Variety (June 1949)

Ju“« 1949 t'^RlETf ORCHE.STnAS-.Mi:SIC S9 Jocks, Jukes and Disks By BESNIE WOODS Clark “Lit RCA 45s Get ‘Musicorner Hold On ^ GhAr^-Buddy Clark L.11- S S Big Pond”— Buddy tie ps^.i2ris Wakes Up and Smbia). Both from S'”''*/ Rerun’s. "M»ss Liberty in’inS Sie Fish.” a cute nov- melody and lync. is jlty With 8 h|.iohtly sliced by Miss lightly and b & > Clark s “PaHs” is okay, but not as it* could have been. He rt’t fully grasp the tune. Hugo ^?*XrhaUer solidly backgrounds. Como “Just One Way to *^*rT.ove You”-‘‘Let’s Take An Say ^irSoned Walk” (Victor), mire "Miss Liberty” tunes. You” is easily the Como s 1 of the ballad so for him. far. His backed with back cuts Billy “Crying” superior nutstanding handling fir It’s made to order ..n.^«nfar. -Walk” is by a chorus and fr*oh Avres’ lush accomp. but the f".‘i 1, more interesting as duet. Srefore Columbia’s Frank Sina- Kris Day disk is better. .Jo Stafford ’iJust One Way to c/v I Love”-“Homework (Capi- S) "Liberty” tunes are a flood. M « Stafford’s “Love You is ex- IIl ent With the Starlighters and Paul Weston’s orchestra she turn- ed an extremely saleable side for loctoand jukes. Her "Homework" kTinartly eut as rh.ythm pieee with smoothly bouncing dance background. It sells; most rival are in ballad beat. Eckstine “Temptation”- (M-G-M). There are vocal (Perry Como-Vic-' tor) and instrumental faces of! "Temptation” available, but Eck- stine is a hot disker at the moment and his job on the standard is very ^ gerviceable for jocks and jukes.. He does the tune very well but for gome reason the spark that makes a really outstanding side is missing. “Crying” is a fair tune, nicely wBrked. Buddy Baker backs both.. Tony Martin ‘‘Circus”-"No. No and No” (Victor). Both new tunes ! with a chance. "Circus” is the bet-! ter side, an excellent vocal of a smartly-tailored melody and lyric. J with colorfully moving bolero background. “No.” though not melodically similar, is also a smart air, well turned by Martin. Tango background adds heavily to the general effect. Margaret Whiting “Let’s Take An Old Fashioned Walk”-"Paris Wakes Up and Smiles” (CapitoU. Miss Whiting’s voice is naturally fitted to such as "Walk.” She does it solidly, with choral assistance and Frank DeVol’s band—but Co- lumbia’s disk is still best. Miss Whiting’s "Paris” is a considerate approach to an excellent melody. Her cut figures to be widely used by jocks and jukes. DeVol ac- eomps. Blue Barron Orch “Ting-A- Ling”-“Love Is a Beautiful Thing" (M-G-M). “Ting-A=Ling” makes i little impression in the rather dead I manner Barron works it over. His ‘ Beautiful” side, however, is dif- ferent. Tune, a new one. has good , possibilities. It’s cut similar to 1 "Cruising Down the River.” with chorus, whistling, etc., it shows commercial power for jocks and Jukes. • Song Spinners “Riders In the • Sky”-"Carcless Hands” (VocalionL Sample disking from Decca’s in-1 ilial release of its new 49c Vo- callon series proves the disks are a solid buy at that price. They’re j Well out versions of established , hits. Disks them.selves have slight- | ly more surface than is to be | found on lop-price faces, at least on this disk, but not enough to be bothersome. Song Spinners sound good on these, using small rhythm accompaniment. Johnny Desmond “Four Winds- Seven Seas”-"If I Only Had One 1 Day to Live” tM-G-M). Desmond’s Work on “Four Winds.” an excel- lent new melody with a heavy chance to hit, is good, but not no- ticeably superior to rival versions. He works it over with assistance | Of the Quintones and Tony Mot- 15 li* orchestra. Flipover is a new nicely cut, but unlikely to joake much impression. That title IS from nowhere. .Jean Sablon “Dites Mol” fTell Me Why”)-'‘Paris Wakes Up and ^mjles” (Victor). Victor figures to Oo all right at the counters and in joany juke and jock areas with Bablon fits the tunes, and vice versa, the first from ftouth Pacific” and the second trom "Misa Libertv.”- His "Tell Me Why” is good stuft’. and "Paris” nut among all versions for lypi^oderstanding treatment of the Platter Pointers dole’s new “Who Do You •vnow In Heaven” disk (Capitol) ** heavy with hit possibilities... Jocks should find good use for Dick Contino’s accordion arrange- ments of “Sorrento” and "Lady of Spain” on Horace Heidi’s new- la- bel. . Good spiritual face is the “I’m Tired” side by The Harmon- izing Four (M-G-Mi.. .Another crack disk limited in scope is Sarah Vaughan’s “Tonight I Shall Sleep” (Columbia) ”After My Laughter Came Tears.” by Terry Lee (Supreme), is a likely tune . Ditto “Rue de Romance” by Wayne King (Victor).. Capitol turned out three 12-inch square dance instru- mental disks by Cliffie Stone w'hieh include some excellent sides. Standout western, hillbilly, race, polka, etc., Chet Atkins. “Barber Shop Rag” tVictor); Sons of the Pioneers, “Room Full of Roses” (Victor); Red Sovine, “W^hv Pre- tend” (M-G-M); Jim Wynn,'“Fare- well Baby” (Supreme); Tex Wil- liams, “Johnstown Polka” iCapi- tol). Hollywood, June 21. Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore , ducted for Columbia on “Sunshine Cake.” with crooner doing a single on the other side of the wax, “Sure Thing.” They'll split the royalties. Etching by Sinatra and Miss Shore seems to have stemmed from the fact that Bing Crosby had done “Cake” recently for Decca with Carole Richards. Columbia per- suaded Miss Shore to hurry out the same tune with Sinatra. This is the first time they've worked together 1 since doing “Fine Romance’’ and “Tea For Two.” with all royalties ' to the Damon Runyon Foundation. Family life Via N. J. Apt. House Deal TOMMY DORSEY, WIFE SHAKEN UP IN CRASH Tommy Dorsey and his wife w ere badly shaken up, though uninjured on VW'dnesday (15) when the huge bus that he uses as a combined of- fice and home while on the road with his band was rammed near Wahoo, la., by an auto. Mrs. Dor- sey. soon to become a mother, was ordered to bed by a doctor, and Dorsey was forced to fly to his booking in order to make it on time. A man and his 15-year-old son, who reportedly, was driving the car that caused the collision, were badly injured. Dorsey and his wife have used their “land cruiser” for inonths. It’s driven by a regular bus driver hired by Dorsey and it contains a complete apartment as well as rc- cording equipment on which the loader cuts transcriptions lor his disk jockey programs, used by various .stations throughout the country. The bus requires repairs before it can be put back into use. Decca Ruffled As Kaye Scores Beat On Lombardo Tune Decca Records is as unhappy j \ about th^ situation involving its Guy Lombardo recording of “Four I Winds and Seven Seas” as Colum- bia was about Vaughn Monroe and HC.\ beating its Burl Ives to the counterpunch with "Riders in the Sky.” j Decca’s hurt isn’t because it had gotten the tune first, how'cvor, and a rival copied its disk and beat , it to the market. Don Rodney. Lombardo's vocalist, is one of the writers of the tune, and Lom- , bardo’s music house, operated by Bregman, Vocco & Conn, publishes the song. Still. Lombardo and Dee- ca did not have a beat on the mar- ket. But. Decca feels it should have had a clean beat. That's w by Dccca's Dave Kapp cut the tune again last week with Bing Cro.shy I HC.A's Samniy Kaye disk was the first platter out and it has so far taken (he majority of the play on the tune. B«st British Sheet Sellers ' U'cek (•iidi(((; June 11) London, June 15. Lavender Blue . Sun " Wedding Lilli Marlene B&C 12th Street Rag Clmppell ^ Red Roses. Blue Lady Wright Pul Siloes on. Lucy Gay Faraway Places . . Leeds Candy Kisses ... Chappell Strawberry Moon ... Yale Powder Your Face Chappell “.A " You’re .Adorable Connelly In a Shady Nook . Keith I* Cuckoo Waltz Keith P Second 12 Forever and Ever F.D.A-ll Buy Killarney . . . P. Maurice On the .5:45 Strauss Put 'em in a Box Connelly IR'hind Clouds Feldman Clancy Lowered Boom Leeds I'll .Alwa\s Lo\e You Clov«'r It's Magic Connolly Again F.D H. Happened in .Adano P. Maurice Dreams Come True Wright Heart Loch Lomond linit Brown Music Corp. chartered to conduct music publishing business in New York, with capital stock of 200 shares, no par value. Edgar Bergen 8 Disks Chicago. June 21. Edgar Bergen huddled with Dick Bradley, proxy of Tower Records, here last week before radio .star went on to Europe. Bergen is said to be interested in doing a series of platters for kiddie division of the di.skery. KING COLE DOING BIG IN SOUTHERN 1-NITERS Atlanta, .lune 2t. The .south, which has been v«*ry partial at the b.o. to small Negro comhinations such as Louis Jor- dan's. has been doing alright by King Cole and His Trio. Working with Hal Singer's orchestra, to provide dancing. Cole went into percentage on five of his recent dates*in this area, and made .‘<ome com. if not plenty, on otliers. He's being sold at .SI.350 nightly against 00'^ Sin.ger's hand includ(d. Ralph Weinberg is promoting all dates. Cole took $3,720 as his end of a «»ne-nightcr at the local auditorium Iiere .lune 1*2. He had |>reviously laktn S2,350 out of the Arena. Norfolk. Va.. and approximately Sl.OOO at Columbia. S. C He earned the same amount at Chat- tanooga '12) and almost $1,500 at Greenville. S. C. That's better than many big hands have done in the .south recently. RC.A-Vietor came up with a new gimmick last week that could plant an idea and start something in favor of the recording t)usiness and the c-ompany’s new 45 rpm plattc-rs, or turn out to be an inspired, but impractical dud. Whichever wa.v . the wind blows eventually. KC.A right now is pressuring all possible t)i-oinotion angles out of a new housing project in New .lersey whic h is offering 45 rpm e(iuip|)ecl apartments to prospective tenants. It held a press party in New York .Monday '20' afternoon to lierald the new addition to family life— the built-in 45. RC.A collaborated on the idea with Milton L. Ehrlich. Inc., builder of a garden apartment iirojeet at Roselle. N. J. It consists of pro- \iding each of 310 apartments with an "RC.A Musicorner.” built into one corner of each living room. Musicorner consists of shelving to hold recordings and books 'none of the shelving is high enough, ap- t)arently. to aeeonunodjde 7H rpm platters', plus any model television rei-eicer. pliTs a nielie for one of ’ RC.A's model 9EY3. 45 rpm set. This is the small set that spins and reproduces the 45s. as distin- guished from the turntable that is jackc-d into larger radios. RCA feels that there’r. no reason why new housing should not c‘Oine cciuipped with record players as well as refrigerators, gas .stoves, etc. I’rcsumably. it made Ehrlich a present of 310 of the small sets to start the ball rolling. HEIDT TO SNAG 30G FOR HOUSTON EXPO Horace Heidt’s orchestra will draw $3().0()() for eight days' woi k in the fall. Band has been set by .loc* (Haser's As.soeia(ecl Booking Corp. to |)lay the Houston Indus- trial Exposition, starting Sepl. 25, at that figure, Heidt will do two hroadcaMs from (he expo. Opening clay is a Sunday and he finishes on a Sun- dae. the (lay he does his Philip Morris broadcasts. 10 Best SeDers on Coin-Machines-* Week of June 18 1. RIDERS IN THE SKY (9) (Morris) 2. SOME ENCHANTED EVENING (4) (Williamson) 3. AGAIN (14) (Robbins) •A” YOU’RE ADORABLE (9) (Laurel) 5. FOREVER AND EVER (9) (Robbins) 6. I DON’T SEE ME (5) (Laurel) BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE (5) (.Melrose) 8. WONDERFUL GUY (1) (Williamson) 4 9. CARELESS HANDS (7) (Melrose) 10. BALI II.AI (1) (Williamson) CANDY KISSES (Hill & Range) IIUCKLEBUCK (United) MERRY GO ROUND WALTZ (Shaplro-B) EVERYWHERE YOU GO (Lombardo) LOVE ME, LOVE .ME, LOVE Mt (Miller) KISS ME SWEET (Advanced) HOW IT LIES (Morris) PORTRAIT OF JENNIE NEED YOU (Choice) COMME Cl COMME CA (Leeds) Second Croup \ Fddi/ Ilonard. Mcrcnrij • Johnnn Mercer Coi)itol \ Frank- Sinatra Columbia / Tomnn/ Dorsey Victor t (iny Lombardo Deeea I Art Mooney M-G M t Gup Lombardo Decca I Doris Day Columbia I Eddy Ho(cor(l Mereury .Summy Kaye....- Victor \ Kitty Kallen Mercury I Sammy Kaye Victor t Bing Crosby Decca I Kay Starr Capitol (Chappell) eole Capifol Stafford MacRae Capitol ( Toil'/ Martin Victor With RILL IIICKOK 30 Mins. Sustaining 6:.30 p.m.. Mon. thru Fri. WXKW, Albany Bill Hickok. featured on an early morning jock show, has recently adcled a supper-hour block which combines disk jockey format with a potpourri of baseball scores, light comedy, singing to records, adages and chitchat. It's very informal and quite enjoyable. Hickok prob- ably has no radio peer hereabouts in easy, off-the-cuff miking. Hickok plays request numbers asked \ia letter and phone, tabbing names and making "dedications.’ He apparently utilizes two staflers to help him “pull” the records. Broadcaster injects casually hut surely the personal touch in the request business. Warbling to records—a strong point in his breakfast stanzas—is occasionally included on the evening blocks. Posses.ses a pleasant tenor. The comedy, some of it with sound ef- fects. is rather amusing. Hickok should watch the tendency to tonal thickness and the habit of drop- ping or throwing away his voice. He also becomes over-gabby now and then. Jaco. SOMEONE LIKE YOU (Harms) SO IN LOVE (9) (T. B. Harms) RED ROSES FOR BLUE LADY (18) (.Mills) • • • • [Figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song I Dick Haymes Dccca ) Peggy Lee Capitol I Doris Day Columbia \ Bing Crosby Decca I Dinah Shore Colitmbio j Vaughn Monroe Victor I Guy Lombardo Dccca has been in the Top lOJ p.m.) BARRY GRAY SHOW Producer: Billy Allen 180 .Mins., Mon. thru Sun. (11 Participating W.A1IE. Miami That Barry Gray is an estab- lished and influential figure in this area is now a recognized fact. He’s done a switch from the “Peck’s Bad Boy” rep with which he came here from .New Y’ork City’s WOR, becoming a strictly controversial character, with the “drop dead” answer to phoncr-inners dropped. And he now has a more mellow ap- proach in most instances to the phone-dialers. Gray can no longer be labelled a disk-jockey. For in the three- hour sesh he essays nightly, there are. on the average, some three records played to spell his gabbing, comments and interviews. His is the stuff of which arguments and personal reaction are made of— 'Continued on page 40) e