of their contributions above, but no doubt they were important to the band's considerable success.

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)