Liner Notes

Birth of the Cool

Here’s an album I thought was going to be unplayable when I saw the condition of the cover. I have no idea why the back and front are completely separated. And the bigger surprise is that my dad didn’t put it back together with his usual black electrical tape patchwork.

But I’m glad I didn’t overlook it because of the condition of the cover when I listened to the music it wasn’t covering very well. This was some great jazz that I didn’t mind listening to several times while I was deciding on the songs for this episode.

So get ready to hear a couple of musicians who were around for the birth of the cool in Volume 217: Gerry and Chet.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Gerry Mulligan Quartet Featuring Chet Baker – Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Label: Pacific Jazz – PJ-1207
Series: West Coast Artists Series – 1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono
Released: 1955
Genre: Jazz
Style: Cool Jazz

We will hear 7 of the 12 songs on this album.

Frenesi
written by Alberto Domínguez

Lullaby Of The Leaves
written by Joe Young and Bernice Petkere

I’m Beginning To See The Light
written by Duke Ellington, Harry James, Johnny Hodges, and Don George

Jeru
written by Gerry Mulligan

Cherry
written by Don Redman and Ray Gilbert

Tea For Two
written by Don Redman and Ray Gilbert

Makin’ Whoopee
written by Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#gerrymulligan #chetbaker #cooljazz

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 217 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

Here’s an album I thought was going to be unplayable when I saw the condition of the cover. I have no idea why the back and front are completely separated. And the bigger surprise is that my dad didn’t put it back together with his usual black electrical tape patchwork.

But I’m glad I didn’t overlook it because of the condition of the cover when I listened to the music it wasn’t covering very well. This was some great jazz that I didn’t mind listening to several times while I was deciding on the songs for this episode.

So get ready to hear a couple of musicians who were around for the birth of the cool in Volume 217: Gerry and Chet.

[Music: Frenesi]

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet Featuring Chet Baker performing Frenesi
written by Alberto Domínguez

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

From the moment I set the needle down on this record I knew I was going to enjoy it all the way through and I wasn’t wrong.

Bass, drums, saxophone and trumpet. No piano, which was where the cool sound came from.

While it’s not the hard, intricate bop you may have become accustomed to hearing from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, there are certain elements that are undeniably bebop.

The interplay between Mulligan on saxophone and Baker on trumpet is smoother, more relaxed, and not as melodically connected as you heard from Bird and Diz.

This is a great recording and I’m sorry I had to leave music from the album unplayed. But that’s typical for the format I have set for this show to keep most episodes near a half hour.

Next up, don’t fall asleep to this one.

[Music: Lullaby Of The Leaves]

Lullaby Of The Leaves
written by Joe Young and Bernice Petkere

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Gerry Mulligan Quartet Featuring Chet Baker – Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Label: Pacific Jazz – PJ-1207
Series: West Coast Artists Series – 1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono
Released: 1955
Genre: Jazz
Style: Cool Jazz

We will hear 7 of the 12 songs on this album.

The liner notes written by Whitney Balliett
are extremely extensive and go on about a specific time in jazz history that is really detailed, so I will find just a few sentences about Mulligan and the music to read to you.

Mulligan is a fresh and convincing melodist. Writing a pure and ingratiating melody is like putting together a sentence that, by virtue of its perfectly chosen and arranged parts, has grace, rhythm, and meaning. A rare talent in any sort of composed music, it is woefully rare among modern Jazz musicians, a great many of whom began in 1940 or so, the interesting practice of writing their own material. In his writing for both small and big bands Mulligan is, of course, one of the finest big band arrangers in the business today, he is no innovator in the sense that Teddy Charles or Lenny Tristano presently are with their Adventures into extended forms, free improvisations, and the left-field harmonies.

On the contrary, the quartet sides, with their warmth and narrow brushes with a kind of Dixieland impulse, often sound strangely old fashioned. In the way of the modernists, though, Mulligan believes in controlling firmly through rehearsals and his writing, the voices he had at hand, adding, for instance, counter lines and organ chords, with human voices, his own instruments, or with several instruments, to the clanking, spiritless void that can appear behind the soloist who has nothing but a rhythm section for support and impetus.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$84.21 High
$1.72 Low

$27.94 Average
$23.52 Median

Last sold on Feb 08, 2025 for $30.

As I said before, my dad’s record is in poor condition. Lot’s of crackling throughout the record. The surface has fingerprints and wear marks all over it.

The cover is in terrible condition. With the two sides separated like they are, I had a hard time keeping the record inside when I moved it around.

That’s why, we’re going to stop here and give it my dad’s electrical tape treatment.

(pause for taping of the taping)

All this does is help me keep a better handle on the record itself, it most certainly doesn’t increase the value.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at a dime.

Next up is a song written by several famous musicians.

[Music: I’m Beginning To See The Light]

I’m Beginning To See The Light
written by Duke Ellington, Harry James, Johnny Hodges, and Don George

Let’s learn a little about the band leader and the featured trumpet player.

Gerald Joseph Mulligan was born in Queens Village, Queens, New York April 6, 1927. Also known as Jeru, he was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz—Mulligan was also a significant arranger working with Claude Thornhill, Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, and others. His piano-less quartet of the early 1950s with trumpeter Chet Baker is still regarded as one of the best cool jazz ensembles. Mulligan was also a skilled pianist and played several other reed instruments. Several of his compositions including “Walkin’ Shoes” and “Five Brothers”, have become standards.

His musical journey brought him through some fame and the usual heroin addiction I seem to talk about with jazz musicians. His musical life is actually fascinating as I spent a lot of time on his Wikipedia page.

He continued recording until his death in Darien, Connecticut, on January 20, 1996 following complications from knee surgery. His widow Franca–to whom he had been married since 1982–said he had also been suffering from liver cancer.

Gerry Mulligan was 68

That was the sax player and band leader. Now for the featured trumpet player.

Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. was born December 23, 1929 in Yale, Oklahoma, and raised in a musical household. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the “Prince of Cool”.

Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker’s early career as “James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one”.

Baker performed with Vido Musso and Stan Getz before being chosen by Charlie Parker for a series of West Coast engagements.

In 1952, Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and attracted considerable attention. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like Parker and Gillespie, Baker and Mulligan complemented each other with counterpoint and anticipating what the other would play next.

His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Early on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the street below his room in Hotel Prins Hendrik, Amsterdam, with serious wounds to his head, apparently having fallen from the second-story window. Heroin and cocaine were found in his room and in his body. No evidence of a struggle was found, and the death was ruled an accident. According to another account, he inadvertently locked himself out of his room and fell while attempting to cross from the balcony of the vacant room adjacent to his own.

Chet Baker was 58.

Next up is a song written by Mulligan that uses his nickname as the title.

[Music: Jeru]

Jeru
written by Gerry Mulligan

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the birth of the cool.

Cool jazz was a new style of jazz that started around 1948. It was softer and smoother than the loud and fast bebop music that was popular before. Musicians like Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, and Chet Baker played cool jazz with relaxed melodies, light drumming, and smooth harmonies. The music felt calm and laid-back, like a warm breeze instead of a storm. It often used unusual instrument combinations, like a tuba or a French horn, to create a soft and unique sound.

This style was something new because it changed how jazz sounded and felt. Instead of showing off fast and complicated solos, cool jazz focused on blending instruments together to make a mellow and beautiful sound. Gerry Mulligan, who played the baritone saxophone, was one of the most important musicians in this movement. He helped shape cool jazz by writing music that used space and silence in creative ways. He also started a famous band with trumpeter Chet Baker that did not use a piano, which was unusual for jazz at the time.

At first, not everyone liked cool jazz. Some bebop musicians thought it was too soft and didn’t have enough energy. But critics and fans who enjoyed smoother music loved it. Many people in California, where the style became very popular, thought it was perfect for the relaxed, sunny atmosphere. Over time, cool jazz influenced many other kinds of music, and today, it is remembered as one of the most important jazz styles in history.

Next up, a double shot from the same composers…with tea and crumpets?

[Music: Cherry]
[Music: Tea For Two]

That was Tea For Two

And before that we heard Cherry
Both written by Don Redman and Ray Gilbert

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

This was a recording of some talented musicians and not just the two who I talked about.

Also appearing on this recording were
Bob Whitlock on Bass and
Chico Hamilton on Drums for
Frenesi and Lullaby of Leaves among others on the album

It was
Carson Smith on Bass and
Larry Bunker on Drums for all of the other tracks you heard.

Good stuff and I know I’ll be listening to this episode a ton while I’m out on my summer bike rides.

I don’t think I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

And I’m sure I would have because of the artwork on the front. Other than the words Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Pacific Jazz Records, the cover consists of artwork from Keith Finch. His short bio is on the back.

The abstract painting used fiery oranges and deep reds in swirls and some straight lines and other shapes.

Also according to the back cover, you could have ordered reproductions of the painting suitable for framing at fifty cents per copy, post paid. I wonder how many they sold?

And finally, another song many of you should know the melody to.

[Music: Makin’ Whoopee]

Makin’ Whoopee
written by Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson

And there you have selections from one of the albums released during the birth of the cool.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 217: Gerry and Chet

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 218: Rock and Roll Connie

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.

Liner Notes

Classical Music from a Classical Town

Talk about your complete coincidences. The numbers 2-1-6 come up three times in regards to this episode. It’s the episode number. It’s the date this episode drops. The US version of dating things. And it’s the area code of where this music was performed and recorded. Yes, I bought a lottery ticket today.

Recordings of the Cleveland orchestra date back to 1928. Discogs.com has them credited for well more than 800 either old 78 RPM records or 33 ⅓ Vinyl LPs.

So, get ready to hear this 1967 recording of virtuoso showpieces from a virtuoso orchestra in Volume 216: The Classical 216.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell – One Hundred Men And A Perfectionist
Label: Columbia – SOG-5
Series: The Sound Of Genius
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Sampler, Stereo
Released: 1967 I believe
Genre: Classical
Style: Classical, Romantic

We will hear 6 of the 9 pieces on this album.

Divertimento No. 2 In D Major, K. 131-Menuetto No. 2
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2-Farandole
Composed By – Georges Bizet

Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90, “Italian”-Saltarello Presto
Composed By – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

“Die Meistersinger” Prelude
Composed By – Richard Wagner

Concerto For Orchestra-Intermezzo Interrotto
Composed By – Béla Bartók

Overture To “The Marriage Of Figaro,” K.492
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#clevelandorchestra #classicalmusic #vinylcollecting

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 216 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

Talk about your complete coincidences. The numbers 2-1-6 come up three times in regards to this episode. It’s the episode number. It’s the date this episode drops. The US version of dating things. And it’s the area code of where this music was performed and recorded. Yes, I bought a lottery ticket today.

Recordings of the Cleveland orchestra date back to 1928. Discogs dot com has them credited for well more than 800 either old 78 RPM records or 33 ⅓ Vinyl LPs.

So, get ready to hear this 1967 recording of virtuoso showpieces from a virtuoso orchestra in Volume 216: The Classical 216.

[Music: Divertimento No. 2 In D Major, K. 131-Menuetto No. 2]

The Cleveland orchestra under the direction of George Szell with
Divertimento No. 2 In D Major, K. 131-Menuetto No. 2
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
He composed it in 1772 as a 16-year old.

We will finish with a Mozart piece as well.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

This is the second of two Cleveland orchestra records my dad had. I was getting ready to schedule it anyway sometime during this season when I came upon the aforementioned 2-1-6 coincidence.

As I will fill you in on a little more detail on the concert hall later, I had the pleasure of watching the Cleveland orchestra twice last year. It had been several decades since the previous times.

This orchestra has alway been rated as one of the best in the nation and the world. Those two performances included two of my favorite pieces, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Gershwinn’s Rhapsody in Blue.

So, you are in for a real treat with the music on this entire album.

Next up is incidental music used in an 1872 drama.

[Music: L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2-Farandole]

Oh my…wasn’t THAT stirring!

L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2-Farandole
Composed By – Georges Bizet

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell – One Hundred Men And A Perfectionist
Label: Columbia – SOG-5
Series: The Sound Of Genius
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Sampler, Stereo
Released: 1967 I believe
Genre: Classical
Style: Classical, Romantic

We will hear 6 of the 9 pieces on this album.

There are two parts to the liner notes. The left part is a review of the final concert of the Cleveland orchestra’s 1967 New York season. It was written by Winthrop Sergeant in the New Yorker.

The other section is a review from the New York World Telegram and sun entitled The program: a revelation in the hands of a master conductor and a master orchestra.

That’s the section I will read.

The quick stepping dance rhythms of Bizet’s Farandole and Mendelsson’s Saltarello are articulated with breathtaking clarity without sacrificing power and energy. Dvorak’s Slovonic Dance number 8 is performed with a hearty exuberance that fairly leaps out of the grooves. “No Mozart symphony, writes High fidelity, could evoke from Szell greater refinement in balance and color, greater sensitivity to phrasing and nuance.”

In the fanfares from Janacek’s Sinfonietta, the Cleveland’s brass choirs sound forth in glowing splendor. Szell is a supreme Mozartean. The wit, grace and sparkle of the Cleveland orchestra’s playing in The Marriage of Figaro overture is an object lesson in the Fine Art of Mozart playing. The second minuet from Mozart’s delightful Divertimento number 2 spotlights the orchestra’s superb horn quartet.

Bartok’s concerto for orchestra is a spectacular showpiece. In the interrupted intermezzo, the plaintive winds, announcing a theme that surely has its roots in Hungarian folk music, are interrupted by a rowdy hurdy-gurdy tune amusingly punctuated by the brass and percussion. Szell and the Cleveland (I think it’s meant to include the word orchestra here) illuminate the rich textures of the Brahms and Wagner overtures. High Fidelity wrote quote the Meistersinger Overture was played by American orchestra’s more frequently than any other work. Perhaps one time in a hundred it was as well played as it is here. unquote

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$5.00 High
$1.12 Low

$2.62 Average
$2.00 Median

Last sold on Jan 03, 2025 for one Euro 19 or $1.23 in the US.

My dad’s record was Virgin Vinyl. It was ever opened. While the cover was bare, it was still in a sealed plastic internal sleeve.Which was a pain to get into.
So, this record had never been played until I digitized it. WOW…what a clean sound.

My first and probably only mint condition rating for one of my dad’s records.

The cover is also in extremely good condition. That means none of my dad’s usual markings on the back or his address label on the front.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at that high of 5 bucks.

Next up is one of those dance rhythms the liner notes mentioned.

[Music: Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90, “Italian”-Saltarello Presto]

Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90, “Italian”-Saltarello Presto
Composed By – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Now let’s learn a bit about this famous orchestra and the man who is leading them in this recording near the end of his 24 year tenure with the baton.

The Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918 by music-aficionado Adella Prentiss Hughes, businessman John L. Severance, Father John Powers, music critic Archie Bell, and Russian-American violinist and conductor Nikolai Sokoloff, who became the orchestra’s first music director. A former pianist, Hughes served as a local music promoter and sponsored a series of “Symphony Orchestra Concerts” designed to bring first-class orchestral music to Cleveland. In 1915, she helped found the Musical Arts Association, which presented Cleveland performances of the Ballets Russes in 1916 and Richard Wagner’s Siegfried at the Cleveland Indians’ League Park a few months later. After a great deal of planning and fundraising, The Cleveland Orchestra’s inaugural concert was performed on December 11, 1918, at Grays Armory.

The orchestra is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the “Big Five”.

In 1946, George Szell was appointed as the orchestra’s fourth music director. From the start of his tenure, Szell’s intention was to transform the orchestra into “America’s finest” symphonic ensemble and developing an orchestra that was “second to none.” He spent much of his early time in Cleveland changing personnel in an effort to find musicians who were capable of creating his ideal orchestral sound. Szell’s stringent standards and expectations for musical precision were reflected in his contract with the Musical Arts Association, which gave him complete artistic control over programming, scheduling, personnel, and recording.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Szell was instrumental in the achievement of several orchestra milestones:

He led the orchestra on its first European tour, in 1957, across Europe and behind the Iron Curtain.

Szell pushed to change Severance Hall’s acoustic properties, which he considered to be too “dry.” Major renovations were made during the 1958–59 season, including the construction of the “Szell Shell”, which was designed to project the orchestra’s sound in a manner that created better balance among musicians and a clearer string section.

Szell was born June 7, 1897 in Budapest, Hungary and died in Cleveland, Ohio July 30, 1970 at the age of 73.

Two days after Szell’s death, the orchestra played its scheduled program at Blossom Music Center with Aaron Copland taking the podium as guest conductor.

Next up…As Klinger in an episode of MASH once told Major Winchester. It says Wagner. Can’t you read your own handwriting?

[Music: “Die Meistersinger” Prelude]

“Die Meistersinger” Prelude
Composed By – Richard Wagner

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the home of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1931.

Severance Hall, now known as Severance Music Center, is a 2,000 seat concert hall in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and is home to the Cleveland Orchestra. Opened in 1931 to give the orchestra a permanent home, the building is named for patrons John L. Severance and his wife, Elisabeth Huntingdon DeWitt Severance. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Cleveland’s Wade Park District.

That’s an area my girlfriend and I spend a lot of time at. The Botanical Garden, Art and History Museums are adjacent to Severance.

After encouragement from Cleveland Orchestra founder Adella Prentiss Hughes and music director Nikolai Sokoloff, plans for Severance Hall began to emerge based on a plot of land offered by Western Reserve University, now Case Western Reserve University at a leasing cost of $1.00 per year and potential funds contributed by the general public and local philanthropists. During a gala concert celebrating the Orchestra’s tenth-anniversary, Dudley Blossom, an early benefactor, announced that John L. Severance, president of the Musical Arts Association, and his wife, Elisabeth, had pledged $1 million to the construction of a new hall. In support of an associated fundraising campaign, Blossom, who got the summer home of the orchestra named after him, and his wife donated $750,000 the following day. Though Elisabeth Severance died in 1929, John Severance was determined to see the project through to its completion and intended for the concert hall to serve as a de facto memorial to his late wife. Despite a collapse of the United States’ economy in 1929, the groundbreaking for Severance Hall was held on November 14, 1929 and Severance’s contribution eventually ballooned to more than $2.6 million. The concert hall was designed by the Cleveland firm of Walker & Weeks, which had also built Cleveland’s Federal Reserve Bank and Public Library. Severance Hall opened on February 5, 1931, hosting a gala concert broadcast live across the radio to mark the occasion.

While I had seen the Cleveland Orchestra a couple of times at the outdoor Blossom Music Center in my youth, I had never stepped foot inside Severance Hall until last year.

What a beautiful facility, and I’m sure I will be visiting again soon.

OK…time to interrupt this interlude.

[Music: Concerto For Orchestra-Intermezzo Interrotto]

Concerto For Orchestra-Intermezzo Interrotto (Interlude Interrupted)
Composed By – Béla Bartók

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

Talk about your stars aligning. Music from the 2-1-6, on 2/16 for episode 216. C’mon Pick Three.

I don’t think I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

Even though it was released in 1967, there’s a possibility my dad got his hands on it after I left the house.

The front cover is four tiers of blocks almost in a pyramid. Each holds a black and white photo of George Szell while directing. Each photo is encased in a blue block. The Sound of Genius Series is stamped on the top left corner. The title of the album One Hundred Men and a Perfectionist spans the top, with the subtitle, Nine Virtuoso Showpieces for a Virtuoso Orchestra underneath.

To the right and left of the pyramid are nine headlines of reviews from different newspapers and magazines, like A Wonder of Elegance, Discipline, and Response from Time Magazine or “Rare fusion of precision and poetry” from Newsweek.

In addition to the liner notes, the back cover includes images of 16 other album covers from the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.

And now to bring us home, this last song will be indelibly linked to Rodney Dangerfield and the movie Back to School.

[Music: Overture To “The Marriage Of Figaro”]

Overture To “The Marriage Of Figaro” K.492
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And there you have selections from one of the preeminent orchestras in the world…and they’re only an hour drive away.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 216: The Classical 216

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 217: Gerry and Chet

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.

Liner Notes

Romantic Voice for Valentines

It’s special Valentine’s Day episode of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

That means, of course, my girlfriend Karen gets to join me as we once again grab some music from one of the most romantic voices ever recorded.

We featured this voice two years ago in our Valentines special and it’s the third of five Nat King Cole records in his dad’s collection. This was one of 30 albums Cole recorded for Capitol Records.

So, get ready to hear the smooth velvety voice that sold more than nine million records in Special Volume: Nat’s Very Thoughtful Valentine.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Nat King Cole, Gordon Jenkins And His Orchestra – The Very Thought Of You
Label: Capitol Records – W-1084
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Scranton Pressing
Released: Nov 1958
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Easy Listening, Vocal

We will hear 6 of the 14 songs on this album

The Very Thought Of You
Written-By – Ray Noble

Paradise
Written-By – Gordon Clifford, Nacio Herb Brown

This Is All I Ask
Written-By – Gordon Jenkins

Cherchez La Femme
Written-By – Bob Marcus and Lorenzo Pack

I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)
Written-By – Billy Rose, Harry Warren, and Mort Dixon

The More I See You
Written-By – Harry Warren, and Mack Gordon

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#natkingcole #valentinesday #vinylcollector

Here is the Episode Script!

Frank
Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into a special Valentine’s Day episode of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

That means, of course, my girlfriend Karen gets to join me as we once again grab some music from one of the most romantic voices ever recorded.

Karen
We featured this voice two years ago in our Valentines special and it’s the third of five Nat King Cole records in his dad’s collection.

This was one of 30 albums Cole recorded for Capitol Records.

Frank
So, get ready to hear the smooth velvety voice that sold more than nine million records in Special Volume: Nat’s Very Thoughtful Valentine.

[Music: The Very Thought Of You]

Karen
Nat King Cole with Gordon Jenkins And His Orchestra performing the title track of this album, The Very Thought Of You.

It was written by Ray Noble.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

Because I know very few of the artists in Frank’s dad’s collection, but Nat King Cole has always been one of my favorites. While I’m only familiar with one song on this record, I knew it was the perfect voice to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Frank
Cole is always among my first choice when I plan these special episodes with Karen. And I only knew two other songs myself from this disk.

Now let’s see where Nat is sending us this time.

[Music: Paradise]

Frank
Paradise
Written-By – Gordon Clifford, Nacio Herb Brown

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl we are spinning for this episode.

Nat King Cole, Gordon Jenkins And His Orchestra – The Very Thought Of You
Label: Capitol Records – W-1084
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Scranton Pressing
Released: Nov 1958
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Easy Listening, Vocal

We will hear 6 of the 14 songs on this album

The liner notes are short so Karen will read them all.

Karen
These are the songs which come to heart when you think of songs for your very special love. Nat King Cole fashions each lyric in his intimate warm style.

The sympathetic backgrounds for Nat’s songs were conceived by conductor Gordon Jenkins, whose varied string voicings lend a rich, emotional caress to each melody.

As Nat sings these timeless songs of love you feel that each was created with The Very Thought of You in mind.

Frank
Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$40.92 High
$1.00 Low

$9.10 Average
$6.29 Median

Last sold on Dec 09, 2024 for $7 although the one sold before that went for 30.

My dad’s record is in really good condition except for some crackle at the beginning of each side which settles down. The surface is still very nice. Except for an odd substance in a very small part of the first side, which I think is what is causing that crackle.

The cover has aged well, so I’ll call it in good condition. There are no markings we usually see on my dad’s covers. Not even his address label.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at three dollars.

Karen
Next up is a song written by the orchestra leader for this album.

[Music: This Is All I Ask]

Karen
This Is All I Ask
Written-By – Gordon Jenkins

Now let’s hear a summary of Cole’s life

Frank
Nat King Cole was a famous singer, pianist, and bandleader who became one of the most beloved musicians of the 20th century. He was born in 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama, but grew up in Chicago, where he learned to play the piano from his mother. As a young man, he formed the King Cole Trio, a jazz group that became popular in the 1940s. His smooth voice and gentle style made songs like Unforgettable, Mona Lisa, and The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) big hits. Over time, he moved away from jazz and focused on pop music, becoming one of the first Black artists to have widespread success with white audiences.

Karen
Even though he was a popular entertainer, Cole faced racism throughout his career. He was attacked by white supremacists during a concert in Alabama, and when he moved into an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles, his family was threatened.

He was one of the first Black performers to have his own television show, The Nat King Cole Show, but it was canceled after a year because sponsors were afraid of losing white customers.

Cole wanted to break racial barriers through his music, but he did not see himself as a civil rights leader. When asked about segregation, he once said, “I’m an entertainer, not a politician,” which upset some activists who wanted him to speak out more.

Frank
Despite his reluctance to take a strong stand, Cole did support civil rights in quiet ways. He donated money to the cause and performed at benefits for organizations fighting for equality. Later in his career, he even spoke out against discrimination, though he never became as vocal as other Black celebrities of his time. Sadly, his career was cut short when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, likely caused by years of heavy smoking. He died in 1965 at the age of 45, but his music remains loved by people all over the world.

Next up. A song title in French, and when I first heard it I actually pictured it being sung at some cafe during the war.

[Music: Cherchez La Femme]

Frank
Cherchez La Femme or Look for the Woman
Written-By – Bob Marcus and Lorenzo Pack

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the ancient history of this holiday.

Valentine’s Day has been around for a very long time. It started way back in ancient Rome, around the 3rd century. The holiday is named after Saint Valentine, a priest who secretly married couples when the emperor had banned marriage for soldiers. He was caught and put to death on February 14th. Later, the Catholic Church made him a saint, and people started celebrating love on this day. Some believe the holiday also comes from an old Roman festival called Lupercalia, where people would celebrate love and fertility in mid-February. Which is probably why birth rates are high in November.

Karen
At first, Valentine’s Day was mostly a religious holiday, and it took a long time to become popular across different countries.

By the Middle Ages, people in England and France started sending love notes, believing that birds choose their mates in mid-February.

In the 1700s and 1800s, people began exchanging handmade cards and small gifts. When printing became cheaper, companies started making Valentine’s cards, and by the early 1900s, the holiday had spread across the United States.

Now, almost every country has some form of Valentine’s celebration.

Frank
Over time, businesses saw how much people loved celebrating Valentine’s Day and turned it into a big industry. Today, stores sell millions of cards, chocolates, flowers, and even expensive gifts like jewelry.

Restaurants offer special meals, and advertisements encourage people to spend money to show their love. While many people still enjoy writing personal notes or making homemade gifts, the holiday has become very commercial, with companies trying to sell more products each year. Even though it started as a simple day for love, Valentine’s Day is now one of the biggest shopping holidays in the world!

Except I don’t think there are many five and dime stores around anymore. More like Dollar General.

[Music: I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)]

Frank
I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)
Written-By – Billy Rose, Harry Warren, and Mort Dixon

Well, we hope you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.

I don’t think I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

But it’s a good one. It’s a photo of Nat with eyes closed, lips slightly parted as he sings out a note into the microphone which is barely seen on the far right side of the image. He’s wearing a collared shirt, with what appears to be a red and gray sweater vest. He has topped it off with a Bear Bryant style hat.

The photographer was not identified.

Karen
I always look forward to appearing on this special episode with Frank each year. And I love listening to the music we have played.

This last song has a MASH connection according to Frank, but since I’m introducing it, we’ll have to leave it for another time.

[Music: The More I See You]

Frank
The More I See You
Written-By – Harry Warren and Mack Gordon

And also the title for season 4 episode 22 of MASH.

Karen
And there you have selections from a very romantic record for Valentines Day.

Frank
So thanks for tuning into Special Volume: Nat’s Very Thoughtful Valentine

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back soon with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR another volume of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

Until then,

Go with the flow my friends.

Liner Notes

Unique 78 RPM Shellac Records

Welcome to a 78 RPM Sunday!

As I was flipping through my dad’s shellac collection looking for patterns to create a few 78 RPM episodes for this season, I found these 7 disks. What they had in common was their one-sidedness.

Yup. In the early days of records, they only pressed one side. And I’ll talk about why in detail a little later.

What’s most important to remember is that every one of these disks was pressed more than 110 years ago.

So, get ready to hear songs that were recorded and released with no flip side in Volume 215: Single-Sided 78s.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

All 78 RPM Shellac Recordings are on the Victor Record Red Label

Alice, Where Art Thou – Evan Williams (recorded Camden, NJ, July 18, 1912.)
Written By – Wellington Gurnsey and Joseph Ascher

A Dream – Evan Williams (recorded Camden, NJ, December 18, 1913, released in 1914)
written by Charles B. Cory, J.C. Bartlett

Absent – Evan Williams ( recorded Camden, NJ, February 28, 1913. released in 1914)
Catherine Young Glen and John W. Metcalf
Eventually became the flip side of A Dream in 1923

A Perfect Day – Evan Williams (recorded Camden, NJ, July 16, 1913)
written by Carrie Jacobs-Bond
Eventually became the flip side for Just A-Wearyin’ For You, a recording my dad did not have, but was recorded in 1911.

Good-Bye, Sweetheart, Good-Bye – Evan Williams
Published in 1868 by John L. Halton

Love is Mine – Enrico Caruso (1912)
Composed By – Clarence G. Gartner
Lyrics By – Edward Teschemacher

O Sole Mio (Neapolitan Folk Song) – Emilio de Gogorza (Recorded 13 May 1909)

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#78RPMShellac #vinylcollecting #victorrecordredlabel

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 215 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

Welcome to a 78 RPM Sunday!

As I was flipping through my dad’s shellac collection looking for patterns to create a few 78 RPM episodes for this season, I found these 7 disks. What they had in common was their one-sidedness.

Yup. In the early days of records, they only pressed one side. And I’ll talk about why in detail a little later.

What’s most important to remember is that every one of these disks was pressed more than 110 years ago.

So, get ready to hear songs that were recorded and released with no flip side in Volume 215: Single-Sided 78s.

[Music: Alice, Where Art Thou]

There is Evan Williams with
Alice, Where Art Thou – (recorded Camden, NJ, July 18, 1912.)
Written By – Wellington Gurnsey and Joseph Ascher

Ok…Why these records for this episode?

Because this stack of shellac, that most likely belonged to my grandfather, are such true representations of the earliest days of recording. Which was decades before vinyl LPs came around.

Of course, I thought they were unique since one side had the grooves and the other side was completely smooth.

Plus, I keep finding history in my dad‘s collection, and I keep learning history because of my dad‘s collection. The five records that you will hear from a singer I had never heard of, will be a testament to that.

While all the recordings you’ll hear on this episode are one-sided, the next two songs eventually ended up being the flip side of each other when they were re-released nine years later.

[Music: A Dream]
[Music: Absent]

Evan Williams with Absent (recorded in Camden, NJ, February 28, 1913. released in 1914)
Written by Catherine Young Glen and John W. Metcalf
In 1923 it became the flip side of the song we heard before that

A Dream (recorded Camden, NJ, December 18, 1913, released in 1914)
written by Charles B. Cory, J.C. Bartlett

There’s no one album to talk about, no covers and no liner notes.

But I will tell you all 7 records were released on the Victor Record Red Label.

Discogs didn’t have any sales info on any of these 78s, but eBay had one of them on sale for about 20 bucks.

There is a price listed on a couple of the labels of one dollar. That’s $24.66 in today’s money. Think about buying a single song for nearly $25.

My dad’s records are in bad condition. They were never really properly protected or cared for. I’m just glad this new 78 RPM needle I bought for the Audio Technica turntable makes them sound pretty good.

So I will value each of my dad’s shellac at their original price of a buck a piece.

This next song became a flip side for a song my dad did not have.

[Music: A Perfect Day]

A Perfect Day – Evan Williams (recorded Camden, NJ, July 16, 1913)
written by Carrie Jacobs-Bond

In 1923 this song became the flip side for Just A-Wearyin’ For You, a recording my dad did not have.

We will have two other artists to finish the show, but five of the seven songs are from Evan Willams, so let’s learn a little about him.

Evan Williams was born on September 7, 1867 in Mineral Ridge, Ohio was an oratorio tenor. His parents were recent poor Welsh immigrants from Pembrokeshire, Wales. When Evan was 13 years old, his Mother died in childbirth, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Thomastown, a Welsh immigrant mining community near Akron, Ohio.

While he was working in his youth in coal mines in the Akron area, the quality of his voice was discovered when he was singing in a local church choir. He began voice lessons with Madame Louise Von Feilitsch in Cleveland. He began rising to prominence as a singer when he participated in a Welsh choir in Galion, Ohio, in 1891. By 1894 he was performing in London and began dividing his career between appearances in the United Kingdom and in the United States.

At this time in his career he was hired to be the soloist at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. He was reputed to be the highest-paid church singer in the world at the time. In 1896 he gave his first performance at the well known Worcester Music Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1907 he returned to the United States for most of the rest of his performing career, where he sang as a tenor soloist for various choral societies and in concerts all over the country. His recording career with Victor Red Seal records was very successful.

He recorded almost one hundred 78-RPM records for the Victor Talking Machine Company in the United States and The Gramophone Company in England. Williams gave more than 1,000 performances and recitals during his 25-year professional career across the United States and in England and Wales.

Williams was a great draw at many music societies and events.

He died on May 24, 1918 in Akron, Ohio from blood poisoning, the result of a boil. Evan Williams was 50.

So let’s say goodbye to Evan for now.

[Music: Good-Bye, Sweetheart, Good-Bye]

Good-Bye, Sweetheart, Good-Bye – Evan Williams
Published in 1868 by John L. Halton

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the one-sidedness of these records.

When the Victor Talking Machine Company first started making records in the early 1900s, they only pressed music on one side of the disk. This was because the process of making records was still new, and manufacturers were focused on making sure the sound quality was as good as possible. They also wanted to keep things simple so customers wouldn’t be confused by a two-sided disk. Another reason was marketing—companies could charge more for single-sided records since people had to buy more of them to get different songs.

Around 1908, Victor and other companies started making double-sided records because they figured out how to press music on both sides without hurting the sound quality. This made records more valuable to customers, who could now get twice as much music for their money.

Even though one-sided records were very common at the time, they became rare once two-sided disks became the standard. Today, collectors look for these early one-sided records because they are a piece of history from the very beginning of recorded music!

Next up, one of the first voices to ever be put to a shellac disk.

[Music: Love is Mine]

Love is Mine – Enrico Caruso (released in 1912)
Composed By – Clarence G. Gartner
Lyrics By – Edward Teschemacher

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

While 78 RPM shellac records are a bit more of a pain to digitize than vinyl, there’s still some great musical history on the shelves that hold that part of my dad’s collection.

I do remember my dad having plenty of 78 RPM records during my growing up days in the house. I’ve already featured many that I do remember from my youth. I do think I might have noticed these records featured in this episode because of one side being smooth, but who knows what I really remember anymore.

And I’m pretty sure my dad gave up playing them many years ago, which is why he probably kept gifting them to my brother-in-law who happens to have a fully functional Victrola, which you’ve seen in previous episodes.

I have several photos of Aaron holding up a gifted 78 RPM album with my sister looking on in disgust. She’s never been a big fan of the Victrola taking up space.

And now…to close us out, probably the most popular tune in the entire Neapolitan song book. In fact, the label that covers the smooth side on this one even says it’s the most Neapolitan song there is.

[Music: O Sole Mio]

O Sole Mio (Neapolitan Folk Song) – Emilio de Gogorza (Recorded May 13 1909)

And there you have selections from all the one-side 78 RPM shellac records in my dad’s collection.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 215: Single-Sided 78s

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 216: The Classical 216

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.

Liner Notes

Cowboy songs and sagas

How are we only on record five of this great seven record set? Because I continue to find gold in this box set filled with legendary songs about the old west.

Each record, or in this case each side of this collection had its own theme. Even with those guides, I might take a little poetic license when I name episodes like this.

One side of this record is about things South Of The Border. The flip side mentions a thing or two about Legends And Sagas. Some you may know. Some have some pretty odd twists if you ask me.

So, get ready to hear plenty of “ahh aaahs” and stories about heroes and villains in what is technically Tumbling Tumbleweeds Record 5, Volume 214: Badlands.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Various – Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Label: Reader’s Digest – RDA-229 / A
Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation Box Set
Released: 1982
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country

We will be listening to record 5, sides 1 and 2.
We will hear 7 of the 12 tunes from this disk.

Eddy Arnold – The Ballad Of Jesse James
written by Billy Gashade

Red Foley – Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
written by Slim Willet

Merle Travis – John Henry
Unknown, but One of the earliest written copies of this ballad, prepared by a W. T. Blankenship was published about 1900 or slightly earlier.

The Sons Of The Pioneers – A Gay Ranchero
written by Francia Luban, Abe Tuvim, Juan José Espinosa

The Sons Of The Pioneers – The Strawberry Roan
written by Nat Vincent, Fred Howard, Curly Fletcher, J.E. Patterson

Tex Ritter – Billy The Kid
A traditional song

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way)
written by Jimmy Kennedy, Michael Carr

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#oldcountrymusic #cowboymusic #vinylcollecting #spinvinyl

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 214 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

How are we only on record five of this great seven record set? Because I continue to find gold in this box set filled with legendary songs about the old west.

Each record, or in this case each side of this collection had its own theme. Even with those guides, I might take a little poetic license when I name episodes like this.

One side of this record is about things South Of The Border. The flip side mentions a thing or two about Legends And Sagas. Some you may know. Some have some pretty odd twists if you ask me.

So, get ready to hear plenty of Ahh aaahs and stories about heroes or villains in what is technically Tumbling Tumbleweeds Record 5, Volume 214: Badlands.

[Music: The Ballad Of Jesse James]

Eddy Arnold – The Ballad Of Jesse James (Did that song just idolize Jesse James?)
written by Billy Gashade

Days after Jesse James was shot down in 1882 by the vengeful and greedy Robert Ford, one of Jesse’s trusted gunmen, a ballad appeared picturing Jesse as a modern day Robin Hood betrayed by a dirty little coward. Whoever he was, the anonymous composer was a superb propagandist, for the substance of his song pursued Ford, who was pardoned and rewarded by the state of Missouri, to his death at the hand of an assassin in a small Colorado town.

That’s from the great booklet that is included in this 7-record box set. I’ll use those notes for each of the songs you’ll hear.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

Like I said in the opening, it was time to get to another disk in this great collection.

Plus, I’ve really been enjoying the music from this box set. Some are songs I sang around some campfire during my boy scout years or school camps. Others are songs I played while on one radio station or another. But mostly, these songs are good ole americana.

No matter if you’ve listened to the past episodes that featured this collection or hear any of the remaining sides, you’re going to hear a song or more that you will recognize, no matter how old YOU are.

Moving on…

Singer-songwriter Slim Willett, Skeets McDonald, Ray price, Red Foley and Perry Como all scored a hit with Willett’s Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes, then an answer song also penned by Willett, I Let the stars get in my Eyes, was a major seller for Goldie Hill. One song, six hits. When Foley recorded this song in 1952, he was at the peak of his popularity and was Master of Ceremonies on the only Network telecast from the grand ole opry. Shortly thereafter, he went into semi-retirement because of personal problems and was never able to fully recapture the success of his earlier career.

[Music: Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes]

Red Foley – Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
written by Slim Willet

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Various – Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Label: Reader’s Digest – RDA-229 / A
Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation Box Set
Released: 1982
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country

We will be listening to record 5, sides 1 and 2. Reader’s Digest did not use the automatic spindle numbering order for this collection.

We will hear 7 of the 12 tunes from this disk.

I’ve already read all of the paragraphs of the liner notes that do not deal specifically with any of the songs, so let’s move on.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$16.00 High
$5.00 Low

$11.06 Average
$10.85 Median

Last sold on Aug 13, 2024 for $15.

My dad’s record is in fair condition. Not much crackle or pop, and not too much noise between the tracks. The record surface itself is extremely clean, with no visible marks or scratches. Probably because the records are in nicely designed internal sleeves. They are plastic lined thick paper sleeves. You can see each disk’s label, but they are behind the plastic.

One of the best protectors in my dad’s entire collection.

The box is in great shape. The cover image is still very bright. And the box itself is still very green.

The internal booklet, where I get all this great info for each song, is also in very good condition. Even with how much I’ve been handling it over the last three and a half years.

Reader’s Digest did a really nice job with the quality of this collection.

I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at $10.

Up next…
The first album that Merle Travis recorded for Capital Records was called folk songs of the hills, which included one of his own songs, 16 tons. his own material is so close to the language and feeling of traditional music that it has been collected by folklorists and often appears in folk song collections. here, he gives his own special twist to what has been called America’s greatest ballad, John henry, about a black railroad worker who met his death during construction of the big bend tunnel on the C&O Railroad in the West Virginia mountains in the early 1870s

[Music: John Henry]

Merle Travis – John Henry
Composer is unknown, but one of the earliest written copies of this ballad, prepared by a W. T. Blankenship was published about 1900 or slightly earlier.

Here’s where I usually do a bio of the featured artist, but since there isn’t just one, we’ll move on with a double shot from the group that is probably present on every record in this collection, if not every side.

Until 1836 Texas was a part of Mexico and the Tex-Mex influence is still strong throughout the southwest. It’s not surprising, therefore, that a number of Western and country songs have emerged with a strong romanticized Spanish influence. One of these, A Gay Ranchero, was first heard in a 1943 Roy Rogers film called King of the Cowboys, which also featured Smiley Burnette and the Sons of the Pioneers. It was used again in 1948, this time as the title song of another Roger’s film.

[Music: A Gay Ranchero]
[Music: Strawberry Roan]

We started that Sons Of The Pioneers doubleshot with
A Gay Ranchero
written by Francia Luban, Abe Tuvim, Juan José Espinosa

And we just heard

The Strawberry Roan (lyrics are a little suggestive)
written by Nat Vincent, Fred Howard, Curly Fletcher, J.E. Patterson

Curly Fletcher was a famous rodeo rider who also wrote poetry. He wrote the Strawberry Roan in 1915 as a long, rambling narrative poem. After he broke both arms and legs and could no longer ride, he took the piece to popular songwriter Nat Vincent and offered to sell it for $200. Vincent gave him the money together with a full share of any royalties and then broke up the song into stanzas and added the refrains. It was first heard in a Ken Maynard picture, Strawberry Roan, and later sung by Gene Autry in another film with the same title. The Sons of the Pioneers, who appeared with both Maynard and Audrey in their films, have been singing this song since the 1930s

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the story from the booklet behind this next song that got me intrigued to find out more about this historical figure.

Henry McCarty was born September 17 or November 23, 1859. He soon went as William H. Bonney, but was better known as Billy the Kid. He was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely responsible, and five in which he may have played a role alongside others.

Orphaned at the age of 15, his first arrest was for stealing food at the age of 16 in 1875. Ten days later, he robbed a Chinese laundry and was arrested again but escaped shortly afterwards. He fled from New Mexico Territory into neighboring Arizona Territory, making himself both an outlaw and a federal fugitive.

After killing a blacksmith during an altercation in August 1877, Bonney became a wanted man in Arizona and returned to New Mexico, where he joined a group of cattle rustlers. He became well known in the region when he joined the Regulators and took part in the Lincoln County War of 1878. He and two other Regulators were later charged with killing three men, including Lincoln County Sheriff William J. Brady and one of his deputies.

Bonney’s notoriety grew in December 1880 when the Las Vegas Gazette, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and The Sun, in New York City, carried stories about his crimes. Sheriff Pat Garrett captured Bonney later that month. In April 1881, Bonney was tried for and convicted of Brady’s murder, and was sentenced to hang in May of that year. He escaped from jail on April 28, killing two sheriff’s deputies in the process, and evaded capture for more than two months. Garrett eventually shot and killed Bonney, by then aged 21, in Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881.

During the decades following his death, legends grew that Bonney had survived, and a number of men claimed to be him. Billy the Kid remains one of the most notorious figures from the era, whose life and likeness have been frequently dramatized in Western popular culture. He has been a feature of more than 50 movies and several television series.

And now from the internal booklet.

William Bonney, born in New York City in 1859, shot his first man in silver city, new mexico, at the age of 12, and thus earned the nickname Billy the kid. All attempts to make him a handsome and Gallant Daredevil have failed, and he emerges historically as a nondescript, physically repulsive little man who never won a fair gunfight. The Ballad Billy the Kid, which Tex Ritter sings in his characteristic deep campfire voice, was composed long after Bonney’s death in 1881.

[Music: Billy The Kid]

Tex Ritter – Billy The Kid
A traditional song

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

I would often catch my dad listening to this kind of music late in his life out on the patio where he spent a lot of time during warm weather. He usually rotated this music with his big band and rat pack CDs.

I’ve really been enjoying listening to the music on all of the records of this box set. I’ve already digitized the last two disks in this collection.

I think I remember this box set cover from my growing up days in the house.

It’s a silhouetted image of a cowboy on horseback at either sunrise or sunset. Who knows, they work from one to the other. Very distinguishable.

Now onto the title track of Side A of this disk.

In 1939 Gene Autry was at the peak of his career, making a half dozen films every year and following them with best selling records. That year, English men Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr composed South of the Border for Autry, and it served as both the title tune for a film and an Autry recording that sold more than 3 million copies in two years. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys give South of the Border a distinctive Western swing touch on this recording.

[Music: South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way)]

There’s a song you’ll recognize from Frank Sinatra and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass from earlier episodes of this show.

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way)
written by Jimmy Kennedy, Michael Carr

And there you have selections from what was technically Tumbling Tumbleweeds Part 5, Selections from the fifth record in a 7-record box set with great country hits.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 214: Badlands

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 215: Single-sided 78s

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.

Liner Notes

Orchestra with wordless vocals

We once again pull out the most popular orchestra leader in my dad’s collection. This is a follow-up album to a popular record my dad does not have. Both titles reference the Ira and George Gershwin tune S’Wonderful from the 1927 Broadway musical Funny Face.

Of course Conniff arranged all of these standards by using a chorus singing tones and not lyrics, which created his own recognizable style.

So, get ready to hear another in the great line of Space-Age composers performing music you heard on stage and screen in Volume 213: Ray’s Marvelous.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Ray Conniff And His Orchestra – ‘S Marvelous
Label: Columbia – CL 1074
Format: Vinyl, LP, Repress, Mono
Released: 1958
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Easy Listening, Space-Age

We’ll hear 6 of the 12 songs on this record.

The Way You Look Tonight
Written-By – Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern

They Can’t Take That Away From Me
Written-By – The writing team of Ira and George Gershwin

I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star
Written-By – the writing team of Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern

You Do Something To Me
Written-By – Cole Porter

Where Or When
Written-By – The writing team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

As Time Goes By
Written-By – Herman Hupfeld

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#rayconniff #easylistening #vinylcollecting #oldvinyl

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 213 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

We once again pull out the most popular orchestra leader in my dad’s collection. This is a follow-up album to a popular record my dad does not have. Both titles reference the Ira and George Gershwin tune S’Wonderful from the 1927 Broadway musical Funny Face.

Of course Conniff arranged all of these standards by using a chorus singing tones and not lyrics, which created his own recognizable style.

So, get ready to hear another in the great line of Space-Age composers performing music you heard on stage and screen in Volume 213: Ray’s Marvelous.

[Music: They Can’t Take That Away From Me]

Ray Conniff and his orchestra with They Can’t Take That Away From Me from the 1937 film Shall We Dance
Written-By – The writing team of brothers Ira and George Gershwin

The reason for my reference to space-age?

Space-age pop or bachelor pad music is a subgenre of easy listening or lounge music associated with American and Mexican composers. This was music written during the space age of the late 1950s and early 1960s. I’ve mentioned this type of music before.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

While I certainly knew who Ray Conniff was from the first radio station I ever worked at, I didn’t realize how popular he would still be all these years later. The YouTube video from the first time I featured his music has more than eleven thousand views.

This is the sixth episode we have featured him in and we still have two records remaining.

He was popular with my dad too.

I’ve come to appreciate his treatment of some great standards.

Like this next one.

[Music: The Way You Look Tonight]

The Way You Look Tonight,
a song from the 1936 film Swing Time that was performed by Fred Astaire
Written-By – Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Ray Conniff And His Orchestra – ‘S Marvelous
Label: Columbia – CL 1074
Format: Vinyl, LP, Repress, Mono
Released: 1958
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Easy Listening, Space-Age

We’ll hear 6 of the 12 songs on this record.

The liner notes are long and extensive so I am only going to read the first paragraph because the rest of them have to do with Ray’s biography and each of the tunes that was chosen for this record.

‘S Conniff too, with a companion volume, although in no sense a sequel, to his best-selling S’Wonderful! This time the music is slightly moodier, the arrangements a little more subtle, but there is still the same irresistible beat, the same imaginative use of wordless voices to add new sounds to the orchestra. Anyone who has danced to the earlier volume, or listened to some of the Ray Conniff backgrounds on any one of a dozen hit records, will have some idea of what is in store, but with or without that prior knowledge, everyone is in for a treat.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$5.99 High
$1.03 Low

$2.89 Average
$1.50 Median

Last sold on May 22, 2024 for $4.95

My dad’s record is in pretty good condition. Not even much crackle or hiss at the needle drop of each side.

The surface itself is in pretty good shape too. Although you can see those markings that make it look like my dad used this album on the automatic spindle I’ve talked about in previous episodes.

The cover is in good condition as well, although his Posted stamp, check mark and ever-present address labels are on the front and back cover.

Yes, I said labels. There’s a newer one on top of a much older one, but I’m pretty sure they both belong to the same address.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at two dollars.

Next up is one of the only songs from the album I was unfamiliar with.

[Music: I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star]

I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star introduced in the 1932 musical Music in the Air.
Written-By – the writing team of Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern.

We’ve already talked in great detail about the life, music and musical style of Ray, so let’s summarize.

Ray Conniff was a famous American orchestra leader, arranger, and trombone player known for creating a unique sound that combined voices and instruments. Born on November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Ray grew up in a musical family. His father played the trombone, and his mother was a pianist. After studying music, Ray joined big bands in the 1930s and 1940s, working with famous bandleaders like Artie Shaw. In the 1950s, he became a staff arranger for Columbia Records, where he developed his signature style, blending wordless vocal harmonies with orchestral arrangements.

Ray Conniff’s music became incredibly popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits like ‘Somewhere My Love’ and albums like ‘S’ Wonderful!. His smooth, easy-listening sound appealed to audiences worldwide, and his recordings sold millions of copies. Ray also won a Grammy Award and continued to record and perform for decades. He passed away on October 12, 2002, but his music remains a classic example of the easy-listening genre, bringing joy and nostalgia to listeners even today.

Ray Conniff was 85.

Here’s another song I was not familiar with. But it’s by Cole Porter, so you can’t go wrong.

[Music: You Do Something To Me]

You Do Something To Me from the 1929 musical Fifty Million Frenchmen
Written-By – Cole Porter

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with what else is on the back cover.

Recording labels were incessed with talking about quality of recordings, record pressing, and the final record itself. Alway hinting that you should be using a new needle or a specific brand of record player.

Well, of course Columbia had its own playback system, and that’s what they’re selling on this album cover.

Here’s what that portion says.

Listening in depth. a new experience in 360 High Fidelity exclusive with columbia.

From a low priced portable with a lively tone to a superb radio phonograph tape recorder combination which presents sound at its noblest… you get the world’s widest choice of the world’s finest sound in 1958 Columbia phonographs.

Not since America First turned on the world famous 360 has there been an advance in sound reproduction so meaningful to music lovers. The same Laboratories which brought you the original 360 and the LP record are proud to announce D-E-P. Directed Electromotive Power which seals The Sound Chamber for tonal balance throughout the entire listening range. This exclusive feature, a product of Columbia sound laboratory research, makes it possible for you to enjoy listening in depth.

Choose from more than 35 new 1958 Columbia phonographs in a wide price range. Hear D E P, the exciting new principle in sound reproduction. We invite you to inspect these Portables, consoles and combinations at your Columbia phonograph showroom today.

It goes on to list one of their top models and I thought you would like this description.

Model 535 High Fidelity AM FM radio phonograph console.

Push pull, High fidelity, 12 watt amplifier capable of 17 watt Peaks built into a cabinet available in mahogany, blonde mahogany, or walnut with a striking antique white interior. fully automatic with two jeweled Styli. Equipped with Columbia’s D-E-P, a super bass-powered AM/FM tuner with complete broadcast band for high sensitivity am reception and full FM band from 88 to 108 Mega cycles. automatic frequency control for positive, no drift simplified FM tuning. flywheel station selector.

Ahhh…AM radio. Static no matter where or when you’re listening to it.

[Music: Where Or When]

Where Or When from the 1937 musical Babes in Arms.
Written-By – The writing team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

I think I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

Something about the way the first characters in the title of the album are an apostrophe and S to signify the possessive of what comes before, then on to the word marvelous. It’s as if anything can be considered marvelous, or wonderful in the case of the original title to the song.

The letters themselves are in a colorful font. Underneath the title are three men and one woman hugging poles with the name Ray Conniff and his Orchestra on all of them as if they were pencils.

So, there’s something about that cover that rings a bell.

Ain’t THAT ‘s wonderful?

And to finish up the show, one of my all time favorite melodies.

[Music: As Time Goes By]

As Time Goes By
written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became famous when it was featured in the 1942 film Casablanca, performed by Dooley Wilson as Sam.

And there you have selections from the originator of the lyric-less choral vocals.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 213: Ray’s Marvelous

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 214: Badlands

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.