Continuing my year-by-year walk through the musical history of the 1930s. I thought the selection of songs from 1930 was pretty amazing, but 1931 is up to the challenge.
1931 was the year the Empire State Building was completed (to feature prominently in a movie about a big monkey just two years later). It was the year of the Dust Bowl, the year of 16% unemployment, and the year that the Star Spangled Banner became our National Anthem.
It was also a great year for popular music. Minnie the Moocher, which would become Cab Calloway's signature song, debuts in 1931. And speaking of signature songs, this is the year that Duke Ellington released Mood Indigo. Bing Crosby records Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust (not to mention Isham Jones' excellent instrumental version, and Louis Armstrong's take as well. Yup, it was a big year for Hoagy's royalty checks).
Other great songs of 1931:
- Tiger Rag, by The Mills Brothers
- Sugar Blues, by Clyde McCoy and his Orchestra
- Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On, by the amazing Boswell Sisters
- St. James Infirmary, by Cab Calloway (it was a big year for Cab).
- Experience Blues, Ruth Willis & Blind Willie McTell
- I want a little sugar in my bowl, by Bessie Smith
- Lazy River, by Louis Armstrong (and yes, that's yet another Hoagy Carmichael song).
- My Good Gal's Gone Blues, by Jimmie Rodgers
- Shout, Sister, Shout, by the Boswell Sisters
Well, I think Louis A's "Lazy River" is about the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, but maybe it wouldn't do to feature another Hoagy song for the second year in a row. Therefore I'm going with Louis A's version of "I Got Rhythm" (written by the Gershwin boys, of course).
And this more recent take, by the great jazz guitarist, John Pizzarelli:
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