The trouble is, there was too much good music in 1937.
What do I love about '30s music? One, I love the songwriters. Today's selection includes songs by Iriving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, and my favorite, Hoagy Carmichael. And I love the great singers of the period, who you'll find well-represented in this installment. Finally, I love the ribald, swinging, madcap sound of much of the music. You'll catch some of that in the Cowboy Swing below, as well as in the Fats Waller tune, among others.
Let's Begin with the country, blues, Western swing, and bluegrass music. This sort of music seemed to be coming into its own in 1937. First, in the Western (or Cowboy) Swing category, Smokey Wood insists that everybody should Keep on Truckin'. And the Crystal Spring Ramblers were really swingin' on the Fort Worth Stomp. As were the Hoosier Hot Shots on Breezin' Along with the Breeze.
Meanwhile, Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers sang (and yodeled) He's a Wild and Reckless Cowboy. And W. H. Steppe gave us the Old Timey Bonaparte's Retreat,
On the jazz side of things Benny Goodman was really hitting his stride, and so was Count Basie. Goodman gave us Sing, Sing, Sing and Basie One O'Clock Jump. Louis Armstrong, who has shown up with a number in every post in this series so far, gave us a smooth swingin' Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Don't miss these two: Slim & Slam paid tribute to the Flat Foot Floogie (with the Floy Floy), or something like that. And Fats Waller is rockin' and rollin' with This Joint is Jumpin'.
I want to feature a few really fantastic lady jazz singers from '37. In this group we'll find some of the finest music of the period. There was Ivie Anderson on All God's Chillun Got Rhythm. Billie Holiday chimes in with the Gershwin tune, Nice Work if You Can Get It (and as usual listen to that outstanding ensemble backing her up). The Andrews Sisters have just appeared on the scene with a huge hit in Bei Mir Bist du Schon. Meanwhile, a young Ella Fitzgerald joins up with the Mills Brothers for Big Boy Blue. Finally, I always like to feature a Hoagy Carmichael tune when I can. For 1937 the great Mildred Bailey recorded his lazy and nostalgic Rockin' Chair.
Among the crooners, Bing Crosby was of course the top of the heap, but Fred Astaire wasn't far behind. He had a lot of top-selling records in 1937, but the one that will be our feature song this time around is Foggy Day (from the movie "Damsel in Distress"). I love Astaire's singing. He always sang in front of top-notch ensembles and with all his suavity he had jazz rhythms in his bones. The song, by the way, is another Gershwin classic, and of course has been recorded thousands of times. I love Mel Torme's version, among many others. But check out Dianne Reeves and the Berlin Philharmonic!
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