Ladies Who Get A Feelin'...

Clockwise: Big Maybelle, Etta James, Lena Horne, and Peggy Lee.

Tonight I bring to you a quartet of ladies who knew how to put a bit of the Blues in their Torch, singing straight from the heart. That can most certainly be said for the amazing Big Maybelle, the outrageously talented singer who made her way in the 1950s, with songs like "Candy". She had hits songs, and a career that seemed like it was on the rise. But a combination of drug and helth problems derailed her career, but not before she recorded some great songs. One of those was "I've Got A Feelin'", and she sings it to perfection. Her vocals were big, bold, growl-filled, soft, and, really, whatever the song needed. This is Big Maybelle singing "I've Got A Feelin'".

While everyone knows Etta James for singing the iconic song "At Last", she had so many other hits during her career. She was another artist who sang songs about her broken heart, and you felt as though she was truly letting you in on something real and private. In 1967, Etta recorded a song written by written by Ellington Jordan and Billy Foster, and the song went on to be a well-known Blues song. I hope you enjoy this clip of Etta James singing "I'd Rather Go Blind" live.

In 1942, Miss Peggy Lee was singing with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, when she recorded "Why Don't You Do Right?", a song written by Joseph "Kansas Joe" McCoy. While the Orchestra was a big band, they loved to include the influences of Jazz and the Blues. As that was the case, Peggy Lee was the perfect choice for singer, for she naturally had such a soulful voice, and a gift for interpreting a lyric. Their recording of the song was a million-seller, and brought much attention to the band and the singer. This is Miss Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman and his Orchestra performing "Why Don't You Do Right?".

Finally, we have the great lady herself, the amazing Miss Lena Horse singing a song written by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray for the Broadway musical 'High Spirits'. The musical, based on Noel Coward's play 'Blythe Spirit". The show is a harming look at the problems that crop up with the spirit of a man's late wife hangs around after she is gone. The show opened in 1964, and was a hit. One of the early songs of the show was sung by the dead wife, "You'd Better Love Me". It seemed like Miss Horne loved the song as well, for she decided to sing it for this stop on a television show in 1967. I don't think she every officially recorded the song, but I love that we have this live performance. This is the great Lena Horne singing "You'd Better Love Me".

Have a great weekend!

Dark Monday • Stagedoor Canteen

To continue with my special look at Veteran's Day, I thought we might all enjoy the 1943 movie music, 'Stage Door Canteen.' The movie was really an effort to capture some of the sentiment of the real Stage Door Canteen, with locations in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles (the Hollywood Canteen). The clubs were a place where American soldiers and their Ally counterparts could go to be entertained and be safe while on leave. Often, the stars of stage and screen would stop by and volunteer time, as the Canteen was run by The American Theater Wing, who also handle the Antoinette Perry Awards, better known as the Tony Awards.

The film offers a scripted look at life at the Canteen, with plenty of cameo appearances by movie stars, as well as performances by some of the best music had to offer. In a note, since the 'real' Stage Door Canteen in New York City was busy entertaining the servicemen, a replica was built in Culver City, California, which had the added bonus of being more convenient for the stars. One of the many stars to appear in the movie is the amazing Miss Peggy Lee, who graces us all with a beautiful performance of "Why Don't You Do Right?" with the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

While Ray Bolger might have been best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in 'The Wizard of Oz;' he was also known as a great song & dance man, both on screen and on Broadway. For the movie, he came on to sing "The Girl I Love To Leave Behind."

Ethel Waters is joined on stage by the Count Basie Orchestra ti perform "Quicksand." Of course, I do have to stop to think about whether or not the great Ethel Waters or Count Basie had to use the servants entrance to get in, it still being the early 1940s. But they shared this wonderful song.

American-born singer Lina Romay performed with Cuban bandleader Xavier Cugat and his orchestra on "A Bombshell from Brooklyn." Cugat was perhaps best known in later years as the husband of Latin bombshell Charo. But in the 1920s through the 1980s, he could be heard playing with the band, with his own very special Latin flavors.

You can purchase the original soundtrack album for 'Stage Door Canteen' from iTunes and Amazon.

The Sounds of 1937

Clockwise: Fred Astaire; Robert Johnson; Bing Crosby; Count Basie; and Benny Goodman.

You know, I was just in a random mood when I was writing this post, and so I randomly picked a year, and researched what were the top five songs. The year was 1937, and I was a bit surprised by what I discovered. I thought it would be the combination of swing music and some of the great ladies from the big band era. Well, I was close on one call, and could not be more wrong with the other. There was a bit of swing in the music, but not as much as I would have guessed. And I didn't realize that one of the top songs of the years would be a blues classic from one of the great blues guitarists of all time, Robert Johnson. Johnson, often thought of as the king of the Mississippi Delta Blues, made amazing music in 1936 and 1937, and died in August of 1938. His death is shrouded in mystery, for legend said he was poisoned with a bottle of whiskey, although the story doesn't truly match up with the events. Johnson was 27 when he died. This is the 5th most popular song of the year, Hellhound On My Trail, also known as the Hellhound Blues.



I hadn't even thought of how movies would be influencing the music of the time, yet is most certainly did. Take, for example, the #4 song on the list, by the one and only Mr. Fred Astaire. In 1937, he had a movie in the theaters costarring the wonderful Ginger Rogers, Swing Time. The musical featured a song written by the great George and Ira Gershwin, They Can't Take That Away From Me. The song was an instant hit, and continues to be a part of the Great American Songbook. Here is Astaire singing They Can't Take That Away From Me.



Th #3 song on the list was from another film, one I am afraid to say I don't think I ever really saw. That surprises me, since I still love catching old movies on the television, and just eating them up like jellybeans. The song was featured in the 1937 film, Waikiki Wedding. The movie starred Bing Crosby, Shirley Ross, Bob Burns, and Martha Raye, a formidable cast indeed. Sweet Leilani was written by Harry Owens, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was also a huge hit for Crosby. Here he is, singing Sweet Leilani.



I knew it would be impossible to go through this list of the top songs and not to have a bit of swing on it. Now, it seems almost insane for me to think there is anyone who cares for music who doesn't know Benny Goodman, but just in case that might be true, Goodman was a bandleader and clarinet player who not only played great Big Band songs, but also grabbed hold of Jazz, and in particular Swing music, and brought it to the forefront. To put that in some perspective, you could say that Swing was the Disco of the 1930s. It was joyful, energetic, just an explosion of emotion. Check it out when Benny Goodman plays with music greats Gene Krupa, Harry James, and Lionel Hampton on Louis Prima's popular Sing, Sing, Sing.



The #1 song of 1937 was the elegant Count Basie with his orchestra playing One O'Clock Jump. Basie wrote and recorded the song in New York City in 1937, utilizing the saxophone work of Herschel Evans and Lester Young, trumpet by Buck Clayton, Walter Page on bass. Count Basie himself on piano, and with that, a jazz classic was born. Enjoy One O'Clock Jump.



All the music on this post can be found on iTunes and Amazon.

Benny Goodman Swings

Benny Goodman was one of the biggest names in music, and arguably the most famous bandleader and clarinetist for many decades. His January 16, 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music."If you wanted to swing, you'd be sure to have plenty of Benny's music in your collection. Give a listen to his House Hop & Avalon medley.



And there is the iconic Moonglow, written in 1933 with music by Will Hudson & Irving Mills and words by Eddie DeLange. It was recorded by many, but the Benny Goodman Orchestra's version from 1934 is one of the best.




Bugle Call Rag is a jazz standard written by Jack Pettis, Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel. St. Louis Blues song composed by the great W. C. Handy. Both were recorded by Benn and his orchestra, and just makes you wanna get up and dance!

A Swinging Saturday Night

Clockwise: Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington.

As I contemplated what to post on this fine Saturday evening, I cycled through a few ideas, and then it hit me - Swing. It is music that makes your body want to move - whether it is to dance, or just move your shoulders. But before I broke out the Zoot Suit, I thought I had some homework to do. So I did a search on the internet, asking for the top Swing songs. I found a list compiled by some guys that I liked, so I just grabbed the top 4 and sent about finding the videos to go with them. Mind you, there was nothing scientific about the list, but I must say, once I read the list, I couldn't argue with the top songs. Like, for instance, Artie Shaw & His Orchestra, considered one of the top big bands of the 30s and 40s. Shaw himself was one of the great clarinet players, so fronting the band was a natural thing. In 1938, they played Noel Coward's Begin The Beguine and garnered much attention.



Decades before the Divine Miss M was making a name for herself playing swing music, the Glenn Miller Orchestra were touring around the country and making hit records like In The Mood, a song written by Glenn Miller and his arranger, Joe Garland. It was released in 1939, but really didn't stir up too much until it was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade. Soon, the song was all the rage, and topping the charts.



I don't think you could have a discussion about swing music without talking about the great Duke Ellington. And if you are talking about Duke's music, you certainly have to start with Take The "A" Train, the quintessential Manhattan song that was released in 1941. It was an instrumental written by Billy Strayhorn in 1939, who wrote much of the music for Ellington and the band. Strayhorn was also a brave out and proud gay man of color, something that must not have been easy in the 40s and 50s. And he will always be remembered as the composer of this great song.



For many historians, Benny Goodman and his Orchestra are in the forefront of Swing Music, leaders of a movement in the mid-30s that would not be denied. The Orchestra was considered one of, if not THE, top Big Bands of the 30s. So, when they started making Swing music, they were bringing it to a new audience. There are those that say the bands 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York to be one of the most important moments in the history of Swing and Jazz, adding a veneer of respectability to a new form of music. And when you are talking about Swing Music, most could not ignore 1937 recording of Louis Prima's song, Sing, Sing, Sing. It certainly was a signature song for the time, and a truly great recording.



Hope you were able to kick off your shoes and dance a little!