Turn On That Red Hot Heat

What can I say, it's been that busy. Here's one that may be a little more obscure to many, with info from the liner notes. "Back in the 1930s and 40s, the "girl singer" (as they were then called) perched on the bandstand, usually next to the "boy singer" - keeping time with the music with her hands, feet and shoulders, rising every so often to do a vocal chorus or two at the microphone at centre stage. When she was through, she went back to her seat. Rarely, if ever, was she allowed to sing an entire song. The bandleader was the star, and singers had secondary roles: sometimes, it seems, they were hired as an afterthought, or as a decoration. There were literally hundreds of female band singers. They made countless personal appearances, often traveling by bus, which was where they often ate, slept, and put on their makeup. It wasn't unusual to be the sole female in a whole troupe of musicians. ....

Teddy Grace, from Arcadia, Loo-zee-anna, joined the Mal Hallett Orchestra in 1934, after a brief sting with the bands of Al Katz and Tommy Christian. The response to her personal appearances with Hallett were sensational, to put it mildly! She made the cover of Orchestra World in June of that year. Very few women pushed bandleaders off the covers of music magazines in those early days. The Hallett Orchestra was chiefly a "territory" band based out of Boston, with Hallett himself known as "New England's Dance King."

Teddy Grace, who could sing ballads as well as swing tunes with a country, bluesy tinge (added with an occasional growl or yodel) often stopped the show cold - making dancers forget their swinging steps and crowd around the bandstand just to simply watch her, mesmerized." (David McCain). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Rockin' Chair Swing
02 - I've Got Rain In My Eyes
03 - The Trouble With Me Is You
04 - Turn Off The Moon
05 - (Have You Forgotten) The You And Me That Used To Be
06 - Alibi Baby
07 - The Life Of The Party
08 - Turn On That Red Hot Heat
09 - You're Out Of This World To Me
10 - I Want A New Romance
11 - (I've Been) Dispossessed By You
12 - Rock It For Me
13 - I'm Losing My Mind Over You
14 - I'm So In Love With You
15 - I'll Never Let You Cry
16 - You And Your Love
17 - Over The Rainbow
18 - Blue Orchids
19 - What Used To Was Used To Was
20 - The Little Man Who Wasn't There
21 - I Thought About You
22 - Happy Birthday To Love
23 - It's A Whole New Thing
24 - Angry
25 - I Wanna Wrap You Up
26 - Red Wagon

The Dixieland Band

I know that everyone out there bought lots of vinyl/shellac on Record Store Day a week ago or so, right? Although I didn't acquire this item recently, I found it in a shop (now closed, alas) along with several others from this label. Unfortunately I do not have the entire run of Bob Crosby, but I'll share what I can. This first set in chronological order goes from June 1, 1935 to November 8, 1935. Looking through Rust's info, there are some titles that they missed, but only about three or four, I think. Bob Crosby had a long career that included several bands, films, and even taking over from Phil Harris as bandleader on the Jack Benny Program for the program's final years. And compared to his more famous brother, Bob could certainly hold his own in the vocals department. The back cover image (included in the file) has further track information. Enjoy. +

Tracks

Side One

A1 Flowers For Madame
A2 The Dixieland Band
A3 In A Little Gypsy Tea Room
A4 Beale Street Blues
A5 I’m In The Mood For Love
A6 East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
A7 Two Together

Side Two

B1 And Then Some
B2 Tender Is The Night
B3 Roll Along, Prairie Moon
B4 Treasure Island
B5 At Your Service, Madame
B6 Here’s To Romance
B7 I Found A Dream