They All Sang Merle Travis

1956 Billboard ad

The charismatic country musician Merle Travis (1917-83) was a remarkably influential guitarist and a talented singer, but today's post will explore his gifts as a songwriter. We'll look at 26 recordings by other country musicians as well as such disparate performers as Lawrence Welk and Mickey Katz, and add a few that include Travis but were not issued under his name.

Early Life and Career

It's hard to discuss Merle Travis without citing his background, which colored some of his most famous songs. He was born and raised in coal-mining country, Muhlenberg County, Tennessee, and learned to play guitar from local musicians who included Ike Everly, father of Phil and Don.

By the time he was 20, he was playing with well-known country fiddler Clayton McMichen, and soon moved to become a staff musician at Cincinnati's WLW radio. His first recordings were in 1943 with fellow WLW staffer Grandpa Jones. They called themselves the "Sheppard Brothers" to sidestep their employer's prohibition on recording. Their "You'll Be Lonesome Too" and "The Steppin' Out Kind" (not included in this collection) comprised the first 78 ever issued by Syd Nathan's King Records.

1944-45 Recordings

It wasn't long before Travis was making a name for himself both as musician and songwriter. By 1944, he had moved to California and soon was in the studios with Capitol artist Wesley Tuttle. Together they wrote our first selection, "It May Be Too Late." The song is a standard bluegrass style yearning-for-the-old-folks-at-home number. It is a Travis record in all but name; he is the lead singer and guitarist on the recording. In just a few years Travis would record at Capitol under his own name.

From about the same time came the Travis-Tuttle "I Know It's Wrong," another standard country lament, with Tuttle singing and Travis' excellent picking.

Tex Atchison (upper left), Merle Travis (lower left), Cliffie Stone (right). Guitarist Red Murrell also recorded with Travis.

With the third side, we encounter one of Merle's most characteristic and famous songs, "Cincinnati Lou." Travis was to have a hit with the song under his own name for Capitol in 1946, but this 1945 version is by "Tin Ear Tanner and His Back Room Boys" for the small Bel-Tone label. Again, Travis sings and plays on the record, although it's not clear if he or fiddler Tex Atchison answered to "Tin Ear Tanner." The Back Room Boys included longtime Travis associate Cliffie Stone on bass.

1946 Recordings

Judy Canova

Travis really began to rise with his Capitol contract. His first session there, in March 1946, produced not only "Cincinnati Lou" but "No Vacancy," co-written with Cliffie Stone. It, too, was a hit and among the cover records was a version by ex-vaudeville personality Judy Canova, who was then popular in films. She cut it for the small ARA label (which unbeknownst to her and other ARA artists was a Soviet-front operation).

But Travis' biggest hit in 1946 was "Divorce Me C.O.D." from a July session. By that time the major labels were getting interested, and Decca had their popular novelty act the Hoosier Hot Shots do a version. The material was suited to their style and the results are convincing.

In August 1946, Capitol had Travis record an album of Folk Songs of the Hills, from which came several of Merle's most famous songs - "Sixteen Tons," "Dark as a Dungeon" and others. Among them was "That's All," here in a late 1946 rendition for 4-Star by "T" Texas Tyler, longtime country star.

1947-49 Recordings

In early 1947, Merle had another big success with "So Round, So Firm, So Fully-Packed," here in a cover version by one of the biggest names in country music, Ernest Tubb. In the lyrics, Travis wove in several takeoffs on current advertising slogans. The title is a Lucky Strike cigarettes catch phrase. Other products referenced in the song are Sunkist oranges, Camel cigarettes, Packard automobiles and Pepsi-Cola.

"Weary Lonesome Me" is another standard country lament that Travis had recorded during in his first Capitol session. It was unissued then, but his old associate Grandpa Jones picked it up and recorded it in 1947 for King. Among those playing on the record are Nashville session musicians Henry Haynes and Kenneth Burns, who soon would become known as musical satirists Homer and Jethro. I believe the guitarist is Hank Garland.

Deuce Spriggins and His Band (Deuce is to the right of the accordionist)

The biggest country hit of 1947 was "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," written by Travis and Tex Williams. Among the musicians playing on Tex's superb, fast-paced recording were bassist Deuce Spriggins, who ventured into the studio a few months later to record his own version for Coast (which spelled his name "Spriggens"). It's not at all a bad record, although Deuce did not possess Tex's superb timing or resonant voice.

"Smoke" was such a big country hit that even someone like bandleader Lawrence Welk got interested, enlisting Bob "Tex" Cromer for the date. Cromer did have a country background, and recorded a few numbers with Spade Cooley later on. This record is not as limp as you might suspect, but posed no threat to Tex Williams or even Deuce Spriggins.

Travis recorded his distasteful "I Like My Chicken Fryin' Size" for Capitol in July 1947. The big country star Johnny Bond was in Columbia's studios a few weeks later for a cover version, suggesting again that recording companies and leading artists were paying close attention to Travis. Later that same year, Bond and Columbia put out Merle's ballad "A Petal from a Faded Rose."

Wade Ray in 1919

Wade Ray had been in vaudeville as a young child. By 1949, he had become a versatile country artist, singing and playing all the instruments on "Cuddlebug." I had to check the label twice to make sure this was a Travis song. It's catchy and accomplished, but old-timey, a song that could have been written back when Ray was a boy fiddler.

Recordings of the 1950s

Grandpa Jones

Grandpa Jones returned in 1950 with "Dark as a Dungeon," one of Travis' best and most famous songs, which originally appeared in the Folk Songs from the Hills album. Jones does it full justice in a most affecting bluegrass recording. (For some reason, King attributed the song to Jones.)

In late 1950, Tex Williams took Travis' "Don't Make Love to Mary (With Mabel on Your Mind)" into the studio, with hopes of repeating the success of "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!" This brilliant novelty is just as good as "Smoke," although not as profitable. "Don't slip and call her Ginger / If her name is Clementine" is the advice here.

Tex Williams

Lindy Doherty was a pop singer on Capitol's rolls for a short time. He did a good job in 1950 with "Sweet Temptation," a bid for crossover success with lush backing from Sid Feller. Travis had recorded the song back in 1946.

Roberta Lee was a former band singer who began a recording and a night club career in the late 40s. In 1952, she did a sardonic and highly effective version of Travis' "Common Folks." It's a lesser known but very worthwhile example of Merle's talking-blues style.

Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan

"Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan" (Lee Roy Pettit) is best remembered for his 1951 hit "Hot Rod Race" (a cover for Capitol of Arkie Shibley's Gilt-Edge original). He is commanding on 1953's "The Wheel That Does the Squeakin'." This driving honky-tonk side boasted Capitol's best sidemen, including Jimmy Bryant, Billy Strange, Speedy West, Red Murrell, Muddy Berry and Billy Liebert. Another exceptionally clever song.

Molly Bee

From about the same time is "What'll He Do?" from the 14-year-old Molly Bee, who had scored with her 1952 version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Bee was a talented youngster who often was on American television in the 1950s.

Travis' own bid for Christmas immortality was 1953's "Freddie, The Little Fir Tree," yet another anthropomorphic tale in the mode of "Frosty the Snowman." I think it's creepy, and it did not become one of Gene Autry's most famous holiday records. Ned Fairchild was the co-author.

"Steel Guitar Rag" was a famous Bob Wills instrumental written by Leon McAuliffe of the Wills band (although it was based on earlier songs). Travis and frequent collaborator Cliffie Stone added words and recorded it in 1947. The Dinning Sisters, a country version of the Andrews Sisters, revived it for Decca in 1953. Decca arranger Jack Pleis' work is unidiomatic; he probably was not used to having a steel guitar in his studio. The words are fine, but this is not a song that was crying out for lyrics (or the Dinnings, for that matter).

Eddy Arnold, RCA Victor's country superstar, was in rare form with "Bayou Baby (A Cajun Lullaby)," a lovely song, one of Travis' best. This superb record was an early 1956 release.

Travis' most popular composition is probably the surreal coal-mining song "Sixteen Tons," one of the numbers in his 1946 Folk Songs of the Hills. It wasn't until 1955 that the song it became a huge hit, in Tennessee Ernie Ford's compelling version (a favorite of mine when I was six). This Ford record elicited some unlikely cover versions, including one by the talented pop singer Johnny Desmond, who does surprisingly well in the face of Dick Jacobs' unsympathetic arrangement.

Mickey Katz and his 16 tons of salami

Tennessee Ernie's record was so pervasive that it invited parodies, including a Mickey Katz deconstruction. Instead of sixteen tons of No. 9 coal, Katz loads sixteen tons of hard salami in the delicatessen to which he owes his neshamah. It's incredible, as are many of Katz' records. This may be the only Travis record with a klezmer-style break.

As country morphed into rockabilly in the mid-50s, a popular example of the genre was Sanford Clark's "The Fool" of early 1956. Later that year he covered "Nine Pound Hammer," which had appeared in the Folk Songs of the Hills album. The song is so associated with Travis that it is usually ascribed to him (as it is here), although it's a traditional number and was identified as such in the original album. Clark's pounding rockabilly reading is probably not what Travis had in mind, although it's compelling in its own way (in fact, it's better than "The Fool"). Guitarist Al Casey discovered Clark and plays the stinging solo on this record.

As a measure both of the distance music had come in a decade and of Travis' greatness as an artist, we end this collection with Merle's own 1946 recording of "Nine Pound Hammer," which shows how his inimitable narrative and superb vocal and guitar playing made the song his own.

All these recordings come from the vast reaches of the Internet Archive, as cleaned up by me. The sound is generally excellent.

Travis Himself on Film and Video

YouTube has these examples of Merle performing songs in this collection:

Nine Pound Hammer

Sixteen Tons

Sweet Temptation

Dark as a Dungeon

1956 Billboard ad

Spade Cooley's Complete Columbia Recordings

Donnell Clyde ("Spade") Cooley (1910-69) remains one of the best known exponents of the Western swing genre, even though his greatest successes, both artistically and commercially, came early in his career and spanned only a few years.

Way back in the first few months of this blog I posted Cooley's sole Columbia LP, Sagebrush Swing, which captured some of his band's finest work during its 1944-46 peak. Recently reader dave_bruce asked me to repost those files. Instead, I decided to expand upon that old effort for two reasons - one, I couldn't find the originals, and two, Sagebrush Swing is not entirely characteristic of Cooley's Columbia output. 

So today I am presenting all the Cooley Columbias, 24 in all, from his first hit, "Shame on You," through to his departure for RCA Victor at the beginning of 1947. These are mainly collated from lossless needle-drops found on Internet Archive and refurbished by me. They include two recordings with Dinah Shore and one Columbia master only issued on V-Disc.

The Cooley Prehistory

Western swing is generally considered to be a branch of country music, but its name also conveys two other influences. First, it is "Western" because it was produced by musicians who lived in the West, primarily California, with the best of them also appearing in Western films. And it was "swing" because it reflected the swing music of the time. The great Western bands - Cooley's among them - played for dancers, just as the city swing bands did. Some people believe that Cooley's promoter popularized the term "Western swing."

The first, best and remarkably talented Cooley ensemble was an outgrowth of singer-actor Jimmy Wakely's band, which was resident at the Venice Pier near Los Angeles and popular with dancers. At some point in 1942, Jimmy wanted to add horns to his band, but the dance hall management said no. So Wakely left the band in the hands of fiddler Cooley, and went off to make cowboy films for Universal.

The band that appeared at Venice Pier featured many of the leading musicians who would record with Cooley, as shown in the 1942 photo above. Among them were vocalist Tex Williams, guitarist-vocalist Smokey Rogers, and accordionist Pedro De Paul. The lone woman in the band was vocalist Ella Mae Evans, whom Cooley would eventually marry, and would murder 20 years later.

The 1944-5 Recordings and Instant Success

By 1944, the band's local renown had led to a recording contract with Columbia Records, which initially released Cooley's 78s on its OKeh label. The bandleader's first session yielded his all-time greatest hit - "Shame on You," with a vocal from the resonant baritone of Tex Williams and harmony from Smokey Rogers.

Rogers, who already had a serviceable nickname, was identified on the label as "Oakie." It's not clear where the latter name came from; Rogers was from Tennessee. Later on, he would make records under the name Smokey (Buck) Rogers. Also odd is that Rogers recorded a competing version of "Shame on You" for Four Star.

The solos on the famous OKeh record are by the sterling steel guitarist Joaquin Murphey and the underrated guitarist Johnny Weis, a Charlie Christian disciple.

Joaquin Murphey and Johnny Weis

All Cooley's early records feature Tex Williams, who was heavily influenced by Bob Wills' singer Tommy Duncan. Their mellow style would in turn be reflected in such later artists as Ray Price and Johnny Cash. 

Cooley wrote or co-wrote most of the band's songs, including "Shame on You." He collaborated at times with Rogers, Weis and DePaul, as well as other writers. The songs generally concerned themselves with the standard country topics, as indicated by their titles - "Forgive Me One More Time," "I Guess I've Been Dreaming Again," "I've Taken All I'm Gonna Take from You," "A Pair of Broken Hearts," "Troubled Over You," "You'll Rue the Day," and so on.

The band's only unissued side from this period was the war-themed "Hari Kari," a jaunty number that invited the then-foe Japanese to disembowel themselves. Both the subject and the presentation are tasteless and the song would not be issued to the public, mostly because it was recorded just a few weeks before V-J Day. It was, however, dispatched to the troops via V-Disc 841, and I've included it in the collection. The band's only other V-Disc was a reissue of its "Three Way Boogie," discussed below.

Another Hit and a Session with Dinah

Cooley's second hit was a cover version of "Detour," written by steel guitarist Paul Westmoreland and recorded with vocalist Jimmy Walker in early December 1945. (I suspect that the title was inspired by that year's film noir of the same name.) Within a month, Cooley was in Columbia's KNX Hollywood studios for a remake. The song perfectly suited Williams, backed on vocals by Rogers and bassist Deuce Spriggins. (Spriggins was another fellow who had many names - the label calls him "Arkie.")

KNX

Cooley's next session was with Dinah Shore, then at the height of her popularity. Shore was versatile, so Columbia had her cover everything from blues to Betty Hutton songs. Here she takes on Cooley's "Heartaches, Sadness and Tears" and Irving Berlin's "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," from the then current show Annie Get Your Gun. Dinah, as was her habit, charmed her way through both numbers, but they would have been better left to Tex Williams or Ethel Merman. respectively.

Dinah made your worries melt away

Finally, Some Hot Instrumentals

When Cooley's usual aggregation entered the studio on May 3, 1946, they had not yet recorded an instrumental, even though such numbers surely would have been a mainstay of their band book. So, after dispatching the Tex Williams vocal "I Can't Help the Way You Feel," the group launched into four instrumental sides that would eventually find their way onto the Sagebrush Swing album. That 10-incher contained only one vocal, Spade's big hit "Shame on You."

The first instrumental to be recorded was "Three Way Boogie," in which the guitars, accordion and fiddles display section writing similar to the way trumpets, saxes and trombones were deployed in a conventional swing band. This propulsive piece - one of the best records of the swing era - was co-written by Weis, Murphey and accordionist George Bamby (spelled Bamley on the label and Barmby in the discography).

The other instrumentals are as enjoyable - "Oklahoma Stomp," "Cow Bell Polka" and "Steel Guitar Rag."

Pedro DePaul

Cooley's next Columbia session was in June 1946, split between Williams vocals and instrumentals, including the superb "Spadella" and "Swingin' the Devil's Dream." The latter was the band's exciting take on a traditional tune, here attributed to Cooley and Pedro DePaul.

That was the end of the Columbia contract and Cooley's greatest period. By the beginning of 1947, the bandleader had left Columbia for RCA Victor, most of the musicians had departed to form Tex Williams' Western Caravan, and one of the great Western swing bands was no more.

As Cooley had done, Tex and his crew met with immediate success in the recording studio. In March 1947, the band recorded Merle Travis' "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," which became a massive country hit for Capitol. Playing on the record were many of the former Cooley musicians - Johnny Weis, Smokey Rogers, Deuce Spriggins and Pedro DePaul among them.

Cooley, Williams et al on Screen

Cooley, Williams and several of the other musicians may have spent as much time making movies as records. Their output included both Soundies and even more frequently, appearances and even lead roles in the inexpensive Westerns that were so much a part of big-screen fare back then.

Cooley himself had appeared on film as far back as 1938 as a member of Walt Shrum and His Colorado Hillbillies. His own band's first featured appearance seems to have been in the Joe E. Brown-Judy Canova film Chatterbox in 1943. In 1944, Spade, Tex and the band were seen in the Soundie "Take Me Back to Tulsa," appropriating the Bob Wills hit. This clip features Murphey, DePaul and a terrific Weis solo; also, for some reason yodeler Carolina Cotton pretends to play bass throughout the piece.

More of Bob Wills' repertoire can be seen in an "Ida Red" clip, again with Murphey and Weis starring. Carolina Cotton provides a solo yodel, this time leaving the bass playing to Deuce Spriggins.

The Cooley contingent made a 10-minute short for Warner Bros. in 1945, "King of Western Swing," with featured vocals from Rogers, Spriggins, Williams, and another Carolina Cotton yodel. Also in 1945, Universal shorts presented Rogers singing "My Chickashay Gal" (which he later recorded for Capitol) and the unknown Patricia McMahon doing Tex's specialty "Shame on You" with the Cooley band.

Finally, I'd recommend a version of "Miss Molly" from the 1945 Three Stooges feature, Rockin' in the Rockies. This has Tex, Oakie, Arkie, Weis, DePaul and even harpist Spike Featherstone, who appeared on several Cooley records about this time, all in prime form.

I mentioned that Western swing musicians found a natural home in the Western programmers of the time. Tex Williams had his own series for Universal, featuring Smokey Rogers and Deuce Spriggins.

Carolina Cotton and Deuce Spriggins

Meanwhile, Spriggins (often spelled Spriggens by the studios) was teamed with Carolina Cotton for a number of film appearances.

Some of the musicians had active recording careers as leaders. Beside Williams with his many records for Capitol and other labels, Spriggins had a number of solo Capitol singles, and Smokey Rogers did fairly well with Four Star, Capitol, Coral and other companies, including this 1950 gem with Ann Jones.

The Later Years

Cooley had his own program on Los Angeles television from 1948-56. He made a large number of records for RCA, then moved on to Decca in 1951. He made his final LP for Raynote in 1959.

The sad story of Spade's later life is well known - convicted of murdering his wife Ella Mae in 1961, then dying of a heart attack backstage at a benefit concert in 1969, shortly before he was to be paroled.

Buster's 2019 Christmas Selection

Let's start off the holiday season with a selection of 22 singles from way back when. We have familiar tunes in less familiar performances and some little-known songs as well. These come from 78s spanning 1934 to 1956, and include many genres - mostly pop, but also gospel, country, jazz and what-have-you. Something for everyone to love in this season of good cheer.

We start off with "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" in what is perhaps its first recording, dating from 1934. It is by George Hall and His Hotel Taft Orchestra. Hall is best known for his records with Dolly Dawn, but this single predates the coming of the Dawn and has a vocal by Sonny Schuyler (later Skylar), who achieved some renown as a composer as well as singer. He didn't write this tune, though. You can blame J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie for it. George Hall and His Hotel Taft Orchestra did indeed perform at that New York establishment. I used to work across the street from its successor, and just yesterday came across a hanger from the place.

Also from 1934 we have another song that was new at the time, "Winter Wonderland," as performed by Angelo Ferdinando and His Hotel Great Northern Orchestra. That hostelry also was in New York, but I don't have a hanger from it. Ferdinando's was not the hit version of "Winter Wonderland"; that was by the better-known Richard Himber. This one is pretty good, though. It has a vocal by Dick Robertson, who was on seemingly every other record made during the era. Ferdinando left the music business not long after this 78 was issued, but made a comeback in 1937 with a simpler name - Don Ferdi.

We move on to 1937 and two versions of Irving Berlin's excellent "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," introduced in the film On the Avenue. First is a very good budget version from Sterling Young's West Coast band, with vocal by Billy Mozet. Then there is the better known Victor from Ray Noble's crack American ensemble, with Howard Barrie as singer. This was just after Al Bowlly completed his tenure as the band's vocalist.

Returning to "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," Alvino Rey brings us a 1941 reading with the King Sisters presenting lyrics that had been updated to reflect the hip lingo of the time. I wonder what lyricist Haven Gillespie thought of such couplets as "He knows if you're a ickie / He knows if you're a gate." My guess is that he was OK with it so long as the checks kept comin' to town. The record also gives you a chance to hear Rey's Hawaiian-style "Gibson Electroharp" in a swing context, where it sounds odd.

The year 1945 brought us the Cahn-Styne classic "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow." Among the lesser-known versions from that year was the offering by radio tenor Danny O'Neil, issued on the short-lived Majestic label.

Clyde Burke

New in 1947 was Gordon and Lee's "Christmas Dreaming," familiar to Sinatra fanciers via his classic version. Here's an lesser-known reading from Blue Barron's orchestra, with a vocal by Clyde Burke. The singer also made records with Sammy Kaye, Glen Gray and Raymond Scott.

Art Kassel and his band revived "Winter Wonderland" for the 1947 selling season. The song's arrangement could have dated from the 1930s, what with the soupy saxes and tightly muted brass that Kassel deploys. The vocal quartet is more modern sounding, though, and all in all, it's an enjoyable record.

Also from 1947 was a new number called "The Winter Song" or "Look Out the Window," depending on what record you consult. By whatever title, it didn't become a standard, although it is still heard occasionally. Our first effort comes from the Coral label and the little known Gil Downs, along with a backing band and the vocal group 4 Hits and a Miss. The latter troupe also was known as "3 Hits and a Miss" and "6 Hits and Miss," presumably based on the number of male vocalists who showed up for the session.

Tex Williams

So far we have been strictly in pop territory, but now we move into the country-western genre with Western swing's Tex Williams taking up the same "Winter Song" in his resonant baritone, for the Capitol label.

Since Frank Loesser's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was introduced in Esther Williams' 1949 aquatic adventure Neptune's Daughter, it has been the subject of countless performances and the object of some surprising controversy. Around here, we prefer an irreverent approach to the tune. Last year we had the knowing Pearl Bailey and the lupine Hot Lips Page. This year we present a highly amusing country version with Homer and Jethro trying to persuade backwoods siren June Carter to stay out of the weather ("Say, what's in this here drink?" / "It ain't sarsaparillee.") The trio recreated their performance for television in 1971.

Jethro, June and Homer on TV

Singer June Winters is little remembered today, but at mid-century she was known as the children’s music character "Lady in Blue." She and her husband, producer Hugo Peretti (Hugo & Luigi), had started the kiddie label Mayfair in the 1940s. Here she presents the appealing "Christmas in My Heart" on a 1950 Mercury release.

Billboard, December 9, 1950

We now turn to the miraculous Mahalia Jackson with a two-sided Apollo label release, also from 1950 - "Silent Night" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

Also from that year comes the obscure but prolific Dick Stratton and His Nite Owls, with a tremendous honky-tonk performance of "I Wouldn't Have You on a Christmas Tree." Stratton and his band were mainstays of the small Jamboree label.

Staying in the country realm, we move on to 1951's "Blue Shadows on a White Christmas Tree" from Eddie Hazelwood and his Carolina Woodchoppers. Hazelwood was vocally under the spell of Hank Williams, but it's a good record even so. "Blue Shadows" was a Hazelwood composition; his best known numbers were "Sick, Sober and Sorry" (Johnny Bond) and "On a Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor" (Johnny Horton). This single was issued by Intro, owned by Aladdin. Hazelwood also recorded for Imperial and Decca, including a cover of Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" way before Elvis.

Jimmy Collett

Jimmy Collett is another little-remembered country artist. In 1953 he recorded two sentimental items, "I Don't Want to Be Alone for Christmas" and "I Remember Christmas," for the Arcade label. Born in Arizona, Collett worked mainly in New Jersey, recording regularly and when he wasn't singing, plying his trade as a dentist. Here he drops his dental tools and country manner, and shows his roots as a Crosby-style crooner, even whistling like Bing.

We move to the small Diva label and a recording of "Santa's Ride" written by label owner Frank Serritella and sung by Frankie Ross, who was actually the famous but ill-fated jazz trombonist Frank Rosolino. I don't have an exact date on this one, but it was probably pre-1954, when Rosolino moved to the West coast.

Staying in the jazz realm, alto saxophonist Herb Geller and his group had a go at Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" in 1954, with interesting results. Also on the date are Lorraine Geller (p), Curtis Counce (b) and Larance Marable (d).

Next, a quick detour to Chicago and polka king L'il Wally with another "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," this one from 1956 and Wally's Jay Jay label. If I haven't tried your patience enough with this song, wait 'til you hear juvenile vocalists Lenny and Judith, who make Patience and Prudence sound like Simon and Garfunkel. The two had to be related to L'il Wally.

Pete Rugolo

For our final selection, we return to jazz and bandleader Pete Rugolo's 1956 arrangement of "Snowfall." Composer Claude Thornhill conceived the song as a peaceful rendering of snowflakes falling. Rugolo instead offers a Latin beat punctuated by blasting Kenton-style brass. No surprise there - Rugolo had been a Kenton arranger

I found these 78s up near the North Pole of the Internet Archive, and remastered them for your holiday listening. Best wishes of the season to all, and a special greeting to blog follower Lennonka, with hopes that he will be doing better soon!