Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Forgotten songs from the broom cupboard.


May 11, 2020

Music and song from the years between the two World Wars. As always we steer away from the big names. Claude Hopkins starts us off with Washington Shuffle. He was born in Virginia and was a talented stride piano player and arranger. In 1925 he went to Europe as the musical director of The Revue Negre. Josephine Baker was a performer in that Revue. Next Cliff Edwards, Ukelele Ike,  the voice of Jiminy Cricket and friend to Buster Keaton.  Then we have Hawaiiian music from Frank Ferrara followed by three on the Zonophone label- International Novelty Quarette, Bud Billings and Carson Robinson and Esther Coleman. Next we have the extrememly pukka Uncle Mac, BBC Radio children's presenter with some nursery rhymes. Early jazz follows from Jasper Taylor's State Street Boys, 1926 and from the same year The Vernons sing the very understanding ' I don't care what you used to be.' Two from the prolific Jay Wilber, one under his name, the other under The Connecticut Collegians. Harry Reser, another prolific band leader, under the name The Clevelanders. From the north east of Scotland the tongue twisting 'McGinty's Meal and Ale'. Sing along if you can!! We finish with Mildred Bailey, The Queen of Swing from 1938 with ' As long as you live you'll be dead when you die.'                                                               If you want to put faces to some of the artists I play, check out the Forgotten Songs  playlist here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlpnr4lkJ8eJEpJ9t_k2U-hOXxP4x0U67