This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And I don't play 'em that often but for today spotlight on the vocal groups of the thirties, forties and early fifties. And these days there were many of them around but they're still distinct from the doowop groups that we know from the mid-fifties and beyond. Well today I'll present some of that earlier stuff.
And I start with a great song of the Shadows from 1950 on the Sitting In With label. It had been recorded for the Lee label in '49 and when the label went out of business the masters were sold to Bob Shad of the Sitting In With label. When this was issued the group had temporarily broken up for lead singer Scott King being drafted into the army. Listen to I'll Never, Never Let You Go
01 - Shadows - I'll Never, Never Let You Go
02 - Ella Fitzgerald & the Mills Brothers - Big Boy Blue
No musical or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar - says the Decca label of this great recording of the Mills Brothers fronted by Ella Fitzgerald. And indeed - these muted trumpets are no trumpets - they're mimicked by the members of the Mills Brothers. In the meanwhile Ella sings 'Big Boy Blue blow your horn'. An outstanding masterpiece of this leading vocal group and Ella's soft and velvet voice does the rest - this song from 1937 hit me on instant.
Next another famous lady who made numerous recordings with vocal groups. Savannah Churchill was that with backing of the Striders - four brothers with that surname, and two guys that were just like family. Well it gave them a smooth sound. Here is from 1951, on the Regal label, When You Come Back To Me.
03 - Savannah Churchill & The Striders - When You Come Back To Me
04 - Four Blues - Oh Daddy, Please Bring That Suitcase In
(jingle)
05 - Four Tones - Satchel Mouth Baby
06 - Four Tunes - Don't Cry Darling
You heard the Four Tunes from 1954 with Don't Cry Darling and that was on the Jubilee label. They'd recorded it before in 1950 backing up Savannah Churchill but this one is sublime with the great baritone of I think William "Pat" Best.
Before that you got the Four Tones - a group known for singing in four all-black Western movies from 1937 to '39. You heard Satchel Mouth Baby and that was straight from a 78 of the Preview label.
And then I have to account for what was before the jingle - well that were the Four Blues with Oh Daddy, Please Bring That Suitcase In on the third issue of the DeLuxe label - all three issue numbers 1000 to 1002 were for the Four Blues. The label didn't look like we know it from later - these were white with red imprint and a drawing of a man at a piano. We're talking August 1945 then.
And we'll stay with the quartets for a while with the four Clefs who recorded for Bluebird - well actually you can't really call them a vocal group in the sense of a doowop harmony group. Well listen to Love Has Come My Way from 1944.
07 - Four Clefs - Love Has Come My Way
08 - Madeline & the Three Varieties with Earl Hines - It Had To Be You
It Had To Be You - the theme song of an RKO movie titled Show Business - you heard Earl 'Fatha' Hines with their female vocalist Madeline Greene and backup of the Three Varieties. Now that wasn't an existing vocal group - it was a made-up name name for the occasion, for the voices of Leroy Harris, Willie Randall and Budd Johnson, who normally played the trombone and saxophone in Hines orchestra.
Next the Dixie-Aires - mostly a gospel group but they did a few songs that were not devoted to the lord as well. On the Gotham label from 1948 here is Go Long.
09 - Dixie-Aires - Go Long
10 - Basin Street Boys - Josefine
Josefine - as they pronounce it was from 1948 on the Exclusive label - you heard the west coast vocal group the Basin Street Boys.
Today's spotlight is on vocal group gems and I know I play them too little here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. And it was a website I stumbled upon that made me decide to give them some more exposure on this show. That website, vocalgroupharmony.com offers some of the best of vocal delight and they took me on an exploration journey. I used to think that the majority of the vocal stuff were sentimental love songs and a lot of them are, but I found there's such great stuff to enjoy. Of course I made a selection and that's my own selection based on my own taste. So scorn me and send me your disapproval if I didn't choose what you like - the address is rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. I'll repeat that mail addres later in the show. O yeah - you may also tell me you liked 'em.
Now what I always noticed that - well with some notorious exceptions - vocal group songs are by far not as rough in their lyrics as the blues are. And that made most vocal stuff far more acceptable with the general audience than the blues. Most songs dont't have the structure and chords of the blues either and that brought them much closer to contemporary pop songs. A group like the Ink Spots on Decca weren't released on their "race" series - the African American music - but in the popular series where you also found Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. And so were the Mills Brothers and Ella Fitzgerald - Decca saw the cross-over potential of these black singers and groups.
And the next one is one of the Mills Brothers. They backed up great vocalists and that also counts for the next one. Bot the raspy voice and the trumpet genius work come from Louis Armstrong. A great mocking song on the W.P.A. - the Works Progress Administration that brought millions of unemployed men a job at public works during the deprssion. Now apparently it wasn't very hard laboring there. Listen to Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers with the W.P.A.
11 - Louis Armstrong & The Mills Brothers - W.P.A
12 - Five Blazes - Every Little Dream
The Chicago group the Five Blazes from 1947 on the Aristrocrat label. We know them later as the Four Blazes that had a number one hit with Mary Jo in 1952 - a sudden soaring popularity that came with the tenor of Tommy Braden and the tasteful but uncredited saxophone work of Eddie Chamblee. This though was five years earlier - you heard Every Little Dream.
Next on the Joe Davis label the Five Red Caps with Just for you. Just after the instrumental break you'll get some wonderful harmony singing.
13 - Five Red Caps - Just For You
14 - Savannah Churchill & The Striders - Once There Lived A Fool
Savannah Churchill again with the Stiders and Once There Lived A Fool. Now Savannah also did some great jump numbers and blues and also some pretty risque songs but we'll remember her for her sultry voice on songs as I Want To Be Loved that rose to number one on the Rhythm & Blues chart.
Next the Jubalaires - their name indicates a gospel group and that's what they did for Decca. When they switched to Capitol they changed to popular songs. So listen to It Ain't What You Want That Does You Good, It's What You Get - well that's a mouthful.
15 - Jubalaires - It Ain't What You Want That Does You Good
16 - Velvetones - Reverse The Charges
17 - Three Peppers - Fuzzy Wuzzy
The three Peppers were that with Fuzzy Wuzzy from 1939 on Decca and before that you got The Velvetones with Reverse The Charges on the Sonora label. Now you may wonder why I have in the background playing the Tams with Do I Worry. Well I knew this version for many, many years from when I collected early soul music rather than the Rhythm & Blues of the pre-Rock 'n Roll era. It was a great favourite of mine but of course it's a cover of the Ink Spots from 1939 on Decca and that became a smash hit. The song was also in a 1942 movie titled Pardon My Sarong. And so I kept one of the best for the end of the show. Listen to the Ink Spots from 1939 with Do I Worry.
18 - Ink Spots - Do I Worry
And with this smoothie of the Ink Spots I end today's vocal group delight in the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. As I said before, I judge on my own good taste for what I include in this program and I just can hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Well you can of course let me know and send an e-mail to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. And on my web site you can find today's stories and playlist and find out what'll be on for next week. Do a Google search for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and my site will show up first in the search results.
For now time's up so have a rocking day. See you next time, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!