The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Crew Cut and Other Grooming Tips -
Episode 59 includes tracks from Bobby Sherwood, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, Tony Pastor and more. We also listen to some clips from a helpful educational film that focuses on How To Be Well Groomed.
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April 30th marks the birthday of female vocalist, Bea Wain. Bea was born on April 30, 1917 in The Bronx, New York.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Bea Wain and hear a couple of her songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 30: Bea Wain
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Today we celebrate the birthday of the Duke! Duke Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899 in Washington, DC.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Duke Ellington and hear a couple of his songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 29: Duke Ellington
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Les Brown was a very successful bandleader and saxophonist that led his band, Les Brown and His Band Renown for almost seven decades. He and his band were responsible for many, many hits during the Big Band era.
The first group that Brown led was Les Brown and His Blue Devils. The band was made up of students of Duke University where Les himself, was attending. The would regularly perform on Duke's campus, but in the summer of 1936 the band toured the East Coast and made quite a name for themselves. At the end of the tour, many of the students returned to Duke to continue with their education but Les and a handful of others decided that this music thing was worth pursuing and that became the foundation the The Band Renown was built on.
In the early 1940's the band had scored a nice number of hits but it was "Sentimental Journey" in 1945 that brought them to another higher level of popularity. The song also launched Doris Day, their female lead vocalist, to national stardom. The whole decade of the 40's, with all of those hit singles, was the high water mark for Les Brown. But unlike many other bands, Les Brown continued to work and make an impact well after the era was over.
Listen to "Sentimental Journey" performed by Les Brown
In 1952–53, Brown was the orchestra leader of The Doris Day Show, on CBS Radio. Les Brown and the Band of Renown also performed with Bob Hope on Radio, Stage and TV for almost fifty years. They did 18 USO Tours for American troops around the world, and entertained over three million people. Those Bob Hope shows and specials very a huge thing back then. Brown and the band were also the house band for The Steve Allen Show and The Dean Martin Show in the 1960's and 70's.
Les Brown passed away in 2001 after leading the band for nearly seven decades. His son, Les Brown Jr., took over the band in 2000. His hometown of Reinerton, Pennsylvania adopted the slogan - Reinerton: The Town of Renown in honor of Les and his band. The town has held a yearly festival celebrating Les Brown and the music of the Big Band Era since 2005.
You can many of the hits by Les Brown right here on Swing City Radio.
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Today's Soundie is a silly one but contains some Swingin' music courtesy of Stan Kenton and His Orchestra. Stan and the Band don't make an appearance but I really think you will enjoy the jam. The Soundie is called "The Outline of Jitterbug History" and was filmed in 1940. It wasn't released to Panoram until 1942. This video contains a lot of Lindy Hop so I'm sure many of you will enjoy the film just for that.
Like I said, it's silly. But most of the Soundies were and that's what makes them so darn fun to watch.
Enjoy!
Watch: The Outline of Jitterbug History from 1942
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Today we celebrate the birthday of a true vocal icon, Ella Fitzgerald. Ella was born on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Ella Fitzgerald and hear a couple of her songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
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The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Strange Cargo and a New Time Machine -
Episode 58 is quite an interesting one. We listen to music by Will Bradley, Count Basie, Harry James, Les Brown and many more. We also take a fun little trip back in time to one of Glenn Miller's last broadcast performances as a civilian.
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Swing City Radio: Playing Your Big Band and Swing Music Favorites from the 1930's, 40's and Today! - Big Band Radio Station Streaming Online from King of Prussia, PA. Commercial Free!
April 20th marks the birthday of band leader and vibraphone virtuoso Lionel Hampton. Lionel Hampton was born on April 20th, 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Lionel Hampton and hear a couple of his songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 20: Lionel Hampton
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"Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" was a chart topping song that was made famous by Glenn Miller and by the Andrews Sisters. Its lyrics are the words of two young lovers who pledge their fidelity while one of them is away serving in World War II. I've included the recordings of both versions at the bottom of this article.
The song was originally titled "Anywhere the Bluebird Goes" and later changed to the name we know today. The music was written by Sam Stept. He based the melody off of an old English Folk song from 1833 titled "Long, Long Ago" by Thomas Bayly. Stept updated the music to a more bouncier tempo.
The lyrics of the song were written by Lew Brown and Charles Tobias. "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. After the United States entered the World War II in late December of 1941, Brown and Tobias changed the lyrics slightly, with the chorus ending with "...till I come marching home".
In February of 1942, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded the song. This record spent thirteen weeks on the Billboard charts. In May that same year, the song was featured in the film "Private Buckaroo" as a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James Orchestra. The Andrews Sisters then later released the song on Decca Records.
There has been many recordings of this song over the years made by so many different artists. Kay Kyser, for instance, topped the charts with his recording for a time.
Listen to: "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
An Interesting Note:
Notice how carefully every word is enunciated in the Glenn Miller version of the song. As Tex Beneke, once pointed out, Miller was quite strict about not slurring the lyrics. "Don't sing, 'Don-si-tunder the yapple tree'" Miller would warn. "Sing, 'Don't sit under the apple tree.'" Yes, Miller was quite the perfectionist.
You can hear the many versions of "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" right here on Swing City Radio.
Watch Stan Kenton and His Orchestra in a fun little Soundie titled "Jammin´ In The Panoram". This was filmed in 1942 and was produced by Sam Coslow, who was responsible for many of the better Soundies that were created during the Era.
I feel that this captures the essence of Kenton's music in his early years and overall is quite entertaining. Vocalist, Helen Huntley makes an appearance in this one. This was at a time that Kenton's Band had a revolving door of singers that never seemed able to stick around for long.
Note: A Panoram was the machine that played Soundies, hence the title.
Check it out. Enjoy!
Watch: "Jammin´ In The Panoram" by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra
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Today we celebrate the birthday of bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger Ralph Flanagan. Ralph was born on April 17, 1914 in Lorain, Ohio.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Ralph Flanagan and hear a couple of his songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 17: Ralph Flanagan
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The Big Band and Swing Podcast - I Got Rhythm, Man! -
Episode 57 includes music from Artie Shaw, Jan Savitt, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and much more. Ronnaldo thanks some of the newest Hepcats and Anacin helps us with our headaches.
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April 12th marks the birthday of famed female vocalist Helen Forrest. Helen was born on April 12, 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Helen Forrest and hear a couple of her songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 12: Helen Forrest
Podcast Extras are available for Hepcats!
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Louis Armstrong was not only a great trumpeter, vocalist and composer, he was also among the most influential figures in Jazz history. He had a career that spanned over 50 years and continued to release relevant music up to his death in 1971.
In the early 1920's, Armstrong got his break playing with Joe "King" Oliver in Chicago. He began to make a name for himself and he also met and married his second wife, Lil Hardin, who was the pianist for King Oliver. Hardin would play a big part in Louis' early success.
Louis Armstrong's reputation soon found its way to Fletcher Henderson. Armstrong left Oliver's band in 1924 and soon received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. Armstrong's time with Henderson's band was short lived, but it produced some fantastic music. In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago largely at the insistence of Lil, who wanted to expand his career. In publicity pieces, much to Louis' dislike, she billed him as "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player". For a time he was a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife.
Louis and Lil separated in the late 1920's and Armstrong returned to New York City and bounced from gig to gig. Armstrong was also singing much more. His rich, gravelly voice was instantly recognizable. New advancements in microphone technology also helped. While in New York, Armstrong continued to develop his famous on-stage charisma and a following.
Armstrong went on to record a lot of sides in the 1930's. When his career was over, it's surprising to note that Armstrong had nineteen Top Ten Hits. That's amazing to me that he had only had nineteen. His playing and singing was so influential and so unique, one would think that he would have scored more.
Listen to: "Star Dust" by Louis Armstrong
Louis was very successful in the 1940's. Swing and Jazz went through a nostalgia period where there was a widespread revival of interest in the traditional jazz of the 1920's. Armstrong started to tour excessively at that point. During the next 30 years, Armstrong played more than 300 performances a year.
By the 1950s, Louis Armstrong was considered a national musical icon, due in part, by his appearances on radio and in film and television, in addition to his concerts. He spent the rest of his career and life playing, composing, recording and making appearances.
Armstrong died of a heart attack in July of 1971 at the age of 69. His influence on the development of jazz is almost immeasurable.
You can hear the Swing Era music of Louis Armstrong here on Swing City Radio
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Louis Prima left quite a mark on the Swing Era. When most people think of Prima, they think of his hits from the mid 1940's or the years that Keely Smith spent with his band. Those we great years for Prima's band, but Louis had been releasing great material and putting on some great performance throughout the 1930's as well.
This 1939 short film called "Swing Cats Jamboree" is an excellent example of that. Louis Prima and his quintet play quite a few songs in this spirited little film. Songs include: "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "You're an Education". The set ends with an upbeat version of "Loch Lomond".
Enjoy!
Watch Video of: Louis Prima - Swing Cats Jamboree
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The Big Band and Swing Podcast - The Saturday Night Swing Club and More -
Episode 56 features songs from Vaughn Monroe, Bob Chester, The Andrews Sisters, Hal McIntyre and many more. We also hear some tracks from an old radio show called The Saturday Night Swing Club.
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Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most recognizable voices of the Big Band era, Billie Holiday. She was born on April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Billie Holiday and hear a couple of her songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 7: Billie Holiday
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Happy Birthday to big band vocalist Doris Day. Doris was born on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, OH.
- If you'd like to learn a little more about Doris Day and hear a couple of her songs, then check out the Podcast Extra:
Big Band Birthdays - April 3: Doris Day
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The Big Band and Swing Podcast - In the Mood for Contrasts -
Episode 55 includes music from Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Johnny Mercer, Valaida Snow and much more. We also learn how to make your bath a real pleasure.
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