Variety (April 1953)

Wednesday? April 8? 1953 Arthur Fields, Ha. Fire Victim, Was Click Disker-Geffer of ’29s * OHCBOGSTIIAS-MUSIC 41 By JIM WALSH Arthur Fields, vet songwriter- cinfier who was burned to death in the March 29 fire that destroyed the Littlefield Nursing Home at Lar- go Fla., was one of the colorful performers of his time. Thirty to 35 years ago his name as a record- ing artist carried as much weight as any of the socko sellers today. ‘ And he was probably the only Broadway cleffer who made the complete circuit from ragtime and other pop stuff to hymn writing, with a hillbilly detour along the way. Born in Philadelphia, Aug. 6,1888, Fields was. one of many early plat- ter-makers hailing from the Quaker City. Fields became a professional at the age of 11, and after a couple of years in minstrels teamed up with Harry Carroll in vaude. The pair collaborated on pop tunes, and in 1912 had a hit in “On the Mississippi.” (Carroll, half a dozen years later, had a bigger one when he lifted part of the melody of Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu” for "I’m Always Chasing Rainbows.”) In 1914, Fields teamed up with Walter Donovan (not Donaldson, with whom Donovan is often con- fused) to write “Aba Daba Honey- moon,” which got a big revival a couple of years ago on both the screen and platters. A year or so later the Fields-Donovan pair switched from monkey courtship to the love life of frogs and did “Gila Gala Galoo.” He got his start as a' record maker late in 1914, when ho sang an Irving Berlin number, “Along Came Ruth,” for both Victor and Columbia. Many Fields fans con- sider these early waxings among his best. He continued to record steadily for Columbia, but wasn’t called on again, by Victor until summer of 1918, when he sang a World War I number, “When I Send You a Picture of Berlin.” Fields, Morse & Carroll Meanwhile, Fields was cement- ing a career as a songwriter: He and Carroll teamed up with late Teddy Morse, in “Auntie Skinner’s Chicken Dinner,” a fine example of the now frowned-on type of ditty formerly known as “coon songs.” This was followed by “Mammy Blossom’s ’Possum Party.” Morse was the king of “jungle song” writ- ers, cleffing “Down in Jungle Town,” and probably a hundred others, so Fields did the lyric for the Morse music of “Doodle- Oodle-Dee (Means Won’t You Marry Me?)” Pair also did “Alice, I’m in Wonderland,” said to have sold 1,500,000 copies. Although he worked regularly, Fields’ career as recording artist was more or less under wraps until U. S. entered the war in 1917, and he went into uniform as prob- ably the most effective recruiter on the Main Stem. Fields had a strong, vigorous voice and an enthusiastic, infectious per- sonality, that made his records of pop war tunes best sellers. Cashing in on his popularity, he sang as a freelance for every American plat- ter purveyor. However, he quit free- lancing late in 1919 to join Irving and Jack Kaufman in signing up exclusively with Emerson. Fields and the Kaufman brothers made solos and teamed up in duet com? binations. When all sang together Jhey were known as “The Three Kaufields.” Emerson had financial troubles, so the boys reverted after two years to their freelance status. J-hey remained freelancers, under jnany different names, as long as ineir recording careers lasted— about a decade. Fields was known as Donald/Baker, Arthur Baldwin, Andy Britt, Harry Crane, Walter H. > ,, e * 9®orge French, Arthur Mack, Veteran and “Mr. X,” and Piobably had other 110m de disks. Odd Assignments he was best known as a * iii, .a pop man > ^elds occasion- aiiy drew some odd recording as- ffi? ents ' In 1922 he made » Co- S a , r ^ c v 0rd of “Hail Chicago,” mch had been chosen as the offf- °f Chicago in a contest JEW* the Chicago Exam- 1 the l, fiinSin fi2 5. h ? began to get onto set kick » which had been Kf J! ££ Vernon Dalh art’s terrific Prisoner’s Song” and one n^ ck ° £ the old 97,” and is j°d oddities gf this period Fields record i sung' by tHiw a no issued as a country-style Who h $°y ilUam Jennings Bryiii, 0 bad died suddenly while car- rying on his anti-evolution activi- ties in Dayton. Sung with apparent gusto, its title is “Bryan Believed in Heaven (That’s Why He’s in Sm V i? n i Ton ie ht) -” For Grey Gull, which issued a cheap record sold largely by mail and, under label changes, such as Radiex, Van Dyke and Madison, in five-and-tens, Fields sang other hillbilly tunes and even did standard Christian hymns. Sometimes he used his SJ’J 1 i}®? 1 *’ at othe r times he was Vel Veteran or “Mr. X.” In the late 1920’s Fields formed a partnership with another come- dian-song writer, Fred Hall, and- they were popular on radio as well as records. Sometimes they wrote special material, such as a series of minstrel and medicine show rec- ords-for Okeh. They were among }?* pi u °,Vn e M? to perceive the gold in the hillbilly voguo and came through with some numbers, more or less'classics of their kind. One was 11 More Months ahd 10 More Days (I’ll Be in the Calaboose.)” They also wrote a comedy number that deserves a classic rating, “I Got a Code in My Doze,” as sung on a long out-of-print Victor plat- ter by Rosetta Duncan of the Dun- can Sisters. After several years together, Fields and Hall dissolved partner- ship, and Fields began to devote himself chiefly to religious num- bers. He and George Graff, Jr., collaborated in “And the Angels San ? Jwbkb perhaps deserves a semi-religions rating because of its “tie) and also wrote “48 Hymns of Happiness,” issued by Arthur Fields Publications. They likewise, joined forces in “Who Else But God” and “There Shall Be No More Tears.” •** One, of the more unusual angles of Fields’ recording career came during World War II, when he sup- posedly was out of the recording picture.. After James Petrillo de- clared a recording ban and AFM members were ordered not to play for the wax workers, some platter companies were charged with hav- ing “sneak” sessions of union per- sonnel or having recording done in Mexico or abroad, with fictitious names used for artists. Eli Ober- stein’s Hit label was a center of controversy. One of the Hit records contained “Der Fuehrer’s Face” and “Gee, But It’s Great to Meet a Friend From Your Home Town,” and the name of the artist was given .as Arthur Fields. Fields de- nied making the record and was said to have threatened suit be- cause of his name being used. On playing the record some hearers got the impression the “Fuehrer” opus didn’t sound like Fields, but the other side did. During his last years Fields was seldom seen around the Brill Build- ing, but alternated between Flori- da and California. For a time in 1949 he gave “The Arthur Fields Program” over WKAT at Miami. He and another vet songsmith, Ray Walker, teamed up at the same station as “The Tavernaires.” A .year or so later, while the talkies were showing an interest in his old tunes, he lived in North Hollywood/ but returned last year to Florida because he found, the California climate unkind to the arthritis from which he was beginning to suffer severely. He apparently was under treatment for this condition when the fire occurred which took his life and that of more than 30 other men and women in the con- valescent home. i On the Upbeat New York Jimmy McPartland’s Dixieland band moves into Child’s Para- mount, N. Y., Friday (10) ... Doles Dickens & Jimmy Butts, Negro singing team, pacted by McConkey Artists Corp. ... Jan August into the Clover Club, Lansing, Mich., April 12 . . . M-G-M Records’ dis- tributors, Len Smith (Albany) and Sam Clark (Boston) in town for sales huddles .. . personal manager Milt Ebbins planed into New York from the Coast for Billy Eckstine’s Bandbox opening . . , Vic Jarmel to manage Artie Shaw’s six-week one-niter trek through Texas, which kicks off in a coqple of weeks . . . Roy Kohn, Santly-Joy plugger, heading out on a disk jockey trek through New England next week . . . Dorothy Miller han- dling eastern promotion for Ray- mor-McColllster, Wichita, Kansas, music firm . . . Stan Cooper, Jef- ferson Music contactman, on a disk jockey tour through the midwest. Chicago Bert Miller is building the Beau Coup Club here which will open May 1 .and feature progressive jazz units . . . Eddy Howard cut eight sides hefe last week before going on six weeks of one-nlghters . . . A1 Donahue has'a nine-day stand at. the Wichita Falls Air Base, Texas, May 19 . . . Ted Lewis goes in for a month at the Beverly Hills Club, Covington, Ky., May 15 . . . Lee Gillette flew in to cut eight sides of Ray Anthony for Capitol last week with several etchings featuring Georgia Carr, new dis- covery of Fred Benson, Anthony’s personal manager . . , Muehlebach Hotel’s Terrace Grill, Kansas City, RETAIL DISK BEST SEMEns ’f'S&tEfr Survey of retail disk best tellers based on reports ob- tained from leading stores in 9 cities and showing com• parative sales rating for this and last week.. National Rating This Last wk. wk. Artist, Label, Title . <3 .2 I fc I « Ph m w A a shutters May 13 for remodling. Henry King set for the Claridge, Memphis, May 18 through June 5 ,, . Clyde McCoy has a two-weeker at the Lakeside, Denver, May 22 . . . Oscar Petersen at the Blue Note April ‘24 for two frames and then George Shearing’s group comes in May 29 for a like pexiod , . . Dick Jurgens set for a month of one-nighters coming out of the Aragon, Chicago, May 3 . . . Eddy Howard does 14 days at Elitches, Denver, beginning May 27., 'London Billy Daniels arriving in England May 13 for a provincial tour lead- ing to two weeks at Palladium. July 6...BBC variety producer John Hooper was attacked by thugs in Hyde Park, London, on way back from a rehearsal... Film star James Mason will do a disk-jock stint over BBC here... Mills Music London chief Harry Ralton is seri- ously ill.in hospital. rH I PATTI PAGE (Mercury) FIVE TOP ALBUMS SWEETHEARTS Marlon Marlow* Frank Parkor Columbia B 331 * HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN DANNY KAYK Decca DL 5433 A 919 9-364 TV CALENDAR SHOW Arthur Godfrey Columbia CL 6241 B 331 C 331 PETER PAN Hugo Wintorhaltor Victor EP A407 MUSIC FOR LOVERS ONLY Jacklo Gloaion Capitol H 352 Pittsburgh Nat (King) Cole-Sarah Vaughan- Billy May package booked into Johnstown's War Memorial Audi- torium for one-nighter Friday (10), Gil Lamb, Stuffy Bryant & Har- rison, & Patricia Mueller are also in the line-up . . . Gail Young left the Lee Perry combo to do a sing- ing single , . . Lee Kelton, Bobby Dale and Bob Scott bands set for the remaining Saturday nights in April at Jimmy Sundrey’s William Penn Tavern . .. Jack Mahon four- some has had its option picked up at the Four Mile Inn through the end of May . . . Baron Elliott, local bandleader, to assemble the 18- piece outfit which Don McNeil will use on his “Breakfast Club” broad- cast from Syria Mosque April 23 . . Billy Arnold’s Manhattanites, with Vicki Leigh, opened at Colo- nial Manor Saturday (4) for indefi- nite stay. Omaha Mike Riley orch opened stand at Fremont’s American Legion club . . . Set for Peony Park this month are Tony Bradley (11-12), Lambert Bartak (18-19) and Mai Dunn (25- 26) . . . Buddy Morrow orch to play at Scottsbluff’s Terrytown Monday (18) . . . Ernie Owens orch on trek through west Nebraska. Lee Sullivan, Cleve. D.J., Uncovers Lotsa Amateur Cleffers in Song Contest • Cleveland, April 7. A plethora of songwriting tal- ent is being uncovered in northern Ohio by WERE’s- Lee Sullivan through his Monday-Wednesday- Friday 10-minute “Sullivan Song Search.” Now in its ninth week, the quest for talent has brought in over 1,000 offerings. Sullivan picks and sings one winner for each day. Listeners then ballot for the best- of-week which Is sung again on Friday. Average weekly mail count on vote tabulation borders the 1,000 mark. Sullivan, one-time “Date in Man- hattan” and “Brigadoon” legit star, said at least four record companies have a standing order to take “any song worthy of recording.” Several selections have been made, with one writer, Anthony Casale, • a bricklayer, having scored with two winners. Sullivan noted that in this heavy polka community, 90% of sub- .mitted entries are in'a schmaltz beat, with novelties and waltzes ■also favored. Polkas and hillbilly tunes are far and few between. Contest has stimulated much in- terest with WERE being forced to add extra help to keep apace of entries. Sullivtfn, who offers per- sonal aid to writers, gives winners recording of song and retains no rights to the selections. Besides his daily disk stint, the sweet-voiced warbler does four weekly TV shows. Eckstine Ends Wax Layoff With 16 Sides After a three-month layoff on wax, Billy Eckstine is lining a hefty waxing schedule for M-G-M Records before taking off on a slxmonth European trek. Eckstine expects to wax 16 sides during his stay In New York, where he’s co-headlining with Count Basie at the Bandbox.