1949-51 Margaret Whiting Singles

My post of Margaret Whiting's first album was very popular, so I am preparing some follow-up posts of her unreissued singles. This is the first of three such entries - maybe more, if I can find my stash of her 78s. These 12 songs all are from 45s, most of them unplayed store stock.

From 1949, we have a coupling of two Josef Myrow-Mack Gordon songs - It Happens Every Spring, from the film of the same name, and Every Time I Meet You, from The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend. Two excellent songs, nicely done.

From the same year, we have two Irving Berlin songs from the Miss Liberty score - Let's Take an Old Fashioned Walk and Paris Wakes Up and Smiles.

Moving to 1950, Capitol issued an odd coupling of It's a Most Unusual Day, from the two-year-old movie A Date with Judy, with the St. Louis Blues. Later that year, Whiting recorded (We've Got a) Sure Thing from the Bing Crosby film Ridin' High, backed with the awful Solid as a Rock, a synthetic r&b number also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and the Deep River Boys.

Also from 1950 is a terrific rendition of Come Rain or Come Shine, with a flip side of Dream Peddler's Serenade. The latter had music by Johnny Mercer and lyrics by one of the winners of Capitol's Songs without Words contest, John Rufus Sharpe III. For that contest, Capitol asked entrants to write the words for new music by Mercer, Jimmy McHugh, Livingston and Evans, Isham Jones, Ray Noble and Paul Weston. Sharpe's work was apparently heavily influenced by Kim Gannon's lyrics for A Dreamer's Holiday, which had been a hit the previous year.

Our final 45 is from 1951, and has the hymn-like Faithful by French composer Alex Alstone with words by Jimmy Kennedy, and Lonesome Gal, a worthwhile song by Walter Schumann and Jack Brooks.

Whiting is backed by Frank DeVol on all recordings except Come Rain or Come Shine, which has a Paul Weston arrangement. The sound is excellent.

Hope you enjoy these relatively rare items by one of the finest vocalists of the time.

Betty Garrett in Call Me Mister

Betty Garrett died last week, and I am honoring her by presenting the cast album from Call Me Mister, a 1946 revue that was a big break for her - and is a favorite show of mine.

Betty Garrett asks South
America to take it away

Now why would Betty Garrett star in something named Call Me Mister? It's because the review pertains to soldiers who were being discharged into the postwar world, and who now could be called "Mister" rather than by their rank. Most of the cast was composed of ex-military personnel - Garrett and some others excepted.

Garrett takes on the role of a worker in a military canteen - in one scene teaching the soldiers to do the then-popular Latin American dances ("South America, Take It Away" - her show stopper); in another lamenting the fact that with the end of war came the end of her clientele ("Little Surplus Me"). She also presents an ode to conspicuous holiday consumption ("Yuletide, Park Avenue").

Lawrence Winters

The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent - the other main vocal star is Lawrence Winters, who later had a distinguished career as an operatic baritone. His numbers include "Going Home Train" (quite similar to "This Train Is Bound for Glory"); a mawkish ode to the late US President Franklin Roosevelt ("The Man on the Dime"); and "The Red Ball Express," which is about the supply-chain convoy in the European theater of war.

The music and lyrics are by Harold Rome, and with few exceptions, the songs are very strong. "South America, Take It Away" was the only hit, in a bowdlerized version by Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters. The original is not especially risque, but in 1946, lyrics concerning "my pan-American can" were not heard on the radio. Despite the lack of hits and the topical nature of the lyrics, the score is quite effective and affecting. It strongly conveys the joy, relief and pride of the ex-soldiers. My own favorite is the ballad "Along with Me."

Harold Rome

Call Me Mister was Rome's second notable revue, following Pins and Needles. His first book musical was Wish You Were Here, in 1952. Other scores include Fanny, Destry Rides Again, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale.

Betty Garrett went from this review to Hollywood, appearing in several notable musicals, including On the Town with Jules Munshin, who also was in Call Me Mister and is heard in one number here. She later was often on US television shows.

The cast album, conduced by the show's musical director, Lehman Engel, was first issued on 78s in 1946. This transfer is from the 10-inch LP issue of 1949. The sound is quite good.

Margie Anderson

Margie Anderson is a somewhat mysterious vocalist who made just this one LP - and I don't even think this began life as an album, rather a bunch of singles.

What we have here is a collection of 10 songs on the low-end budget label Spinorama. These materials also appeared in whole or part on other such supermarket collections from the early 60s. These labels generally operated by acquiring old material on the cheap, and then repackaging it. My suspicion is that this particular package began as singles cut for a small label from about 1953 to 1957 - although there is no hard evidence that this is the case.

Why do I choose those dates? Because By Myself, one of the songs here, was featured in the 1953 movie The Bandwagon, and because Ca, C'Est L'Amour was written for the 1957 film Les Girls.

It doesn't help that there is very limited information available on the singer. The first information I have is that she recorded two singles for Columbia in 1950. She then turns up singing with Louis Jordan in 1953. Finally, she recorded a single for ABC-Paramount in 1960. There also are scattered references to her appearing in night spots.

So, in short, I haven't been able to find out when these records were made or who plays on them - although they clearly are highly proficient musicians. Anderson herself is a very good singer - although she does have a tendency to mangle lyrics a little - and is particularly effective on The Thrill is Gone.

The production values are what you might expect from a low-end label. The sound was shrill, which I have adjusted, and the pressing is cheap. Added reverb is plentiful. Fortunately I have a mint copy of the record, so there is no need to endure any noise induced by mishandling over the years. Any noise here was built in by the issuing entity.

The pitching of some of these items is suspect, and I am sure that London Blues was about a half-tone flat, so I have adjusted it. (The original is also included in the download, in case you want to judge for yourself.)

This is presented (and in flac format) by request.

George Shearing

George Shearing has been a favorite of mine for a long time, so I wanted to provide a brief tribute to him by presenting one of his earliest LPs.

I've had this particular album in mind for presentation here for quite some time - mainly because I love the unusual cover - but I've never been able to coax decent sound from the execrable early-50s Savoy pressing. Well, I tried again today, with some minor success, and the results are at least listenable.

Note (March 2025): This LP is now available in a new transfer with greatly improved sound.

What we have here is Shearing's first US recordings, made for Savoy in 1947. The artist had recorded in London previously, and after nine sides for Savoy (eight of them here), would move on to Discovery briefly, then fame with M-G-M and Capitol.

The Savoy recordings present Shearing before he adopted the "Shearing sound" - the highly influential combination of his piano in unison with guitar and vibes. Here, it's Shearing with drums and bass only - and in a bop mood, only bringing out his locked-hands approach for his take on "So Rare." Also notable is the way he suggests the genesis of "'Round Midnight" in the opening bars of "Sweet and Lovely."

Savoy's sound may have been crude, but its artwork was avant-garde for the time, a minimalist approach with Burt Goldblatt's photo, the artist's name and not even a mention of the label.

I enjoy all eras of Shearing's long career - even (heck, especially) the cocktail music he produced for Capitol. These early recordings show a side that was overshadowed by his later, more popular efforts.

LINK to new transfer (March 2025)

Masses by Vaughan Williams and Rubbra

This record represents two notable firsts by London's Fleet Street Choir, which managed to premiere many important works even though it was an amateur ensemble.

Vaughan Williams

In the case of the Vaughan Williams Mass in G minor, this was the first LP version, recorded in Decca's West Hampstead studios in March 1953. The group had made the first-even recording of the piece in 1946, also for Decca.

The choir and its director, T. B. Lawrence, gave the first performance of Edmund Rubbra's Missa in Honorem Sancti Dominici in 1948. This is its first recording, also from March 1953. Lawrence died during the sessions, and the composer conducted the Kyrie and Gloria heard here.

Lawrence formed the choir in the 1920s, drawing its members from journalism and the printing trades. They gave a number of notable first performances, including Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and Hymn to St. Cecilia. (You can find a transfer of their 1943 recording of the latter at Bryan Bishop's Shellackophile blog.) Nonetheless, there is some evidence that Britten did not like the Hymn to St. Cecilia recording - a letter from his publisher tells him that "legally, I could not stop their issue". They also made the first recording of Byrd's Mass for Five Voices. Vaughan Williams and Rubbra both were influenced by the liturgical music of Byrd's 16th century contemporaries.

Rubbra

The performances here have their merits but are not all that one might hope. As the Gramophone reviewer, Alec Robertson, delicately puts it about the Rubbra mass, "The writing, harmonically, is sometimes very difficult for the singers and their intonation is not impeccable in the Kyrie". For "not impeccable" substitute "fairly painful" and you will be closer to the truth.

Despite its prominence in London musical life many decades ago, the Fleet Street Choir is largely forgotten and you will find little mention of it on the web, and no photographs, either of the choir or Lawrence. The overwrought portrait of Rubbra above is by the illustrator-photographer Peggy Delius, a niece of the composer. William Rothenstein did the Vaughan Williams portrait in 1919.

Addendum: note that the download also includes the choir's 1943 recording of Holst's "This I Have Done for My True Love," the fill-up to the Britten set mentioned above.

The Louvin Brothers

Charlie Louvin of the Louvin Brothers died this week, more than 45 years after his sibling Ira. (Charlie is on the left on the cover art above.) The Louvins were a duo for only about 15 years, but that was long enough for them to have a lasting influence on country music.

I first became aware of the Louvins second hand through Gram Parsons, first via his recording of The Christian Life with the Byrds, and then his version of When I Stop Dreaming. Emmylou Harris did a particularly gorgeous rendition on her 1977 LP Luxury Liner.

Billboard ad

The original version of the latter song can be found on this early EP, which combines the brothers’ two earliest hits. When I Stop Dreaming was a top 10 country record in 1955. I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby followed in 1956 and became the Louvins’ only number one hit.

Charlie and Ira had been recording for Capitol for a time before that, but only were allowed to do gospel music. When I Stop Dreaming was their first secular recording. 

When you hear these records, you may note the influence of Bill Monroe. Ira played in Monroe’s band in the 1940s. When Ira died in a 1965 car wreck, Monroe performed at his funeral. The brothers had split up a few years before that, due to Ira’s drinking and foul temper. (See the interview with Charlie here.)

These days, the brothers’ entire recorded legacy is relatively easily available, but I did want to note the passing of this link to a great period in country music and perhaps introduce a few people to this legendary duo through this post.

Mickey Katz on RCA Victor

When 1946 dawned, Mickey Katz was a Cleveland musician. By the end of 1947, he had a record contract with RCA Victor. In between, he was with Spike Jones’ troupe. It’s hard to say how much of Jones’ manic style was already in Katz’ makeup before the two met, but the family resemblance is there, on the recorded evidence.

Katz’ side of the family is, of course, decidedly ethnic, and this is particularly true on these recordings, which are among the 22 (by my count) he made for RCA between 1947 and 1950. All were issued in RCA’s Jewish series, and when Katz left Victor for Capitol in 1950, he said it was because he wanted to broaden his audience. And while I have not done a study of the matter, it seems to me that the language in these particular recordings is far more heavily Yiddish than is his Capitol output. (That said, RCA did recognize that Mickey had potentially broad appeal—see the ad copy below. Click to enlarge.)

Detail from 1947 Billboard ad

What the two labels’ recordings have in common (and in common with Spike Jones) is parody. The earliest record here is Katz’ version of Tico-Tico, with Mickey taking the place of Carmen Miranda. Mississippi Mud becomes Mississippi Schmootz. Feudin’,  Fussin’ and A-Fightin’ (itself a hillbilly parody by Burton Lane and Al Dubin) becomes Feudin’ and Fussin’ with Mine Cousin. (The “cousin” here is the excellent Goldie Abbott, of whom I can find nothing. She also appears on one other title.)

Katz’ Capitol and Victor records also seem to feature nearly the same superb musicians. While this record does not tell us who is playing, I found a label shot of the Tico-Tico 78, which identifies the musicians—all except Mickey with their given names. The photo is small, so I hope I have the names correct.

Mickey Katz, clarinet

Barrell (Benny) Gill, violin

Mendel (Mannie) Klein, trumpet

Shimshin Chaim (Si) Zentner, trombone

Muttchia (Moe) Weschler, piano

Layzer (Larry) Breen, bass

Shimincha (Sam) Weiss, drums

All but Weschler also appear on The Family Danced, Katz’ klezmer record for Capitol, which I presented on this blog a while back. This RCA LP includes Katz’ first klezmer-style instrumental, Yiddish Jam Session, and of course other tunes include klezmer breaks.

The sound on this 10-inch LP, issued in 1954, is excellent. I assume from the cover that RCA is attempting to evoke the Borscht Belt comedians—but this baggy-pants fellow seems to suggest the burlesque comics of an earlier day.

Similar to Spike Jones, Mickey Katz’ music continues to have a delightfully wacky appeal, more than 60 years after it was issued.