Variety (June 1952)

► »»•»»•»■»»»» »■»»»»»»♦»»»»»♦»»■»>»» »+♦♦■»■++♦ »♦»»♦+»»♦» » ♦ ■ »»»♦ OF TOP TH.ENT MID TUNES Compiled from Statistical Reports of Distribution Encompassing the Three Major Outlets Com Machines Retail Disks Retail Sheet Music as Published in the Current Issue for WEEK ENDING JUNE 14 NOTE: The current comparative sales xtrengthof the Artistx and Tunes listed hereunder is arrived at under d statistical system comprising each of the three major sales outlets tnw merated above . These findings are correlated with data from wider sources, which are exclusive with VAinm. The positions resulting from these findings denote the ■ OVERALL IMPACT de- veloped from the ratio of potnU scored: two ways in the case of talent (disks, coin machines), and three ways m the case of tunes (disks, coin machines , sheet music). TALENT POSITIONS This Last * week. week. ARTIST AND LABEL TUNE 1 2 AL MARTINO (BBS) Here in My Heart 2 5 GEORGIA GIBBS (Mercury) Kiss of Fire 3 3 DON CORNELL (Coral) I 1 ’ 11 Wallc A1 <>ne . ’JFm Yours 4 4 PERCY FAITH (Columbia) Delicado 5 1 LEROY ANDERSON (Decca).. Blue Tango 6 .. ROSEMARY CLOONEY (Columbia) Half as Much 7 10 DORIS DAY (Columbia)...' A Guy Is a Guy a .. VEK& LYNN (London)...... Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart 9 9 KAY STARR (Capitol) Wheel of Fortune 10 8 . ELLA MAE MORSE (Capitol) • Blacksmith Blues TUNES . POSITIONS This Last 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines Week of June 14 H n i m + |if h , ■»»♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦ »-m 3. 2 . 3. 4 . here in MY HEART (4) (Mellin) „ KJSS OF FIRE (7) (Duchess) DELICADO (3) (Witmark) WALKIN' MY BABY RACK HOME (4) (DeSylva-B-H)....... ( Al Martino BBS ( Tony Bennett Columbia ' - Georgia Gibbs Billy Eckstine Tony Martin . Percy Faith .. Stan Kenton , Mercury - - ...MGM " .. Victor -1 Columbia ’’ i\Capitol Johnnie Ray Columbia FM YOURS (6) (Algonquin) «. BLUE TANGO (17) (Mills) 1. I’LL WALK ALONE (8) (Mayfair) *• A GUY IS A GUY (9) (Ludlow) .. 9 * HADF AS MUCH (1) (Acuff-R) ... 10. BE ANYTHING (6) (Shapiro-B) .. ( Don Cornell .Coral ^ / Eddie Fisher '. .Victor l Leroy Anderson Decca ^ ( Hugo Winterhalter Victor . ’ ( Don Cornell Coral [ [ \ Jane Froman Capitol ^ Doris Day Columbia ’ * Rosemary Clooney .... Columbia - > ( Eddy Howard Mercury - «■ 1 Champ Butler Columbia * * Second Group BLACKSMITH BLU’ES (11) (Hill-R) WHEEL OF FORTUNE (17) (Laurel) ™*<*IVE ME (7) (Advanced) PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA (6) (Oxford) auf wiedersehn (hm-r) MAYBE (Robbins) . ; ANYTIME (14) (Hill-H) SUGARBUSH (Schinner) (Amer-Aead) ^VER (Famous) *° U (Republic) tFiflUres in parentheses indicate number of weeks song * * * * ft Ella Mae Morse Capitol Kay Starr Capitol Eddie Fisher .: Victor Guy Mitchell-M. Miller .Columbia Vera Lynn London P. Como-E. Fisher Victor Eddie Fisher Victor Frankie Laine-D. Day. .Columbia Les Paul-Mary Ford .... Capitol Kay Starr Capitol Peggy Lee-G . Jenkins ... .Decca Les Paul Capitol Sammy Kaye Columbia has been in the Top 10] HI ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ tf-t+t-t-f ♦♦ + ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦<♦ IV, \ Best British Sheet Sellers (Week ending June 7) London, June 11. Ay-round The Corner Pash • Blacksmith Blues,.. .Chappell Auf Wiedersen Maurice Never F.D.&H. Won’t Live in Castle Connelly Unforgettable Bourne Tell Me Why Morris There’s Pawnshop.. Cinephonic . Wheel of Fortune.. .Victoria Cry F.D.&H. At Last Pickwick Be Life's Companion. .Morris Second 12 Be Anything..,.Cinephonic Slow Coach Sterling Gandy Dancers* Ball..Disney A. Guy Is a Guy Leeds Saturday Rag ..Fields Anytime ;.;. .Victoria Little White Cloud... .Lennox Mistakes Wright Please Mister Sun... Chappell At the End of Day.. .Chappell Blue Tango' Mills Dance Me Loose...... Magna Armstrong's Wai Activity, On Numerical Count) Ranks Below Several Oldtimers Roanoke, Va. Editor , Variety: Front page item in June 4 Variety, “Armstrong Still Hot After Disking 30 Years,’’ will pro- voke some eyebrow lifting among oldtimers in record industry and collectors whose book-learning on platter history goes back to begin- ning of the biz. Brow-twitching feature of article is statement that Armstrong is re- puted to have cut more sides than any other performer since inven- tion of phonograph, followed by “it’s estimated that Armstrong has cut well over 1,000 sides during the last 30 years.” With no intention to take anything away from Satch- mo, the fact remains that if “well over 1,000 sides” is all he’s accom- plished in 30 years he probably doesn’t rank even among the first 100 recording artists, gauged op alltime volume. From earliest days of recording up to introduction of electric proc- ess in 1925, singing or playing for records was highly specialized. Comparatively few vocalists had pipes that recorded well, and those whose tones' seemed “made” for recording had just about a monop- oly. Because of this, some had a popularity that no present-day per- former even approaches, and they did it without benefit of high-pres- sure publicity or movie, radio, tele- vision and night club appearances. Most prolific recorders among vocalists were ; Henry Burr and Billy Murray, with’ Burr probably in lead, because during most of his career be free-lanced, singing for virtually every American record- ing ^company, while - Murray through much of his long stretch was either Exclusive to Victor or joint-pacted to Victor and Edison. From 1902 to 1932, Burr took part in at least 12,000 separate waxings —probably more. He net only made thousands of solos, but sang duets with Albert Campbell and dozens of other chirps, and was lead tenor in Sterling Trio and Peerless Quartet. Murray also soloed by the thousands, did duets .with practically every popular singer and was lead in. American Quartet. 20 Exclusives Few artists of pre-electric era were exclusive. They sang for every company able to lay it on the line. Frequently, diskeries could put the shekels on the barrelhead for only a few months before fading away with sad, sweet smiles, but the Re- cording Artists’ Monopoly took it while it was to be had. Al Camp- bell, first tenor of Peerless Quartet and Sterling Trio, used to say that the ensembles had to work morn- ings, afternoons and evenings to make enough records to supply the dozens of companies for which they (Continued on page 46) " * Application of show biz methods plus network television guest shots and record albums have boosted the stock of father Flanagan’*. 1 Boys Town Choir to the point where the 50-vofCe group from Ne- braska will play a peak 60 dates' or more in the U. S. and Canada this fall. As a result, the welfare- humanitarian troupe will enter the concert bigtime. Responsible for the show biz bally and the booking this year is David B. Whalen, former longtime road rep for Gene Autry, who is directing the route from New York. Whalen thinks the engagements .4 will run closer tp 80, but will settle for 60 as the longest • skein ever played by the choir. Whalen got the booking nod'a few months ago , from Msgr. Nicholas H, Wegner, director of the Boys’ Home In Boy* Town, Neb. The choir director i* Father Francis P. Schmitt, Who’* filled that post since the group was launched. One Financial Setup The financial setup is the same in every town, regardless of size or facilities. Each. sponsor pays the regular one-nighter fee of $1,250, out of which the choir pays for its housing, feeding and traveling. The balance goes toward the’mu- sical education of the $o-ln‘clined youngsters who live and are schooled in Boys Town. Afispices are advised that “under provisions of the new tax law, certain concert presentations are exempt from the regular Federal admission tax,” but each sponsor is'asked to check with the local Internal Revenue collector .for a decision - in this re- gard. The tour will be launched Sept. 5 and wind up in time for the boys to have their Thanksgiving festivi- ties “at home.” Initialer will be in Schadron, Neb. (pop. 4,800), and even smaller than that on the trek,^ is Winnemucca, Nev. (3,000), whose Nixon Hall is a 532-seater. Spon- sors reduce the gamble by apply- ing an extra tab for tier seats, or by donations-subsidies. Three Key Cities Whalen handles the reins on straight percentage, but is specu- lating on a promoter, four-wall basis in three key cities. These are Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Oct. 25, a repeat; Carnegie Hall, N. Y., Nov. 8, third annual, and Symphony ! Hall, Boston, Nov. 15, also the third appearance there. Whalen handled the 1950-51 stands for the choir at Carnegie Hall. In all, about 26 states will be covered plus Can- ada, where stands will be made at Regina,. Vancouver, Winnipeg, Quebec (probably Montreal), and. Toronto, Latter city will be played around election °time, as Whalen figures the U. S. Presidential de- cision is too tough to buck state- side. The choir was spotted on Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre” (NBC) and Ed Sullivan’s. “Toast of the Town” (CBS) during the past year and has been TV’d in and , around Omaha. Last Christmas I CBS-TY beamed it eastward from Omaha, b6ing‘ prevented from westward spreading by the fact that ABC ; had -the micro-relay blocked for two hourijf in that di- rection; Mutual has broadcast the contingent for; several- years and there’s been a national hookup sponsored by the Kiwanis. A three- year-old Capitol album got its big- gest play via disk jockeys last Christmas, 'the response being a reported 50% of albums distribut- ed to the platter palaverists. This year, for the sixth national tour? some 150 candidates have ap- plied for places in the choir, out of which 55 will be selected, five being alternates. Every one of the candidates must go to school this summer to make up ,in advance for the work missed during the tour. Sponsors receive a thick press book, with art and mats, and win- dow cards. Some auspices, particu- larly those in large cities, order posters, etc., in huge quantities, -Whalen supervises all press, radio and TV matter in his doubling role as a publicist. Supreme Records, lac.* char- tered to conduct a music publish- ing business in New York. Capital stock is 100 shares, no par value.