Volume 205: Big Band Chevy

Liner Notes

Of course big bands and cars go together. The first car radio was offered by Chevrolet in 1922. As the medium became more popular and more practical for use in a vehicle, it was more than likely large jazz orchestras filling those airwaves.

This album is a really good collection of some great star band leaders along with some great versions of big hits.

So get ready to hear music that was probably coming out of the dashboard for those early drivers in Volume 205: Big Band Chevy.

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 – Golden Anniversary Album (A Collector’s Item Specially Produced For Chevrolet)
RCA Victor – PR.111, RCA Victor
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Mono
Released: 1961
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Big Band, Swing, Vocal

Charlie Barnet – Cherokee
Written by Ray Noble

Larry Clinton – My Reverie
Vocals – Bea Wain
Written by Larry Clinton

Duke Ellington – Solitude
Vocals – Al Hibler, Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Marie Hibler
Written by Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange, and Irving Mills

Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started
Vocals – Bunny Berigan
Written by Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke

Guy Lombardo – Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Vocals – Male Trio
Written by Jacob Jacobs, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chapin, Sholom Secunda

Rosemary Clooney & Perez Prado – Bali Ha’i
Written by Rodgers-Hammerstein

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.

#jazzmusic #bigbandjazz #chevy

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 205 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

Of course big bands and cars go together. The first car radio was offered by Chevrolet in 1922. As the medium became more popular and more practical for use in a vehicle, it was more than likely large jazz orchestras filling those airwaves.

This album is a really good collection of some great star band leaders along with some great versions of big hits.

So get ready to hear music that was probably coming out of the dashboard for those early drivers in Volume 205: Big Band Chevy.

[Music: Cherokee]

Charlie Barnet – Cherokee
Written by Ray Noble

Ray Noble’s song Cherokee will always be associated with Charlie Barnet. The saxophonist and maestro made his first big hit when he recorded the tune in 1939. At its best, the Barnet band had tremendous driving power and reflected the influence of Ellington. The selection here is from Barnet’s album in the RCA Victor series Great Dance Bands of the 30s and 40s. That’s from the liner notes and I’ll use those to introduce songs from here on out.

Charlie Barnet was a jazz saxophonist and bandleader known for his energetic style and hit songs like “Cherokee,” which became a defining piece in the swing era. Born into a wealthy family in 1913, Barnet rejected a career in law to pursue jazz, leading one of the few racially integrated big bands of his time and advocating for jazz innovation until his retirement in the 1940s.

That was just a quick life summary and I’ll use them to tell you about each band leader.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

Because it had some of the biggest hits from some of the biggest names in big bands. That it was celebrating the first 50 years of Chevrolet was a plus.

My first car was a 1974 Chevy Nova with a 350 cubic inch engine. Yes, I know, that’s not technically a big block engine, but work with me here. I inherited it from my grandfather in 1978, just as I was getting my license. Still probably my favorite car. It was fast. My next FIVE cars were also Chevys. You can say I was brand loyal. By the way, because of the climate I live in, I’m brand loyal to Subaru now.

There are also some very cool versions of tunes I’m very familiar with on this album. I’m glad I discovered it.

Now…Larry Clinton’s my reverie, with a vocal by Bea Wayne, will surely bring back memories to many listeners. Clinton’s adaptation of the Debussy Melody achieved tremendous popularity and is one of the outstanding examples of a classical theme attaining Mass public acceptance. Clinton, who wrote such big swing hits as the Dipsy doodle, had an arranging style which strongly influenced the band era – particularly in the dance rather than Jazz area.

[Music: My Reverie]

Larry Clinton – My Reverie
Vocals – Bea Wain
Written by Larry Clinton

Larry Clinton was a talented jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger whose career peaked in the late 1930s as he led a popular dance band known for smooth, melodic arrangements, including hits like “Dipsy Doodle.” After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, he left the music scene to work in radio and remained semi-active in music until his passing in 1985.

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

Various – Golden Anniversary Album (A Collector’s Item Specially Produced For Chevrolet)
RCA Victor – PR.111, RCA Victor
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Mono
Released: 1961
Genre: Jazz, Pop
Style: Big Band, Swing, Vocal

We will hear 6 of the 12 songs on this album Believe me. I had a hard time choosing which 6 I wanted to play.

There are a lot of liner notes. I am using some of them to introduce the tunes. I’ll pick out a few other sentences.

This collection of vintage recordings, drawn from the RCA Victor archives, contains much from the last three decades that is Meaningful in the history of American dance, Jazz and popular music. This is a large statement, particularly so when it has reference to the contents of one long play record. Yet, the material has been so carefully chosen and the artists represent such a glittering array that there is no danger of overstatement.

Much of the material – it will be seen from a glance at the titles – derives from the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. These were the great years of the band business, when large instrumental combinations captured the public favor.

Collectors will know, of course, that virtually every one of the performances on this disc is a noted recording. As for the general listener, he or she is likely to recall many of the 12 performances – for each achieved great popularity and lasting catalog value.

You can tell a record executive wrote those.

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

$8.00 High
$0.28 Low

$2.25 Average
$1.82 Median

Last sold on Jul 26, 2024 for $3.89.

I found copies on eBay from 4 to 11 dollars.

Amazon was ridiculous. They had copies from 8 to 99 to 139 dollars.

Etsy has a copy for 48.95.

My dad’s record is in poor condition. There’s not much hiss between the tracks, but there are a couple of skips in the music. The surface has lots of wear marks and little scratches. One of the tunes I didn’t play had what sounded like a long cue burn over a good portion of the intro. This record looks like it was played a lot.

The cover is in poor condition as well. Lots of wear and a couple tears along the spine that actually allow the record to peek through. YOu can see the outline of the record worn through. The back has the world posted stamped on it next to a penciled-in check mark. One of his address labels adorns the front.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at 75 cents.

Here’s one of my favorite jazz ballads. My favorite version was sung by Billie Holiday. It includes another of my favorite jazz singers along with others.

Duke Ellington’s Solitude was recorded in 1945 – in the middle of a decade of great accomplishment for the duke. Jazz was developing new trends and directions, and Ellington kept pace – and often set the pace Dash both in his arranging and in the makeup of his orchestra. Solitude is one of the great Ellington copyrights. it has been a standard for many years and reflects another facet of Ellington’s genius – namely, his talent as a writer of popular songs. The vocalists with Ellington on this recording are Joya Sherril, Kay Davis, Marie Hibbler, and Al Hibbler.

[Music: Solitude]

Duke Ellington – Solitude
Vocals – Al Hibler, Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Marie Hibler
Written by Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange, and Irving Mills

Duke Ellington was an iconic jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader whose innovative music and sophisticated style elevated jazz to an art form, creating classics like “Mood Indigo” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” Leading his orchestra for over 50 years, Ellington’s influence shaped jazz and American music, earning him widespread acclaim as one of the 20th century’s greatest composers.

No long bio here. We’re doing quick summaries for each artist, so let’s keep rolling.

Here’s another great standard I love listening to no matter who performs it.

Bunny Berigan’s recording of I can’t get started is one of the sides in the RCA Victor series Great Dance Bands of the 30s and 40s. The trumpeter is more often associated with this tune than any other, and the performance displays his smooth, lyrical style. Berigan, in addition to having had his own band, recorded with Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and other noted artists.

[Music: I Can’t Get Started]

Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started
Vocals – Bunny Berigan
Written by Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke

Bunny Berigan was a gifted jazz trumpeter and bandleader celebrated for his virtuosic playing and expressive solos, especially in songs like “I Can’t Get Started.” Despite his remarkable talent and contributions to jazz during the swing era, his career was cut short by struggles with alcoholism, leading to his early death in 1942 at age 33.

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the car radio.

In 1922, Chevrolet became the first car manufacturer to offer a factory-installed radio, marking a significant shift in automobile culture and consumer expectations. Following World War I, America was in the midst of an economic boom known as the “Roaring Twenties.” With new technologies revolutionizing communication, including the rise of commercial radio, the public was captivated by the ability to receive news, music, and entertainment from far and wide. Chevrolet saw the car radio as a way to enhance the driving experience, allowing drivers to stay informed and entertained on the road—a fitting development in an era that celebrated technological progress and personal freedom. This radio wasn’t just an accessory; it symbolized a shift toward seeing the automobile as a space for comfort and convenience, rather than purely for transportation.

Initially, however, car radios were met with mixed reactions. Early models were bulky, costly, and sometimes unreliable, requiring heavy batteries and large antenna systems. Safety concerns also emerged, as people worried that the radio might distract drivers. Despite these hurdles, the allure of in-car entertainment and information proved irresistible. As radio technology improved and costs dropped, the car radio became a highly desirable feature, cementing its place in the car’s dashboard. By the end of the 1920s, the idea of listening to music or catching the latest news on the road had gained popularity, reshaping what it meant to travel by car and setting the stage for the car to become not just a mode of transit but a personal, multi-functional space.

And I’m sure it was a big reason why the USA has such a love for their automobiles. Right, Queen fans?

I know I installed my fair share of killer car stereos over the years.

Next up is a band leader that did more than just host a new years eve special every year for many years.

For sustained popularity over several decades, Guy Lombardo has no equal in the band business. His recordings and personal appearances popularized his unique brand of sweet music in all corners of the nation. His selection in this collection of Bier Mir Bist Du Schon, Is typical of the Lombardo Style with its distinctive saxophones. The tune, of course, was one of the smash hits of the day.

[Music: Bei Mir Bist Du Schon]

Guy Lombardo – Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Vocals – Male Trio
Written by Jacob Jacobs, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chapin, Sholom Secunda

Guy Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader known for his smooth, festive dance music style with his band, the Royal Canadians, popularizing songs like “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve broadcasts. Leading one of the most commercially successful dance bands from the 1920s through the 1970s, Lombardo earned the title “The King of Corn” for his crowd-pleasing approach to big band music.

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

Here’s an album cover that stood out in the way that it was designed. There is no artwork on the cover, Just the names of the band leaders and the titles of the tunes in big bold lettering. but the record is filled with musical art.

There were so many other good tunes I just couldn’t get to if I wanted to keep this episode within a reasonable length.

Although, they don’t really give any significant space to Chevrolet other than the front saying, “ A collector’s item specially prepared for Chevrolet at the top. On the bottom of the front cover and the top of the back, the Chevy symbol is present next to the words Golden Anniversary Album.

There’s no Chevy, road, or car theme to the music.

In fact. Here’s a tune from a musical.

The Rosemary Clooney – Perez Prado performance of Bali Ha’i derives from the album recorded by the duo a Touch of Tabasco. It was cut in 1959 and is the most recent selection of the lot. The coupling of artists in this case is unusual, and the Clooney vocal is accompanied by a typically Latin instrumental Arrangement by Prado – King of the mambo.

[Music: Bali Ha’i]

Rosemary Clooney & Perez Prado – Bali Ha’i

Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

Rosemary Clooney was a celebrated American singer and actress known for her warm, rich voice and hits like “Come On-a My House” in the 1950s, establishing her as a pop and jazz icon. Though her career faced challenges, she made a remarkable comeback in the 1970s, performing and recording until her passing in 2002, leaving a lasting legacy in American music.

Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, and composer known as the “King of Mambo,” who popularized the genre internationally in the 1950s with hits like “Mambo No. 5.” His vibrant, rhythmic music helped bring Latin sounds to mainstream audiences, making him a pioneering figure in Latin American and dance music until his death in 1989.

And there you have selections from a compilation album of some great big band leaders and their great recordings.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 205: Big Band Chevy

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 206: Beethoven’s 3rd

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.