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
Tag: Louis Armstrong
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 – Once In A While
I first heard the song "Once In A While" when I worked at Honey Radio in Detroit. We played the Doo-Wop version by the Chimes. They released it in 1960, and it peaked at #11 on the charts in early 1961. https://youtu.be/vK0VfHix6Jw?si=wEXRqzRqqBLLOINh The song itself, however, has been around since 1937, when Louis Armstrong and … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – Once In A While
Tune Tuesday – Red Sails in the Sunset
Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Birthday to Nat King Cole! Nat King Cole recorded somewhere in between 1,400 to more than 2,000 songs during his 28-year career. He was an incredibly prolific artist for Capitol Records, scoring 150 hits on the Billboard charts and leaving behind a massive legacy that includes jazz recordings, pop vocals, and, in … Continue reading Tune Tuesday – Red Sails in the Sunset
St. Nick First Appeared 202 Years Ago …
On this day in 1823 the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published in the Troy Sentinel. It has also been called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" because of the first line in the poem. When first published, the writer remained anonymous. Authorship has been attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed to have … Continue reading St. Nick First Appeared 202 Years Ago …
Turntable Talk #43 – Spooky Tunes
It's time once again for Turntable Talk. This is the 43rd round and since it will begin around Halloween, Dave from A Sound Day asked us to "pick a song that you like that is either about a scary story or person, or just sounds kind of spooky or scary to you." What do you … Continue reading Turntable Talk #43 – Spooky Tunes
Turntable Talk #38 – It’s About Time
Dave just wrapped up another chapter of Turntable Talk. This was my contribution: It is time once again for Turntable Talk hosted by Dave at A Sound Day. For over three years now, he has offered up a musical topic each month for me (and other participants) to write about. This month's topic is "It's … Continue reading Turntable Talk #38 – It’s About Time
Happy Birthday, Louis
Today is the 122nd birthday of a jazz legend - Louis "Satchmo" "Pops" "Satch" Armstrong. A unique voice and a amazing trumpet player, he is synonymous with jazz. Nothing I could write about him would do any justice to his life and legacy, so I thought I would just share a few of my favorite … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Louis
Turntable Talk #8 – Best Year In Music?
Once again, Dave from A Sound Day has asked some of us music lovers to participate in another round of Turntable Talk. This time around was a bit of a challenge for me. Dave's e-mail stated: "Put your thinking caps on and go through your stacks of records (or scroll thru that I-pod) and ... … Continue reading Turntable Talk #8 – Best Year In Music?
Hello, Louie!
The photo above may be a bit deceiving, in that this blog is NOT about the hit song by the Kingsmen. It is also not about other famous Louies (or Louis) like comedians: Louie Anderson Louis CK Or trumpet players: Louis Armstrong Louis Prima Or his animated alter ego: King Louie Or fictional TV characters … Continue reading Hello, Louie!
