Hey there everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas Holiday. So over the last couple of years I've had listeners email me about doing something special to celebrate the New Year.
Starting this New Year's Eve, I will be playing an old AFRS Transcription Disc that originally aired back on December 31st of 1944. It's called "Swing Around The Clock" and features a fabulous selection of music from some of the biggest names of the Big Band Era.
It's roughly about an hour long and I took a lot of time cleaning up the audio so it sounds great. It will air on Swing City Radio starting at around 11:30pm EST on December 31st. So be sure to do your time conversions depending on where you live.
Let me know your thoughts, and Happy New Years to all of you out there in radio land.
The Four Knights were a fantastic vocal group from Charlotte, North Carolina that enjoyed some national success in the late 1940's and throughout 1950's. The original lineup included: Gene Alford, Oscar Broadway, Clarence Dixon and John Wallace. They formed the group in 1943 under the name The Southland Jubilee Singers. By 1944, they were receiving regional exposure on a radio program called Carolina Hayride. They also appeared on a handful of transcription discs for Lang-Worth Records and at that point decided to change their name to The Four Knights.
In 1948, The Four Knights caught their big break as a regular appearing act on The Red Skelton Show (Raleigh Cigarettes Program). This gig gave them the national exposure they needed and they became a popular fixture on the show. They performed on the Red Skelton Show for over two years and many of the songs that you hear on Swing City Radio is from that library of music performances.
Listen to: "Sugarfoot Rag" by The Four Knights from April of 1950
Sadly, in late 1950 the Red Skelton Show parted ways with The Four Knights due to a contract dispute. The group then fired their manager because they now had lost their national exposure. A couple of years later, with new representation, the group renewed their contract with Skelton for his new TV Show.
The Four Knights eventually went on to have a major hit in 1954 called "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)" which awarded them a gold record for selling over a million copies worldwide. They recorded many songs that appeared on the charts throughout the 1950's, but as the 1960's rolled in, music styles were changing, and soon the Four Knights fizzled out. The group officially disbanded in 1966.
Their music has been compared to the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots by some. I feel they had a much fuller sound that could really swing at times. The songs they performed on The Red Skelton Show are a great example of that. The music really had a good groove to it. Especially the songs where the house orchestra led by David Rose provided accompaniment.
So my wife LOVES Advent Calendars. I mean she REALLY LOVES them. She orders all kinds at this time of year. Advent Calendars with hard candy, chocolates, marshmallows, stickers, even ones that contain little stuffed animals that come with cute outfits and accessories.
I truly understand why she loves these things so much. Every morning in December, she gets to open a new "door" for the day to reveal her "little daily gifts". The ritual always seems to put her in such a good mood. It just goes to show that it's the "small things" in life that make life worth living.
So why am I telling you all this stuff? Because starting today, I will be posting a Holiday Song on Swing City Radio's YouTube Channel every day through to Christmas. If you've already subscribed to the channel, a new video should appear in your YouTube feed every morning. Think of it as Swing City Radio's own little Advent Calendar to celebrate the Christmas Holidays.
Listen to: "Let It Snow" by Jimmy Dorsey
As you know, I tend to only play one or two Holiday Songs per hour on the station. If you are really in "The Christmas Spirit" just head on over to the Big Band Christmas Playlist to hear as much as you want. Here's the link: Click Here
Have a great month of December and don't wait to the very last minute to start shopping. :)
