Bob Strong

Swing City RadioSaturday, April 29, 202378's, Artists and Recordings, Newsletter

Bob Strong is not a name that most remember from the Big Band Era. The majority of his body of work came as a staff musical director for a few radio shows but he did manage to assemble a pretty good touring band to take out on the road in the mid 1940's.

Strong got his start in Chicago as a sideman in the orchestras of Paul Ash and Jean Goldkette in the 1920's. He was an accomplished musician on every instrument in the reed family and could also play oboe, violin and mellophone. A very talented guy!

He eventually made a home for himself working in Chicago radio market and this led to him being one of the busiest staff music directors in the Midwest. Two of the biggest shows he worked on were The Buddy Clark Show and The Red Skelton "Avalon Time" Show.

During the mid 40's, Strong took his band on the road and they played all the main spots, including gigs at the Glen Island Casino and the Roseland Ballroom. Bob Strong and His Orchestra also spent a good amount of time performing for troops and war workers all over the United States.

Largely due to The Musicians' Strike of 1942-44, only a small amount of Strong's work made it onto shellac. Below, I included a track that I transferred from my 78rpm Collection. There's also a few others to listen to on my Youtube Channel here.

Bob Strong passed away in March of 1976.

Listen to: "Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are" by Bob Strong from 1944.

Watch and Learn about "The Hepster's Dictionary"

Swing City RadioSaturday, April 29, 2023Artists and Recordings, History, Newsletter

Today video features the song "Hepster's Dictionary" by Cab Calloway. The clip is from the movie "Sensations of 1945" released by United Artists in 1944. (I included an image of the movie poster at the end of this article.) The film also showcased the talents of other artists including Woody Herman, Dorothy Donegan, Gene Rodgers and Les Paul.

The song "Hepster's Dictionary" is a Cab Calloway classic. Watching this clip you'll witness for yourself why Calloway was such a draw. He was simply a top-shelf entertainer. Have a look at this video and then learn more about his book that inspired this clip below...

Watch: "The Hepster's Dictionary" from the 1944 film "Sensation of 1945"

The New Cab Calloway's Hepster's Dictionary: Language of Jive

Frist released in 1938, Cab Calloway's "Hepster's Dictionary" introduced the language of Jive to the masses. This little eight page book was so popular it was published in many editions up to 1944.

Calloway summed up the book in his own words in the foreward of a later edition:

“'Jive talk' is now an everyday part of the English language. Its usage is now accepted in the movies, on the stage, and in the song products of Tin Pan Alley. It is reasonable to assume that jive will find new avenues in such hitherto remote places as Australia, the South Pacific, North Africa, China, Italy, France, Sicily, and inevitably Germany and wherever our Armed Forces may serve.

I don’t want to lend the impression here that the many words contained in this edition are the figments of my imagination. They were gathered from every conceivable source."

The book has now been out of print for over 70 years now. Used edition can be found on Ebay ranging between $3,000 to $4000!

Here is just a small sampling of some of the gems found in this book:

Blow the top (v.): to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., “You’ll blow your top when you hear this one.”

Dig (v.): (1) meet. Ex., “I’ll plant you now and dig you later.” (2) look, see. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left duke.” (3) comprehend, understand. Ex., “Do you dig this jive?”

Frisking the whiskers (v.): what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing session.

Lay your racket (v.): to jive, to sell an idea, to promote a proposition.

Set of seven brights (n.): one week.

All of the book's content is located on the web, you just have to look. You'll be surprised to find out how many words stuck and are still used today. I will be playing and discussing the song a little more in an upcoming episode of the podcast.

Podcast: Show 159 - Clean, Neat and Jumpin’

Swing City RadioFriday, April 28, 2023Podcasts

The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Clean, Neat and Jumpin’ - Show 159 -

Features music by Dick Jurgens, Dean Hudson, Bea Wain and more. Ronnaldo also plays select audio clips from an educational film called "Keeping Clean and Neat".

* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.

Listen to: Clean, Neat and Jumpin’ (Show 159)

Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com

Perry Como

Swing City RadioMonday, April 24, 2023Artists and Recordings

Perry Como enjoyed a career that spanned more than fifty years. His intimate vocal style and good looks made him one of the most popular "crooners" of the era. It was also a career that came close to not happening at all because of Como's other passion of becoming a the best barber in his hometown of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Como, by all accounts, was a fantastic barber. But, there was no denying that he was also a great vocalist and musician. Those talents were soon noticed by bandleader Freddy Carlone that asked Como to join his band in 1932.

In 1935, a spot opened up in the Ted Weems Orchestra, and Carlone himself encouraged Como to move on to Weems' band. This launched Como unto a national stage and during his time with Ted Weems, Como developed the vocal style that would define him for the rest of his career.

Perry Como spent over seven years as Ted Weems' featured vocalist. It was a very successful partnership, but as Como started raising a family, the constant touring and time away from his family weighed too heavy on him. Como left the band in 1942 with the full intention of returning to his passions of being a barber.

Soon after Como's departure, he began to field offers to host radio shows which promised to keep his travel limited. He also signed a contract with the RCA Victor label and remained with them for 44 years. From that point forward, Como would go on to become one of the most successful vocalists of his time, sell millions of records and become a major draw on both radio and television.

Listen to: "It's a Lovely Day Today" by Perry Como

You can hear the intimate vocal style of Perry Como right here on Swing City Radio.

Consider supporting Swing City Radio by becoming a Hepcat. Learn more at: SupportSwing.com.

Podcast: Show 158 - If At First You Don’t Succeed...

Swing City RadioFriday, April 21, 2023Podcasts

The Big Band and Swing Podcast - If At First You Don’t Succeed... - Show 158 -

Features vintage recordings by Larry Clinton, Jan Savitt and Jimmy Dorsey. We also learn what product makes your "whites so bright, you'll need sunglasses".

* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.

Listen to: If At First You Don’t Succeed... (Show 158)

Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com

Podcast: Show 157 - Sound Off!

Swing City RadioFriday, April 14, 2023Podcasts

The Big Band and Swing Podcast - Sound Off! - Show 157 -

Features Big Band music by Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Jimmie Lunceford and many more. Ronnaldo plays tracks from an old radio show called "Sound Off".

* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.

Listen to: Sound Off! (Show 157)

Listen to more episodes of The Big Band and Swing Podcast at: BigBandPodcast.com

Vaughn Monroe

Swing City RadioSaturday, April 08, 2023Artists and Recordings

Vaughn Monroe was a gifted vocalist, trumpeter and a very successful bandleader. He rose to popularity in the 1940's and maintained that popularity throughout the 1950's. His voice was unmistakable. One of his well deserved nicknames was "Leather Lungs".

In 1940, Monroe formed his first band in Boston and became its main singer. He was signed to the Bluebird label of RCA Victor. Monroe recorded extensively until 1956, and his signature tune was "Racing With the Moon". It sold more than one million copies and Monroe was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Among his other hits were "In the Still of the Night", "There I Go", "There I've Said It Again", "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", "Ballerina", "Melody Time" and "Riders in the Sky."

Listen to "Ballerina" by Vaughn Monroe from 1947

Monroe's orchestra had a number of excellent musicians. They focused mainly on romantic ballads in the studio, these songs became the hits for them. When live, the band had a fiercely swinging side only occasionally captured on record. In ballrooms, Monroe often reserved the final set of the evening for unrestrained, swinging music.

Listen to Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra on Swing City Radio.

Podcast: Show 156 - We The People Love Swing

Swing City RadioFriday, April 07, 2023Podcasts

The Big Band and Swing Podcast - We The People Love Swing - Show 156 -

Features vintage recordings by Bunny Berigan, George Paxton and Will Bradley. We also listen to select clips from a fire prevention awareness film called "Crimes of Carelessness".

* All music in this podcast are Creative Commons. Artists are credited within the podcast.

Listen to: We The People Love Swing (Show 156)