More Early Vic Damone

This post is a companion to one from last September in that it is a 10-inch Mercury LP from 1950 containing early Vic Damone material.

It presents some of Damone's early single successes, such as "I have But One Heart". As before, the singer is in excellent voice and the sound is reasonably good considering the cheap vinyl that Mercury used. "Come Back to Sorrento" was almost certainly pitched too high; I have lowered it one semitone, and the result is more natural.

As before, on most but not all these recordings, the vocalist was backed by Glenn Osser. Here is the lineup of songs, conductors and recording dates, as best as I have been able to glean from a number of sources:

I Have But One Heart (Jerry Gray) April 23, 1947

God's Country (Glenn Osser) early 1950

Again (Glenn Osser) February 1949

Why Was I Born? (Glenn Osser) June 1949

Come Back to Sorrento (Tutti Camarata) October 1947

My Bolero (Glenn Osser) June 1949

You're Breaking My Heart (Glenn Osser) February 1949

Don't Say Goodbye (Glenn Osser) early 1950

Pam Garner Sings Quietly

Pam Garner was a stylish singer of the late 50s and early 60s who made just a few records.

She is a vocalist much to my own taste - unmannered, sensitive, in tune. It is unfortunate that she only made two LPs - this and one two years later for Columbia. The market for pop singers changed in the post-Elvis era, and that change only accelerated when the English invaded in the early 60s. The result was the market for traditional pop singers dried up, at least on records.

Pam Garner shows up in Billboard as early as 1953, and disappears right after her Columbia LP came out. So not a long career, but one that is worth your attention.

Garner also recorded two singles for Coral. One backed "Me and My Shadow," which is on this LP, with something called "Pinch Me Baby," which can be found on YouTube. Pam linked up with the Les Brown band for the other 45, which I haven't been able to locate.


This album was among Coral's first stereo issues in late 1958. It has the familiar foibles of early stereo records. Pam's voice wanders all over the stereo field on the first side. The sound on the second side listed decidedly to starboard; I have rebalanced it here. Finally, it took some doing to lessen a pronounced hissing on Pam's sibilants. This must have been an artifact of the recording; she was too young for loose dentures.

1958 Billboard ad

Frank D'Rone

Frank D'Rone, who died recently, can't be considered a well-known singer, although he is a well-regarded artist by his peers and by vocal aficionados. He is someone worth remembering for his considerable skill and taste as both vocalist and guitarist.

These days D'Rone is mostly known for four Mercury LPs and one on Cadet. These and some other recordings are readily available from his website, so I will concentrate on a few singles I had at hand.

D'Rone (shortened from Caldarone) began his career in New York in 1950. In 1953, he turned up on Motor City Records, and then went with the Herbie Fields band in 1954. By 1956 he was in Chicago clubs, and that city and Las Vegas were his bases of operations from then on.

It wasn't long before he was picked up by Mercury, a local label. His first effort was a cover of Bobby Helms' "My Special Angel" in 1957.

Our program today picks up with two singles from 1960. I want to first discuss "Joey, Joey, Joey." Although it is the only number in this group that appears on one of his albums, it is likely to be the one song here that is closest to his club repertoire. Although the backing here is credited to Fred Norman, it is largely D'Rone's guitar. his reading is persuasive, although to me some of his vocal mannerisms aren't suited to the song. The flip side is a folkish ballad called "The House and the Old Wisteria Tree," characteristic of the time. While not memorable, it also is not unattractive.

Also from 1960 is D'Rone's closest approach to a hit tune - "Strawberry Blonde," which rose to number 14 on the British hit parade. It's an "Old MacDonald"-style swingin' oldie, although here D'Rone sounds less like Sinatra and more like teen-set swinger Bobby Rydell crossed with Jack Scott. This was backed with "Time Hurries By," a pleasant ballad. Arrangements are by David Carroll.

D'Rone had moved on to Cameo records in 1963, and then, in 1965, to Columbia, where he made at least three singles. Representing this period today is a cover version of a big French hit by yé-yé girl France Gall, a children's tune called "Charlemagne." It's a peculiar song that blames the Father of Europe and lover of learning because modern-day children have to attend school. Although this may have made some sense to French kids of the day, I can't believe that anyone thought American youth would find it appealing (or even comprehensible). D'Rone is accompanied here by the six Quinto Sisters, best known for the original version of "A Holly Jolly Christmas," a song I cannot abide. (I now have added "Charlemagne" to that list.)

Fortunately, the other side of this is a very fine balled called "Nancy Knew," which makes a fitting end to this brief tribute to a talented artist. To learn more about him, see a three-part interview on the JazzWax blog.

Torch Time with Herb Jeffries

One of the blog's commenters wrote to say that the great romantic crooner Herb Jeffries reached the age of 100 last month. To celebrate, here is a transfer of what may be the singer's best album, Time on My Hands, which came out in 1951.

Jeffries at a 1951 recording session

The LP is a collection of torch songs. That was probably not a novel theme even way back then. Still, I doubt any other example was carried out better than this unusually cohesive set. This session found Jeffries in relaxed and confident form, and complemented by a entirely sympathetic combo. The arranger was pianist Dick Hazard; also on the date were guitarists Bob Bain and Allen Reuss, bassist Phil Stephens and drummer Nick Fatool.

Coral released Time on My Hands both as a 10-inch LP and a box of four 45s; my copy is in the latter format. The sound is excellent.

I've featured Jeffries a couple of times before; you can learn more about him on the earlier posts, which can be found via this link.

Young Vic Damone

Tonight we have some of the initial recordings by Vic Damone, a fine singer who is thankfully still with us.

This is Damone's first LP, which came out circa 1949. Five of the eight titles are from his first 78 album, issued in 1948. ("In the Middle of the Night" was left off the LP.) The long-playing record also includes "Ramona" and "Let's Fall in Love," released on a 78 in October 1947, and "The Way You Look Tonight," which is from December of that year.

Three Mercury vocalists circa 1948: John
Laurenz, Frankie Laine, Vic Damone

Damone is often compared to Frank Sinatra, and at least early in his career, the comparison is apt. He is at his most Sinatra-esque here, and the lush orchestral backings are similar to those that Axel Stordahl supplied to the Voice. Even the peppy "Sweet Sue, Just You" from the Roaring 20s became a  romantic effusion at the hands of Vic's tonsils. (No, his tonsils did not really have hands - you know what I mean.)

Sinatra did have the advantage of recording for Columbia, a major label, while Damone labored for Mercury, which wanted to be a major but did not have the same production standards as Columbia. It pressed its early LPs on cheap vinyl and the sonics suffer. I have been able to coax a fairly good sound from this record; just don't expect much in the way of high frequency response. These sides seem to be pitched correctly, which is not true of some of Damone's other Mercury output.

Glenn Osser conducts the orchestra on "Sweet Sue," "Girl of My Dreams," "If I Had You," and "They Didn't Believe Me". Tutti Camerata leads "Love Is Just Around the Corner". I don't know who conducts on the other sides.

Early Gisele MacKenzie

The reaction to my recent Gisele MacKenzie post on my other blog surprised me. Far more people like Gisele than I realized. Most of you probably like her more than I do!

With so much latent interest in the singer, I thought I might transfer her rarest LP. It is Orchids from Gisele, a promotional item issued only in her native Canada by the sponsor of her radio show.

While the album came out in 1958, it collects singles issued on Capitol from 1952 through early 1954, before MacKenzie spent several years with RCA Victor and its offshoot Vik.

The songs themselves are what you might expect from the period - a mixture of ballads, novelties and covers of country tunes. I find this era fascinating, while realizing that others disagree.

A few notes:

"Whistle My Love" was from the the Disney film Story of Robin Hood, and was widely recorded at the time. I had one of the recordings (can't recall which) and don't think I had heard the song in the intervening years. I liked it when I was four, and I like it now. Arranger Buddy Cole takes the "whistling" literally and has violinist Paul ("The Hot Canary") Nero on hand to supply the high harmonics. I could have done without them - Cole has a tendency to overdo things. This shows as well in the next song, the familiar "Adios," which includes a female backing vocal that sounds like Mary Ford on phenobarbital. Cole  adds organ accompaniment that sounds remarkably like Walter Wanderley's records of 10 years later.

"Mississippi River Boat" is another novelty, and if you can handle the constant "tu pocketa, tu pocketa" refrain, you may enjoy this. It's not my thing.

Nelson Riddle's arrangements are definitely my thing, and he takes over for "A Letter and a Ring" and "A Walkin' Tune." Both are handled nicely by MacKenzie.

"The Best Things in Life Are Free" was apparently unreleased except for this compilation. "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" was a country hit for Slim Willet (the composer) among many others, and Gisele's cover is accomplished. "My Favorite Song" is a good Moose Charlap composition. Buddy Cole is back for the latter two songs.

Possibly the best effort on the LP is MacKenzie's version of "Gone," a legendary country song by Smokey Rogers. "Gone" was a giant hit for Ferlin Husky in 1957 - five years after this version was cut. Husky had recorded the song earlier (also for Capitol) under the name Terry Preston, and it was even issued on a promo record together with Gisele's recording. MacKenzie appears on the sheet music.

As a bonus, I have included the promotional version of "My Buick, My Love and I" recorded by Gisele and Gordon MacRae and given out by Buick dealers in 1952. It was the theme song for Milton Berle's second TV program, The Buick-Berle Show. The promo record also had a version by the Mellomen on the back. The Macs' version was issued commercially as well. The bonus is not my transfer, although I have remastered it, and is from a lossy original. The LP transfer is of course from my own copy.

The Mary Kaye Trio

The Mary Kaye Trio was a staple of Las Vegas nightlife for many years. Mary Kaye herself was an expressive singer with a superb voice. Those skills are in evidence here as well, although they are subordinate to the vivid, larger-than-life presence that the Trio exhibited in its day-to-day battle to be heard above the din of a lounge bar, where they made their name and living. That means elaborate and sometimes explosive vocal arrangements where subtlety was not a consideration. A few generations of cocktail lounge groups copied the trio's approach.

1948 ad (click to enlarge)

The Mary Kaye Trio is sometimes said to have invented the lounge act in Las Vegas in the early 1950s, which seems unlikely. The ad at left in fact shows them as appearing in the Theatrical Grille in Cleveland in 1948, and the Theatrical certainly was a lounge bar. Mary, her brother Norman Kaye and Frankie Ross were probably no different from many other acts that appeared on the nightclub circuit, sometimes appearing solo and sometimes as an opener to a bigger act. What is likely is that the trio was the first to be booked into a Las Vegas lounge as overnight entertainment for the drinkers and gamblers who didn't want to go home. And it is there that they found a following.

As you will note in the ad, the Mary Kaye Trio was originally the Mary Kaaihue Trio. The Ka'aihues were Hawaiians, supposedly of noble extraction, although I couldn't tell you if that was truth or publicity. Their father played the ukelele professionally, and they followed him into the musical trade. They must have had Hawaiian music in the act at the beginning, and made an album of it for Apollo in 1947. The trio filmed a Soundie in 1946, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.

What can be found on that site is their appearance in the 1957 film Bop Girl Goes Calypso doing "Fools Rush In" using the same arrangement that is on Music on a Silver Platter. This then segues into a piece of their act, with clowning from Frankie Ross and a Liberace impression from Norman. Next is "Calypso Rock," mercifully not on the LP. I don't think that Mary was the bop girl who went calypso; that was the talented but short-lived Judy Tyler.

1956 ad

"Calypso Rock" may be as close at the trio ever got to rock 'n' roll, although Mary Kaye somehow became known as the "First Lady of Rock 'n' Roll," at least in the Fender guitar promotional materials. The group appeared in a 1956 Fender ad, and the model guitar shown was later named for Mary Kaye. Nonetheless, she usually played D'Angelico guitars, as she does in the YouTube clip.

Music on a Silver Platter (what came first: the title or the awful cover concept?) was their second Decca LP. They had recorded earlier for Columbia, Capitol, M-G-M and RCA Victor, as well as Apollo, and would go on to Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, if I recall correctly. The Silver Platter songs were probably intended as singles, although I have only been able to trace a few of them having been issued that way. There are arrangements by Jud Conlan and Russ Garcia (including the trombone-heavy "Fools Rush In"), but most are anonymous. The sound is reasonably good. This is presented by request.

Dori Anne Gray

Here's one I recently transferred for my pal Flyingfinger, who requested it.

There isn't much information available about the mid-50s singer Dori Anne Gray, so it's not possible to tell you who came up with that unfortunate nom de chanson - or even what her real name was or is. We do know that she made several singles for Mercury circa 1955-56, and then this LP for Roulette in 1957. She also was featured in Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Easter show in 1956, although she assuredly wasn't a rock 'n' roll singer. There is some bio material on the back cover, but since it doesn't match information in the Roulette ad below, who knows if it can be relied up.

What she was, was a very good pop singer, with great control, an excellent set of pipes and complete command of her material, both up tempo and ballad. Her vocal quality may remind you of Theresa Brewer or Kay Starr, although I for one certainly prefer her to Brewer at least.

There are a few songs that I absolutely cannot tolerate, among them "Bill Bailey", "Frankie and Johnny", and "Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me". But even that latter song, included here, did not put me off her.

In sum - despite the dumb name and dumber cover - Gray was a serious singer who is well worth your attention. Another attraction is the backing by Stu Phillips, then near the beginning of his career. You may know him from his Beatles covers with the Hollyridge Strings or his music for many American television shows. The arrangements are quite good.

A word of explanation about the cover - Gray was at the time a production singer at New York's Copacabana night club, and Roulette must have been trying to capitalize on the connection. She was not, as far as I can determine, a "Copa Girl," that is, a dancer in the production numbers themselves.

The sound here is fairly good, although there is too much reverb on the vocal microphone. Very worthwhile record - our man Flyingfinger has great taste.

Ella Logan

Ella Logan will be forever associated with Finian's Rainbow, having introduced "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" on Broadway in 1947. Logan also recorded most of the songs from that Burton Lane - E.Y. Harburg score in 1954, for this Capitol LP.

Ella Logan and David Wayne

The Glasgow-born Logan was a veteran singer when she came to Broadway. She made her debut in 1930 in London, and was a club singer in the US, even appearing in several films and shows before hitting it big in Finian's Rainbow.

When this Capitol recording session was taking place, Logan was planning to be involved in an animated version of the show, along with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra. That version was never completed (although the songs were recorded), but this, apparently unrelated LP still came out in 1955.

Logan was a very self-assured, but mannered singer. If you like her vocals on the original cast LP, you will be sure to enjoy this album, which is in a similar style. The fussy arrangements are by George Greeley. The sound is excellent.

Vic Damone - Ebb Tide

This is certainly one of the more understated covers you will find from the early 50s. I imagine that Mercury's art department thought they were being tasteful in using this painting, although I'm not sure what barren rocks have to do with the romantic title song, in which the waves "plant a kiss on the shore". What shore?

Billboard ad

"Ebb Tide" was a hit for Damone in late 1953, although it was a bigger hit in Frank Chacksfield's instrumental version. The transfer on this LP sounds sharp to me. I don't know whether the single was cut at the same speed (don't have a copy at hand), but I have included a alternate version of the song, which I took down a half step. This sounds more natural - in the higher version he sounds very much like early Sinatra. The arrangement is by Mercury stalwart Richard Hayman.

The LP also includes two other vocal versions of songs better known as instrumentals, the theme from Limelight, here called "Eternally", and  "April in Portugal". These are also from 1953. Some of the other recordings may be earlier, such as "Four Winds and the Seven Seas," a 1949 hit.

The post itself was inspired by my recent remastering of an earlier Vic Damone entry, which I enjoyed so much that I decided to pull another of his early Mercurys down from the shelves. The sound is good.

Page Cavanaugh Special

I've written often, although not recently, of my admiration for the late, great pianist-vocalist Page Cavanaugh. A few recent requests for reuploads of some Page LPs also motivated me to share more of his obscure output, in the form of four Navy recruiting transcriptions he recorded in the early 1960s.

But first, the re-ups. All of these are my original, mp3-only transfers from several years ago. Don't expect sonic splendors. The links below take you to the original post. Direct links to the downloads are also in the comments section of this post.

Page Cavanaugh: After Hours

Page Cavanaugh: Keyboard Kings

Page Cavanaugh Trio

Now on to the new material. These are four 15-minute transcriptions from a series called "The Navy Swings". Page and trio perform on each program and also back obscure vocalist Kay Cee Jones. Announcer George Fenneman pushes careers in the U.S. Navy.

Kay Cee Jones

Kay Cee Jones was perhaps most notable for singing with Western swing legend Spade Cooley in the 1950s. She made a few assorted singles on her own, and I have included one of them as a bonus item. She's not bad on the 45, although the material is. On the Navy shows, she can be overbearing.

The transcriptions don't indicate who is accompanying Cavanaugh. His classic trio, depicted below, included Al Viola on guitar (left) and Lloyd Pratt on bass (right), but I doubt they are present on the Navy shows.

The transcriptions are on 16-inch discs, as were many radio programs back then. I don't have a transcription turntable, so I had them dubbed onto cassette tape many years ago. Unfortunately the person who did the work transferred the sound at far too low a level, so the results lack definition, although they are certainly listenable. And listen you should, if you like great pianism and stylish singing.

The classic Page Cavanaugh Trio

Dick Todd

Dick Todd had the fortune or misfortune of sounding like Bing Crosby - so much so that he was called "the Canadian Crosby." He was, nonetheless, a good singer in his own right, although the vocal resemblance didn't stop with timbre; he adopted some of Bing's mannerisms, too.

Todd's first brush with fame came during his four-year period of recording for the Victor subsidiary, Bluebird, which ended in 1942. This particular LP picks up his recordings for the small Rainbow label, which began in 1949. The high point of that association was a hit recording of "Daddy's Little Girl," included here. With that success, Rainbow continued to pair Todd with sentimental family songs, including "Daddy's Little Boy," "Be Good to Your Father and Mother" and the ghastly 1920 chestnut "Daddy, You've Been a Mother to Me."

Circa 1952, Rainbow collected these items in this obscure 10-inch LP of "American Family Songs," with cover image of Todd gazing down at the ideal family unit of mom, dad, brother and sis. I hail from a unit very much like this one, although Dad, something of a fashion plate, never would have allowed us to sit on his lap while he was wearing a suit. Papa would occasionally regale me with his own version of "Daddy's Little Boy," which had an ironic tone foreign to the Todd recording.

Rainbow filled out this LP with a few love songs and the saga of "Michael McInerny" (whom Todd insists on calling "McInereny"), who was noted, the lyrics tell us, for tickling the chins of the married women of the neighborhood. He seems hardly the type of fellow to be featured on a disc of family songs.

On most of these tunes, Todd has the spartan accompaniment of a pianist that I believe to be Eddie (Piano) Miller. (Miller was called "Piano" to distinguish him from the tenor saxophonist of the same given name, I think.) Todd also is aided by a small and not very well-drilled vocal group. The simply-miked sound is just to my taste.

Following these recordings, Todd sank into obscurity, reputedly becoming alcoholic, destitute and estranged from his own family before his 1975 death. These recordings may be period pieces, but he was a talented singer who is worth remembering.

The George Sanders Touch

I've always considered the actor George Sanders to be slightly creepy, so I am not sure that I would consider the title "The George Sanders Touch" to be much of an inducement to buy.

The subtitle here is "songs for the lovely lady," so if there are any lovely ladies out there, this is apparently aimed at you. George is nice enough to offer you a carnation on the cover, while attempting to stifle gas pains.

If you partake, be warned that although Sanders was a thespian of some repute, his singing skills were much less well developed. He mostly relies on his sonorous actor's baritone to make an effect. Pitch, however, is not his strength, and he is at times distinctly flat.

If you can stand the inaccuracies, this is not unpleasant to hear, and the lush arrangements by Don Costa and Nick Perito are very fine. The record was issued in early 1958, shortly before the advent of stereo, and I am not sure that it ever came out in a dual-channel version. This mono pressing has excellent sound and my copy is mint.

Sanders was apparently an amateur musician who often played the piano, and wanted very much to be known as a singer. This is not unusual among actors; many of them started out as singers or in musicals, and any number of others were trained musicians. I love the genre of singing actors, and this is not a bad example, all told.

Sanders did many ads back when. That's him below (although to me it looks more like Robert Montgomery) along with then wife Sari Gabor - Zsa Zsa to you. George and Zsa Zsa were apparently in the habit of smoking cheap cigars while riding horses.

Sacred Music with Jo Stafford

Some unusual Jo Stafford sacred music selections for you tonight.

First is an EP recorded in October 1954 and issued in late 1955. The first two songs ("Each Step of the Way" and "Lord, Keep Your Hand on Me") were written by Redd Harper for evangelist Billy Graham's first film, Mr. Texas, released in 1951. "The Lord Is My Shepherd" is a Ralph Carmichael song, and "It is Springtime" is from Ted Silva.

Stafford never sounded more at home than when singing gospel music, and this is quite a good record in excellent sound.

Despite recording these evangelical songs, both Stafford and her husband Paul Weston were Catholics. In the early 1960s they began a company called Corinthian Records, which began by issuing Catholic liturgical music. The second LP in the series was "We Sing at Benediction," which was designed to teach Catholics the music and prayers of this service. It was a strange idea - it's not as though Catholics would be unfamiliar with their own liturgy. Much of the album is devoted to a fellow named Joseph Rottura instructing us on how to pronounce the Latin of the prayers and songs. His approach is highly Italianate, with rolled R's and elided H's. This is distinctly not the way I was taught to pronounce Latin through years of instruction in the language, but Rottura is intent on his approach, telling us the proper pronunciation will be more pleasing to God. He must have been surprised two years hence, when the Church tossed out the Latin liturgy altogether.

Of course, the main attraction of the record is hearing Jo Stafford singing several hymns, and she does this quite well. However, unless I am misremembering events of 50 years ago, these hymns would then have been presented by the celebrant and congregation, not by a solo singer. Anyway, they are beautiful to hear as done by Stafford. The tracks where she performs are indicated as "sung". Good mono sound from this 1961 LP.

Johnny Otis and Etta James

There were two notable deaths in the R&B world in the past few days, so I wanted to pay my respects to the fine talents of Johnny Otis and Etta James.

In the case of Otis, I suspect that far more people have read of his passing that have heard any of his records. So I transferred several of his early singles, which (amazingly) I found in my almost completely uncatalogued 78 collection.

From a 1952 Jet Magazine issue

Otis was a combination bandleader and impresario. He had a keen eye for talent, and his vocalists included Little Esther (heard here), Linda Hopkins, Big Mama Thornton and in the mid-50s, Etta James.

Otis began recording with the Los Angeles labels that came to life in the post-war years. Here we have several items from his year (1951) with Newark's Savoy records, showing a variety of R&B styles of the era. "All Nite Long" has his own vocal, and both song and singing were inspired by Louis Jordan's "Saturday Night Fish Fry."

From Jet Magazine

Little Esther is heard on entirely conventional "Get Together Blues" and the Vocaleers on "Chittlin Switch," with a proto-rock & roll riff backing and an oddly retro Sam Nanton-style trombone solo. Otis also jumped on the nascent mambo craze with his "Mambo Boogie."

There are also a few sides from Otis' male singer, Mel Walker - the blues "New Love" on Savoy and "Baby Baby Blues" on Mercury, which the bandleader joined in 1952. The latter is another side with a classic rock & roll riff backing. The flip of "Baby Baby Blues" is another blues, "Call Operator 210." Here the gimmick is that Walker is calling his girlfriend.

None of these recordings is extraordinary, but they show the popular R&B styles of the day, and they are all vividly recorded, showing the fine results that late-era 78s could deliver.

Different from Johnny Otis' music, I suspect that most people will have heard Etta James - at least "At Last," her greatest hit, which achieved considerable popularity in recent years. "At Last" comes from 1960 and is transferred from my original (and somewhat worn) pressing on the American Argo label. It's a fine performance from a powerful singer, but I believe part of the success of the record is due to the superb, moody arrangement by the Chicago-based musician Riley Hampton.

"At Last" is one of the several R&B hits that originated with Glenn Miller recordings. (Others: "Blueberry Hill" and "In the Mood".) I thought you might want to compare and contrast the Miller version from the film "Orchestra Wives" with the James recording. This has vocals by Ray Eberle and the wonderful - and almost completely unknown - Pat Friday. If you haven't heard it, please listen below.

At Last (Glenn Miller)

Christmas Songs from the Elisabeth Brasseur Choir

This is one of the more delightful Christmas records that I have had the opportunity to present here. It contains 24 brief songs presented by the Elisabeth Brasseur Choir of Paris, circa 1960.

At that time, the Choir was associated with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, and through that link made a number of notable recordings that are still in print today.

The orchestra disbanded in 1967 and Brasseur died in 1972, but the choir is still in existence today.

These recordings did not sound all that well - they were heavy on the mid range - but after some adjustments the mono sound provides a pleasing sense of "being there" with the choir, an effect I enjoy. The transfer is from an unusual double 10-inch LP from a French Christian music label.

Christmas Music from M-G-M

The M-G-M label issued quite a number of Christmas singles in the 1950s, and this 1958 LP on its budget Lion label presents a good selection.

We start with several items from 1950. One of the label's issues that year was a enjoyable double-78 set from the popular hillbilly-hokum band, the Korn Kobblers. Three of the four items on the 78 set are repackaged here. (The pianist-arranger for this group was Marty Gold, who later made many space-age pop LPs.)

Lionel Barrymore had made a famous recording of "A Christmas Carol" a few years earlier. He followed it in 1950 with a breathless dash through "'Twas the Night before Christmas." Finally from that year, we have delightful Jimmy Durante versions of "Frosty, the Snow Man" and "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." Roy Bargy conducts.

We skip ahead to 1953, and Little Rita Faye's twangy "I Fell Out of a Christmas Tree." Also from that year is "Tom and Jerry Meet Santa Claus," with music by Leroy Holmes. These are the narrated antics of the cartoon characters, who did not speak - seems a little strange.

Leslie Uggams began making Christmas records in 1953, as a 10-year-old. Here we have her 1954 entry, "The Fat, Fat Man," which is a little too show-bizzy for my taste.

More to my liking is a relatively big hit from 1955 (and a gigantic favorite with the young Buster), "Nuttin' for Christmas," an Art Mooney record with a wonderfully convincing vocal from the great Barry Gordon. For 1956, Gordon changed into a good kid, and came out with the cheery "I Like Christmas." I prefer the kid who "ain't been nuttin' but bad."

The final item is also from 1956, I believe. It is from Mary Mayo, a fine singer who mostly was a studio vocalist. Here she presents "God Bless You, Little Children."

Good sound on these.

Lillian Brooks - Merry Christmas to Michael

I am a sucker for obscure pop songs and singers, so today's Christmas offering will be in that vein. It is a 1956 recording on the King label by Chicago vocalist Lillian Brooks (below) called "Merry Christmas to Michael". The song is by Eddie Ballantine, the leader of the band on Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, a radio program that originated in Chicago, and organist Tommy Fairclow. The lyrics are a little clumsy, but Brooks, a big-voiced alto, puts them across with a lot of feeling, and that's what you want in your Christmas tunes, in my view.

Lillian Brooks

The other side of the single is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star," which has been anthologized a few times. Brooks shares this with some screeching juveniles who must the the "Two Tones" cited on the label. Not my kind of thing but I have included it for the sake of completeness.

King printed brief bio information on the labels of its promo records at this time. This one tells the tale of a lovely Chicago lass who achieved her dream of becoming a singer and was married, making her "permanent home" in Chicago. That home turned out to be not so permanent, however, for the following year she turned up in nearby Milwaukee, suing her husband for divorce, while calling him a drinker who "embarrassed her my remarking on her mental capacities." The husband promptly countersued, claiming that she was traipsing around the Midwest with a music impresario and "she permitted him to visit her alone at 'improper hours of the morning.'" This domestic drama comes to us from the archives of the Milwaukee Journal, which, however, does not tell us its ultimate outcome. Presumably it did not end well. Brooks went on to record a few other singles on small labels into the 60s.

Sorry I haven't been able to post as much as I usually do this time of year - ridiculously busy at work. The shares will start up again soon.

More Matt Dennis

I had a request for this Matt Dennis LP, which I am particularly happy to provide at this time because it contains two seasonal songs.

This is a selection of radio transcriptions that the singer-songwriter made primarily (I believe) in 1947, although this Tops LP dates from about a decade later. These were done for the C.P. MacGregor company, which was one of the major houses providing transcription services to radio stations.

Matt Dennis

I say 1947 because some of the songs date from then, including Dennis' own "Natch," a Merceresque tune that I would swear Mercer himself recorded, although I can't find any evidence of such.

Almost all of these recordings are of Dennis alone with his piano, which is the best way to hear him. The holiday selections are Matt's fine composition "Hitch Up the Sleigh" and an affecting version of "White Christmas."

Matt Dennis is strong favorite of mine, so I hope you will try this excellent record

More Bobby Troup

In my last post, I said that I would lay off the singers for a while, and return to offering other genres. Hate to make myself a liar, but here is another vocal record - in this case Bobby Troup's first recording for Liberty, which was only the second LP to be issued on that label, in 1955. It has not been reissued, to my knowledge.

Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.

Bobby and Howard Roberts

Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!

Stan, Helen, Bobby

The LP was recorded in 1955, at about the time Troup was appearing with Stan Freberg and Helen O'Connell (among others) on the summer television show, "Musical Chairs."

The cover tells us this was recorded at a place called "The Celebrity Room" in Hollywood, but there is no trace of an audience and it doesn't sound like a live date.

My LP is is very good shape, except for some surface noise during part of "The Hucklebuck" and all of the brief "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," which I've almost entirely eliminated.