Great American Songbook Saturday – My Blue Heaven

There's no special tie in for today's song. It's just one of my favorites. Today, let's listen to My Blue Heaven. The song was written in 1927. Walter Donaldson supplied the music and George Whiting wrote the lyrics. In 1928, "My Blue Heaven" became a huge hit on Victor 20964-A for a crooner names Gene … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – My Blue Heaven →

Great American Songbook Saturday – They Can’t Take That Away From Me

Today we celebrate the birthday of George Gershwin and the lovely Julie London George Gershwin - 1898 Julie London - 1926 Gershwin wrote "They Can't Take That Away From Me" in 1937 and it was introduced by Fred Astaire in the movie "Shall We Dance." From Wiki: The song is performed by Astaire on the … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – They Can’t Take That Away From Me →

Great American Songbook Saturday – Ebb Tide

Wishing a Happy 86th birthday to Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers today!! The group had hits with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Unchained Melody," and today's song - "Ebb Tide." The lyrics to Ebb tide were written by Carl Sigman. He was an accomplished songwriter whose hits included "It's All In The Game" and … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – Ebb Tide →

Great American Songbook Saturday – St. Louis Blues

112 years ago yesterday (9-11-1914) WC Handy published a song that would become a pop and jazz standard - St. Louis Blues. It was one of the first blues songs to "succeed as a pop song and remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire." Handy said he had been inspired by a chance meeting with … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – St. Louis Blues →

Great American Songbook Saturday – Stardust

Today, I want to feature the amazing Hoagy Carmichael song, Stardust. I'm positive that the first time I heard this song was in the late 70's when my grandpa used to play Willie Nelson's Stardust album on cassette. When they first got their trailer/cottage up north, they didn't have a TV right away, so we … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – Stardust →

Great American Songbook Saturday – I Got Rhythm

Gene Kelly's 114th birthday is tomorrow. Title: KELLY, GENE • Pers: KELLY, GENE • Year: 1954 • Ref: XKE001AD • Credit: [ THE KOBAL COLLECTION ] He has certainly sung his share of songs from the Great American Songbook. Everyone knows Singin' in the Rain, but he also did Almost Like Being In Love, Grand … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – I Got Rhythm →

Great American Songbook Saturday – My Buddy

Shame on me. I missed National Friendship Day. It occurs annually on the first Sunday of August each year, so I am six days late. To you, my friend, thanks for your friendship. There are many terms for friend: chum, pal, mate, bestie, companion, confidant, cohort, ally, and buddy. That's quite a list of words … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – My Buddy →

Great American Songbook Saturday

Today we enter the month of August. Did you know that August is National Eye Exam Month? Every year the month is observed to highlight the importance of routine comprehensive eye checkups, catch hidden vision problems, and detect early signs of major health conditions like diabetes and glaucoma. With that in mind, I began a … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday →

Great American Songbook Saturday – Blues In The Night

Today we head back to 1941, a few months before Pearl Harbor. It is another great example of two people collaborating and creating a hit song. For this week's song, It was composer Harold Arlen who wrote the music, while Johnny Mercer came up with the lyrics. The song would be the title track for … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – Blues In The Night →