Variety (November 1950)

42 OBCMESTRAS-MPSIC In^ Orchestras—Mow , Further details in Billy Eckstine's new M-G-M disk contract' have cqme to light following consummation two weeks ago. Pact, which calls for guarantees of $1,000 weekly for five years, also provides that Eckstine Can renew for another five if he wishes, at the same term^. No royalties are to be paid until expiration of 10 years, at which time all accumulated.royalties are to be handed over to Eckstine. Should Eckstine renew at the end of the initial five years, royalties would .be paid at the end of 15 years. In addition, all costs of sessions, including cost of arrangers, copyists, conductors and orchestras, amounting to an estimated $26,000 yearly, are to be paid by M-G-M. Eckstine may choose any of this personnel; Eckstine’s picture deal with Metro, the diskery’s sister company, was set independently Of the record deal, and calls for the singer to make one film, receiving $75,000 for 10 weeks’ work. Record deal was negotiated by Frank Walker and Harry Meyerson, general manager and artists & repertoire chief of M-G-M; Barry Winton and Mat Lefko- witz of the Wm. Morris office, and. Milt Ebbins, Eckstine’s manager. Picture deal was set directly with the studio by the. Co.ast Morris office. Tops of the Tops Retail Disk Best Seller “Goodnight Irene” Retail Sheet Best Seller “Goodnight Irene” “Most Requested” Disk “All My Love” Seller on Coin Machines “All My Love” Best British Seller “Silver Dollar” Small Cocktail Units In Greater Uemand In Wednesday, Novemher 1, 1950 Jocks, Jukes and Disks _11W WP1>1W Ames Bros.: “To Think You've Her workover of “Way You Are” Chosen Me”-“Oh Babe” (Coral), is particularly standout and rates High-flying Ames Bros, will main- plenty of jock spins. Carol Brandt tain their altitude in the hit lists orch backgrounds, Reverse is an with this sock coupling. “Chosen okay rhythm number, Miss Ror- Me,” coming up fast, will get gen's vocal backed by the Mello- plenty of additional spins via this men and George Wyle's orch. combo's warmly blended vocal. Re- Jan Garber Orch: “That’s Where versing their field, Ames Bros, give My Money Goes”-“Heads You Do. a driving workover to “Oh Babe,” Tails You Don’t” (Capitol). y A ^ Chicago, Oct. 31. a driving workover to Oh 1 a natural for coin machines. Ross batons. Roy “Money” has a good idea and this side’s arrangement exploits it to No legal action has yet been taken over alleged nonrpayment of i swing upward m the pas royalties by producer Mike Todd for two songs in his “Peep Show.” months, according to CJhi bend Todd is supposed to pay $50 a week each to Edwin H. Morris and Breg- bookers. Not only are more Units man, Vocco & Conn for use of “Stay With the Happy People” and in heed at the present time, but Chicago, Oct. 31. DoHs Day: “The Everlasting hilt,^ Roy Cordell and Kitty Demand by niteries for small Arms”-“David's Psalm” (Colum- Thomas^brightly h^dUng the vocaj cocktail units has taken a healthy biO). Another entry in the current against the orchj bouncing instru^ swing upward in the past few cycle of religioso tunes, “Arm^’ is ® P'®® fr. Uartri a riphlv pmbroidcred song with a item, AyOrcieu vocaiiing. a richly embroidered song with a good lyric for its type. Reverse Sammy Kaye Orch: “To Think ‘Violins From Nowhere.” Attorney Lee Eastman, repping Morris, sent nitery ops are reportedly a bit more a legal warning to Todd’s office in order to collect back payments of royalties, and subsequently Morris received a check in partial payment, but no action has been taken since. In the case of BVC. Jack Bregman states Todd “has been paying ro.yalties regularly” on “Violins” and that Todd “is not in any way indebted to us.” BVC’s attorneys are, Gilbert & (jilbert. prone to lay out. fancy sums than during the period before the Ko- rean war. Bookers report a definite short- age of groups in the weekly wage category of $400 to $600, many of whom have now graduated via the gives a fliie musical setting to a You've Chosen “Shta w.k. Biblical passage;. Miss Day Be In Pictures" (Columbia); Kaye infornrptfi hntb Ridpfi in GfToctivG-' comes up witu dnother . saleable interprets both sides in effective- ly reverent style with choral ac- companiment. Both sides could hit during the holiday season. Anita O'Day: “The Tennessee version of “Chosen Me,” the Kay- dets wrapping up the vocal handily against a sweet instrumental back- ground. On the bottom deck, inaeptea to us." jb vu s attorneys are.uuoen & tiUDert. cdteguiy initial waxing chore in some years ^ for an established label. Miss O’Day Although an artists and repertoire chief of a major diskery is usually supply-and-demand route to weekly .comes up with two potential clicks, the hardest person for a music publisher to reach, it’s different this rates of anywhere between $750 recently launched as a week with Charles Grean, RCA Victor a &, r head. A number of pub- and $1,000. Many aggregations are p^p number via Erskine Hawkins' Ushers are engaging in heavy bidding for a song Grean wrote recently reportedly receiving amounts in excellent cut for Coral, gets added and recorded with Phil . Harris, and Grean is reportedly open to all ®kCess of . $1,000. steam with this superlatively styled offers. Tune is called “The Thing;” Adding to the Dublishers’ inceh- Midwest key cities have com- femme vocal interpretation. Miss, Tony Alatno and Judy Johnson Wsltz Y.03 "“Boo (London). In. noT ^pofiv diipt sn oldio in erkWA vodrc neaUy aUet 30 0101^ offers. Tune is called “The Thing.” Adding to the publishers’ inceh- - t.- i. — - - > tive is the fact that Victor has ordered a pressing of 250,000 of the plained of shortages in the higher- o’Day’s version captures more of disks. Record was released on the Coast last, week, and is slated for priced groups. While the $250 to the tune’s feeling than Patti Page s Midwest cities have eastern release later this week. $300 units are slipping in aemana, — . bookers hasten to add that they’ll This is the week that the Hotel Pierre’s maestro, Stanley Melba, is always sell, though with more dilfi- on a bicycle between multi-jobs attendant to the Horse Show at New culty than the more elite combos. York’s Madison Square Garden which he is playing for the 14th year. More money in the hands of the Melba works the Garden twice daily, officiates at the many private citizenry has been described as functions at the Waldorf that hitch-hike to the equestrian show, and the key factor in the resumption of in between he also directs the Pierre’s entertainment as well as his cocktail lounge business; particu- orchestra at the hotel’s Cotillion Room. larly in war production centers in the midwest. For instance, the Buddy Morrow Orch: “I Can’t Give You Anything But Lbve”- “Our Song of Love”; “Strangers’’- Autumn Leaves” (Victor). New- ly formed orch under baton of trombonist Buddy Morrow ■ makes a fine impression on its first batch of wax. Morrow’s excellent horn adds the fillip to this crew’s neat dance tempos, which are patterned $300 units are slipping in demand,; for Mercury, ^ although latter is somewhat after the Tommy Dorsey highly listenable. “Yea^ Boo,” on the London 'flipover, coiild be a sleeper. It’s a rowdy tavern-type tune with a clever community sing peg that might catch on. Jack Pleis batons. Perry Como: “You’re Just in Love”-“It’s a Lovely Day Today” band. Crew registers most effec- tively on ‘‘Anything But LoVe,” with a catchy alphabet gimmick. Tommy Mercer handles the vocals in good style: Album Reviews Stan Kenton Presents (Capitol). Personal ad in the N. Y. Times, soliciting a donation or “buy” on a piano for a hospital, disclosed that the music publisher has set up a Jerry Vogel Foundation. Vogel for a quarter of a century has inter- ested himself in supplying comforts for the underprivileged and hos- pitalized. KING SETS NEW UBEL | FOR TALENT TESTING King Records is setting qp a subsid label to experiment with new talent along the lines of the larly in war production centers in Love”-;‘Tt’s a Lovely Day_ Today ^ Stan Kentoa Presents-(Capitol), the midwest. For instance, the (Victor). A smart disk vyitiv Gomo Kenton has packaged another strik- Rar Bnptc Island 111 handling two Irving Berlin tunes ing album which showcases his vo- Ju?iPd non tn the Louis Arm- from “Call Me Madam.” “Just in calist, June Christy, “and his side- is dressed with a bright men in his progressive” style. Ken- M beat, Como’s easy vocal getting fine ton’s music, as revealed in this six- Club Silhou- ijgcking from the Fontane Sisters, sided set, may be Over-flashy to the from “Call Me Madam.” “Just in calist, June Christy, “and his side- Love” is dressed with a bright men in his progressive” style. Kcn- beat, Como’s easy vocal getting fine ton’s music, as revealed in this six- T _ T . * A X1^ A kj' ^ ^ A . C! aaX ' »» » A A A« • A A ' ette. both elaborate Ipunges, spend jg .another good rhythm point of phohiness,. but its interest $3,000 to $4,000 weekly for special item with a cute lyric, Mitchell never flags. Album comprises spe- attractions. Cairo lounjfe, nabe Avres orch backs up. I • « • ♦. ___• X t_ ^ ^ For Ros Latin Orch spot, in Chi, is now paying the Steve Nelson trio $1,000 each week, as its does the Mary Kaye Ray Smith: “It’s No Secret”-”All Alone ’Neath the Blue Grass” (London). “Secret,” originally cut rUI AUd LdllU VI til trio, an . intermittent attraction. at for Columbia by cleffer Stuart London Oct 31 ^be spot. Brass Rail and Capitol Hamblem, is given a moving in- Edmundo Ros maestro of the Lounge here, with hot combos and terpretation by Smith. This is a top Latin-Amerlcan outht in Eng-|h“Se patron tyrnover. regularly highly saleable item in the cur- cial material numbers with the sides featuring Shelly. Mannc on drums. Art Pepper on sax, Maynard Ferguson on trumpet and Miss Christy in a Latin-American item in which her voice is employed as an instrument. Frank De Vol Orch: “A Syni- land, was repacted by British old RCA Victor plan with Bluebird Decca last week to a longterm deal Most of the glorified lounges, standard folk tune. et ‘Riicc IWnrtran Oi rent religiose trend. Reverse is a Phonic Portrait of Jimmy McHugh . * ‘ / A j X A I \ V_ AM A W ■ aa amBa A Records. Idea is to test new artists on th.‘ subsid label, as yet un- nafned, and to jack them up to the King signature if they prove successful seVevs. In line with this move King has taken on Ralph Bass, Jr., as artist and repertoiT head for the new (Capitol). Jimmy McHugh, one of the most prolific producers of pop after severe u s d Sa made which incidentally shy from terping Russ Morgan Orch: “Timeless”- the most prolitic^ proaucers^t ^p^^^ L 2*!" ® “ and book but two or three acts, vlr- “Longing” (Decca). Morgan gives hi^ is given a tasteful tribu^^^^ in big pitches to snag him. British Decca made the deal after demand past platter per- toppihg offers made by RCA Vic- tOL Capitol and American Decca. Redd Evans, Jefferson Music chief, left N. Y. oyer the weekend on a three-week trip to Chicago formances by the attractions. Book- nan ers also claim comedy units and singles, the latter in the $250 to $300 class, are heavil yin demand. cho: Nat “King” Cole trio opens at P “Timeless’’ an okay dance cut, his handling of the vocal being just fair. Tune is promising, however. this set, cbmprising a medley of over a dozen of his tunes to many of which Dorothy Fields wrote the Flipover is another likely number lyrics. Frank De Vol’s instrumental oh which Morgan’s vocal registers arran^g^ment creates a noh pattern setup. Bass joined the company records on his upcoming songs, and last week following his departure will do exploitation on his current from Savoy * Records after two ‘plug, “Rainbow Gal.” years as a&r head of that firm* — — r — Henry Glover remains as a&r 1 A B I. head for King. SaVoy, incidentally, . Ill KACi hasi not yet replaced Bass. tt♦♦X AVF and the Coast. Evans will set new Boulevard, Elmhurst, L. I., today Week of Oct. 28 ASGAP Meets Continued from page 41 ALL MY LOVE (8) (Mills) Patti Page ..Mercury MONA: LISA (17) (Paramount) | I'. the Oetpber dividend, first under the new plan, were received by the writers. ASCAP board met yes- terday fTues.) in a regularly scheduled meeting, and while the distribution problem was not on the agenda, it came in for plenty of discussion Meetings on the problem Will continue beyond to^ morrow’s session. Another indication that ASGAP* would go to the Government for relief was the disclosure that Paul Cunningham, a writer member of the board, will go to Washington next week on “ASGAP business.” Cunningham would hot elaborate. Meanwhile, in an effort to get solid support behind any gestures toward the Government, writer Bene Russell called upon Otto Har- bach, ASGAF's prexy, to call a general membership meeting to air the issues and determine the feel- ing of the meihbership toward any modification of the plan. Russell also asked Harbach to set up a committee to hear and record specific complaints against the hew ! system. it was also learned that the classifications nommittee, in its search for some solution, will re- consider the sorcalled Meyer plan, originated by ASCAP official George W. Meyer Meyer originally .offered his distribution plan as an alternate to the present plan when consent decree negotiations were on, but the ASCAP membership rejected it. NEyER'THELESS (Ghappell) ...... PATRICIA (BVC) ; . : I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (Famous) SAM’S SONG (14) (Weiss) . .. . THINKING OF YOU (Remick) BELOVED BE FAITHFUL (Pickwick) . BONAPARTE’S RETREAT (10) (Acuff-R) TZENA, tZENA, TZENA (14) (Cromwell) (Wed.) for five-day stand. Unit Mouth” (Victor). This is the best lou re a &weeineariv i m in ine then moves into the Click, Phila- disk Miss Bergen has cut since delphia, for week beginning Nov. 6. joining Victor several months ago. Way and Sunny Side oi the ^ : r— —_ . _ ——— Street, among others. Sellers on Coin-Maehmes <t set of Frank Sinatra standards m a Patti Page .. ........ Mercury " ‘ new long-play album M'hlle Morton ( King Colfl Trio Cnpitol ^on tho^same labeL condw^^ nt) Virtnr Ynum Dgcco. another fine L-P, “Manhattan {Victor Youny uccea ,, Moods,” ... Margaret Whiting and ;9) (Valando) Ames Bros. Coral Jimmy Wakeley have another cute . { Gordon Jenkins-Weaver's. .Decca o. duet in “Christmas Candy” (,Capi- t&>penccr) Sinatr.i Columbia tol) ... Red Foley gives a patriotic recitation on “The Place Where I ippell) Sammy Kaye Columbia ^ ► Worship” (Decca) . . . Leroy Ander- >rms) Tony Martin ........ Victor .► son’s batoning of two of his own (Valando) \ Kay Starr-Tenn. Ernie.. .Capitol [[ numbers, “Sleigh Ride” and “Prom- (1) (Frank) Kiny Cole-Sian Ka,ton. .Capitol ^ for De’cca^'^'FwrWaTrtn'hL^^^ rlin) i........ Bing & Gary Crosby.. .... Decca . ► “m Know” in good style for Vic- ** { Frankie Laine........ .Mercury ^ • • • Hilton Berle-s slice of E (5) (Bouinc) • • • • * ‘® • iTorii/ Martin. . . v. Victor ‘‘This Is The Chorus” and ^ 1 " o' Lucky Lucky Lucky Me” has uCCOnd \jrOllD some personality interest (Vic- r tor) . . Johnny Mercer . \ Ralph Flanagan. ; . .l^ictor has an appealing side in “Goofus” .....,........... ............... rFrankie Laihe.Mercury Capitol, Paul Weston conduct- TT* / lug . . . Jcrry Byrfl strums out. ..................,............ tferry Lomo ,,......... . Victor ^. “Beyond The Reef” exCellehtly for nous) . , i .,.,...,,,.......,,,, Dean Martv', ...... . Capitol '•* Mercury, ^ Grene Griffin vocaiiing ..:.........................,... Bing & Gnrg Crosbg..... .Decca :: .■ f <► dixie kick to “Dixieland Band A Uon Cherry............. .Decca ■. From Santa naii«? Tinnfi” (Golum- lEddie Fisher ........Victor j bia) . . . Mario Lanza’s voice on ifwiPifA j Russ Morgan Decca ‘‘Be My Love” and “I’ll Never Love KWICKI ......................... \yic Damone. .....Mercury \\ You” for Victor sounds a bit (Aruff-R) : . Kni, -I forced . . . Doc Dawson trio have a CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN (9) (Valando) Ames Bros. . Coral vnwnikTci /-lox /c? V { Gordon Jenkins-Weaver's. .Dacca GOODNIGHT IRENE (13) (Spencer) •r" (Franlc Stna(r.t Columbia HARBOR LIGHTS (2) (Chappell) Sammy Kaye ........ .Columbia LA VIE EN ROSE (10) (Harms) Tony Murtin . ........ Victor I’LL NEVER BE FREE (5) (Valando) Kay Starr-Tenn. Ernie.. .Capitol ORANGE.COLORED SKY (1) (Frank) .................... .. King Cole-Stan Kenton. .Capitol SIMPLE MELODY (12) (Berlin) /. Bing & Gary Crosby. MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE (5) (Bourne) .... ...., .1 TonT^Mariil "^'.' . .. Decca , Mercury .. .Victor Second Group • • • • • • •. 4 • f. a • • • • • • e • • • • • 't • • X« • • • I - • • • • j Russ Morgan ..............,....,...., j Damone I Ralph Flanagan. ; . .Victor. I Frankie Larne .. .Mercury Perry Como ........... . Victor Dean Marti'r ,... . . . Capitol Bing & Gary Crosby :..... Decca { Don Cherry .......,...... Decca l Eddie Fisher .. . ..........Victor I Russ Morgan ............ Dccca I Vic Damone . ........ . Mercury Kay Start . ... .,..,.. Capitol yGordon Jcnkins-Wcavers. . Decca . *. ^ Mitch Miller. ....... , Columbia OUR LADV OF FATIMA (Robbins) ) ft,., n - IM FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES (Remick) ,..,...,.,,,,,,,, Gord. Jenkins Artie Shaw . Decca DREAM A LITTLE DREAM (Words & Music) Frankie Laihr .........Mercury THIRSTY FOR YOUR KISSES (Mutual) ..,............. Ames Bros. .. .. , .Coral MOLASSES, MOLASSES (Essex) Kids Discouerg CINCINNATI DANCING PIG (Hickory) ................t®*®" • • • •' • • • ■■/Oecca {Vie Darnorie.......... .Mercury. A. BUSHEL AND A PECK (Morris) . , . J Whiiing-Jim Wakely Capitol I Kitty Kallcn-R. Hayes. . .Mercury tFigurct in parentheses indicate number oj weeks sono has been tn the Top lOJ { Kitty KallemR. Hayes. . Mercury { Red Foley , .Decca • Of • • • • cute instrumental in “Slap Happy (Big Nickel) . . . Teresa Brewer dis- plays fine style oh “He Can Come Back Anytime He Wants To” and “You’ve Got Me Crying Again' (London) , . . Amy Alcott singv^ promising tune, “Christmas Time, for Carol Records . ;. A1 Morgan’s cut of “So Long Sally” rates atten- tion (London) . . . Coral Records have issued a flock of fine stand- ards with Connie Haines on vocals . 4 . Artie Shaw has two good sea- sonal sides in “White Christmas and “Jingle Bells” (DecCa) , . • Ralph Flanagan has a slick dance tempo version of “Oh Babe” (Vic- tor) . . . Eddie Fisher scores on “You Love Me” (Victor).