Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl

Volume 184: Connie's Sing Along

Almost everybody likes to show off their singing skills whether they have some or not. Karaoke bars have made a killing off that theory for decades.
Back in the 1950s and 60s, there were a couple of TV shows that got viewers to sing along with them. Of course Mitch Miller was also all the rage with his albums. 
This audience participation album is performed by the first woman in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. It includes songs most of you should know because they have been recorded more than 15 hundred times combined over the last 134 years.
So get ready to hear music that you might have heard cowboys sing around a campfire or drunkards bellow out at the bar in Volume 184: Connie's Sing Along.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Connie Francis And The Jordanaires – Sing Along With Connie FrancisLabel: Mati-Mor Superecords – 8002Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Indianapolis PressingReleased: 1961Genre: PopStyle: Vocal
Sing Along Unkown composer
Home On The Rangemusic by Daniel E. Kelley and lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
In The Good Old Summertimewritten by George Evans, Ren Shields
I Love You TrulyWritten by Carrie Jacobs-Bond
You Tell Me Your Dream, I'll Tell You Minewritten by Charles N. Daniels, Seymour Rice, and Albert H. Brown
Down In The Valleywritten by Tom Darby and Jimmie Tarlton
My Wild Irish Rosewritten by Chauncey Olcott
Auld Lang Synewritten by Robert Burns
And The Band Played Onwritten by John F. Palmer, Charles B. Ward
Tavern In The Town Derived from the English ballad
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.

Volume 183: Six Pages of Patti on 78

Let's finish the first half of the year by turning up the speed. Let’s make it a 78 RPM Sunday.
What better voice to do that with than one who sold over 100 million records during a six-decade-long career. She topped the Hot 100 FOUR times and had several songs in the top 10 and 20 over the years. In fact, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s.
She was also an early pioneer of a specific recording technique.
So, get ready to hear the woman often introduced as the Singin’ Rage in Volume 183: Six Pages of Patti on 78.
00:00 - Season's Show Intro00:51 - Episode Introduction01:46 - Little Crazy Quilt04:19 - First Break: Why I chose these records for this episode and a M*A*S*H connection05:49 - Cabaret08:44 - Second Break: More information about the records, marketplace value and what condition my dad's shellac is in.10:11 - Whispering12:31 - Third Break: Patti Page Bio 16:18 - Hocus Pocus18:26 - Fourth Break: this episode's Interesting Side Note.20:23 - Let Me Go, Lover22:45 - Quick Extra break to introduce bonus cut23:16 - Doodle Doo Do25:43 - Sixth Break: Final Words27:02 - Keep Me in Mind29:18 - Close
Credits and copyrights
Little Crazy QuiltJack Rael And His OrchestraWritten-By – Hal David and Leon CarrReleased in 1955
CabaretWritten by Al Russell - Joel CowanRecorded 24 April 1949 New York City - with an Orchestra Conducted by Mitch Miller.
Whisperingwritten by Vincent Rose, Richard Coburn, John Schonberger, Malvin SchonbergerRecorded 24 April 1949 New York City - with an Orchestra Conducted by Mitch Miller.
Hocus Pocusfrom Mercury 70511 78 rpmwith Jack Rael and his orchestra - arranged by Joe ReismanMusic by David Saxon - Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Let Me Go, LoverWritten by Jenny Lou Carson - Al Hill, which is a Pseudonym for Kay Twomey - Fred Wise - Ben WeismanRecorded Circa October 1954
Doodle Doo DoKen Griffin on OrganJerry Wayne on Vocalswritten by Art Kassel, Mel StitzelReleased March 1948
Keep Me in MindThis early Bacharach song was co-written with Jack Wolf and published by Famous Music. Both the different composer, Zing-Wexler, and publisher names credited on the label were erroneously referring to a different song with the same title.Released in 1955
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.

Volume 182: Beethoven's 1st & 2nd

My dad had plenty of records featuring large orchestras playing classical music on both 33 ⅓ RPM vinyl LPs and 78 RPM Shellac records.
The Reader’s Digest liner notes for this seven record box set starts off…quote…the nineteenth century was just opening in Vienna when the fist of an implacable genius knocked like destiny upon the doors of music. unquote. 
They were, of course, talking about the immortal Ludwig Van Beethoven.
His symphonies live on in performances to this very day. In fact we saw the Cleveland orchestra perform his fifth symphony earlier this year.
So, get ready to hear the man who is said to have set music free in Volume 182: Beethoven's 1st & 2nd.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Beethoven, René Leibowitz, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Beecham Choral Society – The Nine Symphonies Of BeethovenLabel: Reader's Digest – RD 4-6, RCA Custom – RD 4-6 (1-7)Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP, Box SetReleased: 1966Genre: ClassicalStyle: Romantic, Choral
We will hear 4 of the 8 movements from the first record which includes Symphonies number 1 and 2.
Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21First Movement - Adagio Molto; Allegro Con BrioSecond Movement - Andante Cantabile Con Moto
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36Second Movement - LarghettoThird Movement - ScherzoFourth Movement - Allegro Molto
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.

Volume 181: Dixieland Stars for Fathers Day

So, Dad…your last fathers day was 2019. You died that December. 
In those four and a half years since, you have been dearly missed, thought of often and always toasted at family get-togethers.
I still use a lot of your tools. But no…I still don’t know where that sledgehammer went. I have your Willie the trumpet playing Hobo Melody Music maker music box where I can see it every day. I’ve replaced the batteries twice so far. And these albums keep me connected to you, your memories, and the life you started for us.
Dad…even more than others, this episode is for you.
So get ready to hear the style of music that makes up the biggest percentage of music in my dad’s collection in Volume 181: Dixieland Stars for Fathers Day.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Various artists – DixielandLabel: Golden Tone – C4021Format: Vinyl, LP, MonoReleased: 1960 something Genre: JazzStyle: Dixieland
We will hear all 8 of the songs on this album.
Matty Matlock And His Dixie-Men - Sugar Foot Strutwritten by Billie Pierce, Henry Myers, Charles Schwab
Matty Matlock And His Dixie-Men - Ida, Sweet As Apple Ciderwritten by Eddie Munson, Eddie Leonard 
Pee Wee Hunt And His Orchestra - Royal Garden Blueswritten by Spencer Williams, Clarence Williams
Pee Wee Hunt And His Orchestra - Lazy Boneswritten by Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer 
Morty Corb And His Dixie All-Stars - Southwritten by Bennie Moten, Thamon Hayes 
Morty Corb And His Dixie All-Stars - Back Home Again In Indianawritten by Ballard MacDonald, James F. Hanley, Paul Dresser
Matty Matlock And His Dixie-Men - Jazz Me Blueswritten by Tom Delaney 
Matty Matlock And His Dixie-Men - Oh, Didn't He Ramblewritten by Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson 
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.

Volume 180: Hit Makers

When it came to how popular a band’s music was, it was the charts that told you. It was the charts that determined radio station song lists and how often they changed. 
While maybe not quite all of the songs on this record made the charts, even though that’s what the album title hints at, all of the artists were on the charts at one time or another. 
So, get ready to hear music makers that were high up in a specific list at one time or another in Volume 180: Hit Makers.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Various – The Original Top Hits By The Hit MakersLabel: Columbia – CL 1485Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, MonoReleased: 1960Genre: PopStyle: Light Music
Johnny Mathis– Starbright written by Lee Pockriss, Paul Vance
Doris Day– Please Don't Eat The Daisieswritten by Joe Lubin
Jerry Vale– Solitairewritten by Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody
Mitch Miller– Pink Polemoniums Written-By – Al Hoffman and Dick Manning
Greenfieldswritten by Frank Miller, Richard Dehr, and Terry Gilkyson (also known as The Easy Riders)
Kitty Kallen– Got A Date With An Angelwritten by Clifford Grey, Jack Waller, Joseph Tunbridge, Sonny Miller
Marty Robbins – Big Iron He wrote and was the first to record it on April 7, 1959.
Johnny Horton - Sink The Bismarckwritten by Tillman Franks
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.

Volume 179: Viva the Latin Beat

I’m not sure the person who gathered the music for this record understood what the assignment was. This is not at all what I expected the music to sound like after seeing the name of the album and the text on the cover.
I mean, who hasn’t enjoyed that Latin sound from Guy Lombardo, Billy May, Ray Anthony, and Joe Leahy? Good thing there’s a song by Sergio Mendez here to lend the recording some credibility.
The closest comparison I can come up with is that the music on this record is light and bouncy, quite like the Latin music my dad and I like so well.
So, get ready to hear music from the most inappropriately titled record in my dad's collection, so far, in Volume 179: Viva the Latin Beat.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Various – Viva!Label: Creative Products – SL-6650, Capitol Records – SL-6650Series: The Capitol Stereo ShowcaseFormat: Vinyl, LP, Limited EditionReleased: not sure what year but sometime in the 1970s based off the Series name.Genre: Jazz, Latin, Pop
Billy May– Spanish FleaWritten-By – Cissy Wechter, Julius Wechter
Joe Leahy–LifeWritten-By – Joe Leahy, Mike Curb
Ray Anthony– Danke SchoenWritten-By – Bert Kaempfert, Kurt Schwabach, and Milt Gabler
Guy Lombardo– A BandaWritten-By – Chico Barque De Hollanda
Guy Lombardo– A Taste Of HoneyWritten-By – Bobby Scott, Ric Marlow
Sergio Mendes– Muito A VontadeWritten-By – João Donato
Joe Leahy– ArribaWritten-By – Joe Leahy, Mike Curb
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.

Volume 178: Headliners

Here’s an album I came across while looking for a specific artist for an earlier episode. I wasn’t familiar with some of the musicians and most of the music on this record. But it represents an interesting time frame in music. Sort of between bebop and rock and roll styles seeing the most spots on the charts. There’s also one country music star here as well. 
The artists I recognized I knew were deserving of having their names big and bold on the venue’s marquee in the late 1950s. 
So get ready to hear various bands play a variety of musical styles in Volume 178: Headliners.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Credits and copyrights
Various – The Headliners, Volume 2Label: Columbia Record Club – GB-9, Columbia – GB-9Format: Vinyl, LP, Club Edition, Limited Edition, Sampler, MonoReleased: 1961Genre: Jazz, Pop, Folk, World, & CountryStyle: Country, Vocal
"Limited Edition Available to Club Members Only"
Lester Lanin And His Orchestra–This Could Be The Start Of SomethingReleased on the B-side of Blue Tango Rock released in 1961 by Epic Records.song by Steve Allen, published in 1956. Yes, the Steve Allen who created the Tonight Show.
Johnny Cash–The Big Battle (cover only says The Battle)Written by Johnny Cash and released as a single on Columbia records in 1962.
The Miles Davis Sextet (Quintet)–Drad DogWritten by Miles Davis and appeared on his 1961 Columbia record Someday My Prince Will Come.
Dinah Washington– Somewhere Along The LineComposed by Dinah Washington, with lyrics by Dinah and Walter MerrickReleased in 1961 on the Mercury label record Unforgettable.
Jerry Murad's Harmonicats– Tuxedo Junction (A #1 hit for Glenn Miller in 1940)music was written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash in 1939.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet– Slow and Easy (Lawless Mike) The Lawless MikeWritten by Dave BrubeckThis song was found on the CD re-release of the 1961 Brubeck album Time Further Out. It was not on the original vinyl LP, but made its way into this collection.
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.

Volume 177: Sammy Record 2

Here’s the second record of a two disk set that spent as much time among my own records as it did my dad’s. There was a point where neither one of us remembered whose collection it actually belonged in. Like I’ve said in the past, my dad and I had similar taste in music.
The featured artist is just as much among my favorites as he was my dad’s. I still remember sitting in the Richfield Coliseum awestruck at what I was witnessing him do on the stage. And I witnessed that performance with my dad and my mom.
When we get done with this episode you’ll know why they called him Mr. Show Business.
So get ready to hear music written over the course of four decades and then rearranged for one of the best overall stage entertainers the world ever saw in Volume 177: Sammy Record 2.
More information about this album, see the Discogs webpage for it. 
Promised link to a story on Sammy's conversion to Judaism.
Promised link to research used in above story.
Credits and copyrights
Sammy Davis, Jr. – SammyLabel: Sessions (2) – ARI-1001Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, CompilationReleased: 1976Genre: Jazz, PopStyle: Vocal, Swing
We'll hear 7 of the 13 songs from record 2.
Chicago (Toddling Town)written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922.Sammy recorded it live several times.
Go right into next songBirth Of The Bluescomposed in 1926 by Ray Henderson, with lyrics by Buddy DeSylva and Lew BrownIt was a song he recorded in 1955 for the album Starring Sammy Davis Jr.
You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944.He recorded a studio version of that with Count Basie for the 1965 album Our Shining Hour
The Impossible Dreamcomposed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. Sammy recorded a version for the 1969 album The Goin' Great.
Exoduscomposed by Ernest Gold.This track was recorded sometime around 1972, and was never released on any of his official "albums", however it was also released in 1975 on this K-Tel LP entitled "The Sounds Of Sammy Davis Jr."
I've Gotta Be Mecomposed and written by Walter Marks in 1967Sammy Davis Jr. recorded the song in 1968, as the title track of Davis’ 1968 Reprise album.
Spinning WheelWritten by David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968.This was taken from his 1970 LP Something for Everyone.
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.