Scratchy Grooves
Just added: 'G Artists' (5/23/99); 'Hooray for June' (5/30/99). See Page 9.
A collection of radio shows hosted by Bill Chambless on WVUD-FM in Newark, Delaware. From the first program in 1984 to the last one in 2002, he explored the music and sounds of yesteryear (1900 to 1940), "scratches and all." The program was a labor of love for him, and he was delighted by all the people who supported the show over the years. These files are free for your use. He would have wanted it that way! Enjoy.
Just added:
'Radiothon Requests' (4/21/02); 'Wimpy Songs' (5/19/02); 'First & Last' (6/9/02). See Page 9
Brother, can you spare a dime?
While this site is free for you, it does cost me something to host -- not to mention requiring four hours of my time to post each show -- so if you enjoy "Scratchy Grooves" and want to help pay the bills, you can send funds to me via PayPal.com, payable to johnchambless@yahoo.com. Thank you for any help you can send my way.
The Shows
These will play in Windows Media Player, or you can right-click and select "save file as" to download it to your own computer. These early shows were 90 minutes, so the files are large. I have FIOS and the large files download and play in about 3.5 minutes. The shorter (60 minute) files download and play in about 2.5 minutes. If you have a slow connection, it may not work! Beginning with Show 12, the running time is 60 minutes, so those will be easier to work with!
Show No. 1: July 1, 1984
Contains: Songs by George Olsen's Orchestra, Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, Hamp's Kentucky Serenaders, Vernon Dalhart, Billy Murray, Helen Kane, Rudy Vallee, Ruth Etting, Bing Crosby, Ukelele Ike, Bert Williams, World War 1 songs, a Prison Song, a Titanic disaster song, tales of airplane romance and a lunatic version of "Toot-Toot-Tootsie." (70 min)
Show No. 2: July 8, 1984
"The Dancing '20s" contains: All the top dance bands of the era, including Paul Whiteman's Orchestra and George Olsen's Orchestra, performing dance songs and crazes like the Charleston, Lindy Hop, Black Bottom and "The Raccoon," whatever that was. (90 min)
Show No. 3: July 15, 1984
"World War 1 Songs" contains: All the songs of the era, from early isolationist songs to patriotic flag-wavers to bittersweet remembrances. (90 min)
Show No. 4: July 22, 1984
"Love Songs" contains: The silliest songs of infatuation, courtship and romance by George Olsen's Orchestra, Eddie Cantor, Gene Austin, Ethel Waters, Fanny Brice, Ruth Etting, John McCormack and others. (90 min)
Show No. 5: July 29, 1984
"Tears and Laughter" contains: A 50-50 split of maudlin tearjerkers and relentlessly happy tunes by Helen Morgan, Irving Kauffman, the Sterling Trio, the morose Maurice J. Gunsky, Billie Holiday, "The Silver Masked Tenor," humorous monologues from 1906, and a quiz! (90 min)
Show No. 6: August 12, 1984
"Songs of the Depres-sion" contains: Songs of a tough era in America, from "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" to "We're In the Money." Along the way, dad -- who was born in 1925 -- recalls his real-life experiences of the Depression and plays songs including "Take Care of the Farmer," "The Farm Relief Song," "If I Ever Get a Job Again," "Riddle Me This," the sarcastic "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee," a selection of hobo songs, a snippet of Roosevelt's inaugural address and "We're Out of the Red." (90 min)
Show No. 7: August 19, 1984
"Going Places" contains: Songs about people and transportation, beginning with walking ("Hand Me Down My Walking Cane"), then buggies and horses (the lunatic "Horses" by Arthur Fields), then ships ("I'm Waiting For Ships That Never Come In"), trains ("Dixie Flyer"), cars (Billy Murray's "Keep Away From the Man Who Owns An Automobile" and "The Little Old Ford"), and airplanes (the saucy "Wait Til You Get Them Up in The Air Boys," Vernon Dalhart's "Lucky Lindy" and Scrappy Lambert's "I'm Winging Home"). And on to the final frontier! (90 min)
Show No. 8: September 2, 1984
"Sentimental Songs" contains: The gooiest collection of sentiment ever heard, including "lonely songs" by John McCormack, Oscar Grogan, Connie Boswell, Irving Kauffman, Henry Burr and the perpetually depressed Maurice J. Gunsky. Also, "home songs," a selection of "mother songs" (and one "daddy" song), songs about children that are so gooey they might rot your teeth to hear them ("Is There Any Room in Heaven for a Little Girl Like Me?"), and a somber tribute to the death of Rudolph Valentino in 1926, "There's a New Star in Heaven Tonight." (90 min)
Show No. 9: September 9, 1984
"The Rhythm Boys and The Boswell Sisters" contains: A sampling of the classics and the earliest songs by the Rhythm Boys (featuring a young Bing Crosby) and the Boswell Sisters (left), featuring later solo artist Connie Boswell. Both trios boomed in the late 1920s and 1930s with their innovative rhythms and intricate harmonies. (90 min)
Show No. 10: September 16, 1984
"Ruth Etting and Rudy Vallee" contains: A career history spanning the earliest songs and biggest hits of Rudy Vallee, who made women swoon in the 1930s; and Ruth Etting, who reigned as one of the most popular female vocalists of the era. (90 min)
Show No. 11: September 23, 1984
"Favorites: No Two Alike" contains: An alphabetical collection of favorite songs and artists, including Irving Aaronson and His Commanders, Connie Boswell, Fanny Brice, Henry Burr, Eddie Cantor, a pre-fame Amos and Andy as singers, Vernon Dalhart (left) and a hilarious episode of "Vic and Sade" about writing a letter to Uncle Walter. Songs include "Let's Misbehave," "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine," "Stormy Weather," "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye," "Oh Gee Oh Gosh Oh Golly I'm in Love," and "The Dustpan Blues." (90 min)
Show No. 12: February 17, 1985
"Happy Songs." This was dad's return to the airwaves after listeners demanded more "Scratchy Grooves." It's also the first 60-minute show, trimmed from 90 minutes to make it easier to produce each week. Approriately, it contains nothing but good humor: "Singing in the Bathtub," "My Troubles Are Over," "I'm Knee Deep in Daisies," "Lulu's Back in Town," "Holding My Honey's Hand," "Lullabye of Broadway," "Singing In the Rain" and more. (60 min)
Show No. 13: February 22, 1985
"Two of a Kind" features: Singing duos of the 1920s and 1930s, from the well known to the totally obscure. Includes Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy, Billy Murray and Eileen Stanley, The Happiness Boys, Corell and Gosdin (pre-'Amos and Andy'), Gallagher and Sheen, The Brox Sisters, Laurel and Hardy and others. The songs include a bizarre duet that today would be about spousal abuse, the Ford tribute "Henry's Made a Lady out of Lizzie," odd comedy singers that aren't all that funny, and a song called "You're Just a Faded Rose From an Old Bouquet" that would not pass muster as a compliment anywhere these days. (60 min)
Show No. 14: March 3, 1985
"The Gus Arnheim Orchestra" features: A survey of the music of Gus Arnheim (left), who was born in Philadelphia and went on to lead a very successful orchestra at the Coconut Grove with a who's-who of guest vocalists, including a young Bing Crosby. Songs include "Back in Your Own Back Yard," "Who? You, That's Who," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "My Troubles Are Over," "Glad Rag Doll" and "Little Curly Hair in a High Chair." (60 min)
Show No. 15: March 10, 1985
"George Olsen and His Orchestra" features: A survey of the band that played everywhere in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with songs including "Who" (1925), "Just a Little Thing Called Rhythm," "Where's That Rainbow?" "Lucky Day," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "Knee Deep in Daisies" and Olsen's own (rather drab) vocal on "Sonny Boy." (60 min)
Show No. 16: March 17, 1985
"John McCormack" features: A history of this beloved singer, who could perform opera and classics, but toured the world with his Irish ballads that struck at the heart of recent Irish immigrants. Songs include "The Foggy Dew," "Sweet Little Shamrock" and, of course, "Mother Macree." (60 min)
Show No. 17: March 24, 1985
"Springtime Songs" features: A salute to moderate temperatures and thoughts of love, with tulips, rainbows and robins sprinkled throughout songs including "April in Paris," "It's Raining Sunbeams," "Apple Blossom Time" and "When It's Springtime in the Rockies." (60 min)
Show No. 18: March 31, 1985
"Radio Ladies of the 1930s" features: A selection of romance and dewy-eyed dreams sung by the top female singers, including Dorothy Lamour, Frances Langford, Connie Boswell, Mae West, Helen Morgan, Lois Whiteman, Ruth Etting and Kay Thompson. (60 min)
Show No. 19: April 14, 1985
"Hits of the Week" features: A selection of songs from 1929-1932 that were put out on cardboard records coated with resin, that sold for 15 cents on newsstands. Artists include Ben Pollock's Orchestra, Vincent Lopez, The New York 12 and the Harlem Hot Chocolates, singing songs such as "When It's Sleepytime Down South," "Now That You're Gone," "Whistling in the Dark," "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" and "St. James Infirmary." (60 min)
Show No. 20: April 21, 1985
"Money Songs" features: Songs about money, played during the radio station's fund drive. Dad goes the extra mile and makes begging for money entertaining, with songs including "If I had a Million Dollars," "Pennies From Heaven," "Just to Remind You," "It All Depends on You," "Here's Hoping" and "Everything's Going Up." (60 min)
Show No. 21: April 28, 1985
"Rain Songs" features: Songs about making it rain and making the best of the rain. Artists include Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, Gene Austin, Cliff Edwards (left) and Paul Whiteman singing "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," "Singing in the Rain" and "Don't Mind the Rain." And a genuine Indian rain dance! (60 min)
Show No. 22: May 5, 1985
"Places to Be From" features: Songs about home sweet home, wherever that may be. Includes: "Way Out West in Kansas," the a cappella "Arkansas Blues," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," Hoagy Carmichael singing "Georgia on My Mind," "Alabama" by Isham Jones, "California and You" by Irving Kaufman, "Down by the Ohio" and "Pick Me Up and Lay Me Down in Dixieland." (60 min)
Show No. 23: May 19, 1985
"Early Bing Crosby" features: Songs from the late 1920s and early 1930s, when Bing Crosby's career was taking off as an often-uncredited vocalist and with the Rhythm Boys. Songs include: "My Pet," "I'm Afraid of You," "Side by Side," "That's My Weakness Now," the rather overproduced "High Water," "My Kind of Love" with Tommy Dorsey, "Let's Put out the Lights" and "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking." (60 min)
Show No. 24: May 26, 1985
"A Bushel of Bands" features: About 20 dance bands of the 1920s and 1930s, including the Isham Jones Orchestra, Gus Arnheim, Hal Kemp, Chick Bullock, John Johnson and his Statler Pennsylvanians, the Cotton Pickers and many more! Get ready to dance! (60 min)
Show No. 25: June 2, 1985
"Mildred Bailey" features: A career retrospective for one of the top jazz vocalists of the era, beginning with early songs like "What Kind of Man Is You" and continuing through "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Love," "Cabin in the Pines," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Long About Midnight" and the steamy Cuban adventure "The Weekend of a Private Secretary" from 1936. (60 min)
Show No. 26: June 9, 1985
"The Boswell Sisters" features: A survey of the tight harmonies and lively syncopation that made this trio a hit, beginning with their rare 1925 first record, "Nights When I'm Lonely," and including "Highway to Heaven," "That's Love," "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries," "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" and solo hits by Connie Boswell. (60 min)
Show No. 27: June 16, 1985
"Isham Jones Orchestra" features: A history of the longtime dance band led by Isham Jones, who started his career in 1914 and kept making music until after World War II. Features the 1921 song "Wabash Blues," "Ma," "That Certain Party," "What'll You Do?", "Alabamy Bound," "Thanks for Everything" and plenty of other songs that kept folks dancing in the 1920s and 1930s. (60 min)
Show No. 28: June 23, 1985
"Summer Songs" features: Songs about everyone's favorite season, including "Summertime" by Billie Holiday, the vaguely comic "Here Comes the Strawberry Man" from 1909, "Old Man Sunshine," "Melon Time in Dixieland," the very odd "Red Hot" and "A Faded Summer Love." (60 min)
Show No. 29: June 30, 1985
"Patriotic Songs" features: Plenty of songs about Old Glory that you know, and a lot that you don't know, including "America I Love You," "I Want to Hear a Yankee Doodle Tune," "Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You" (a kind of scary love-it-or-leave-it song), Sousa marches, calliope tunes and military marches. All that, and a personal recollection of celebrating the Fourth of July in the 1930s, when safety was only a vague idea and fireworks were universal. (60 min)
Show No. 30: July 22, 1985
"Love Songs" features: An examination of love in all its facets, 1930s style. Songs include: "A Precious Thing Called Love," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man," "I Need Lovin'," "I Want to Be Loved By You," "I Love Me," "Am I In Love?" and "Everybody Loves My Baby But My Baby Don't Love Nobody But Me." (60 min.)
Show No. 31: July 29, 1985
"Al Jolson Part 1" features: A profile of the born entertainer from the time his career took off in 1910. Songs include "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy," "Mammy" (of course), "Hallelujah I'm a Bum Again," "Looking at You," the early "Avalon" and "I Gave Her That," "Is It True What They Say About Dixie" and many others. (60 min.) The second installment of this show has recording problems, so this is the only half available! (60 min.)
Show No. 32: Aug. 18, 1985
"Voices of the 1930s" features: Songs made famous by dozens of radio vocalists in the 1930s, including Kenny Baker's "Love Walked In," Tony Martin's "When Did You Leave Heaven," Winnie Shaw's "The Lullabye of Broadway," Frances Langford's "I'm In the Mood For Love," Jimmy Durante's "Inka Dinka Doo," Mae West's "A Guy What Takes His Time," Louis Armstrong's "Jeepers Creepers," Kate Smith's "Stay As Sweet As You Are" and others. (60 min.)
Show No. 33: Aug. 25, 1985
"Love Songs 2" features: A follow-up to the first "love songs" exploration, this time including songs by Hal Kemp's Orchestra, the Isham Jones Orchestra, Eddie Cantor, Henry Burr, The Ink Spots, The Denning Sisters and Oliver Hardy, performing "Lucky in Love," "All's Fair in Love and War," "I Love Her, She Loves Me," "Because I Love You," "Happy Birthday to Love" and "We Fell In Love on a Greyhound Bus." (60 min)
Show No. 34: Sept. 8, 1985
"A Sampler" features: A quick review of about 20 songs to re-introduce the show to a new group of students at the university. Artists include the Gus Arnheim Orchestra, Helen Kane, the Boswell Sisters, Cliff Edwards, Al Jolson and Bing Crosby. Songs include "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By," "I Wanna Be Bad," "Love is Just Around the Corner," "Singing in the Bathtub" and "Flirtation Walk." (60 min)
Show No. 35: Sept. 15, 1985
"Hits and Misses" features: A review of the songs that didn't quite make it in the 1930s, including seldom heard -- or completely obscure -- tracks such as Eddie Cantor's very silly "What a Perfect Combination," Kay Thompson's "Strike Me Pink," Ruth Etting's "A Poor Ex-Wife," Cab Calloway's "Edie Was a Lady," songs by Tony Martin, Russ Columbo and Bing Crosby, and the extremely odd version of Mae West's "Come Up and See Me Sometime" by Cliff Edwards. (60 min)
Show No. 36: Sept. 22, 1985
"Early Radio Orchestras" features: Music by the Coon Sanders Orchestra and Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians, two bands that became superstars because of their pioneering radio concerts in the 1920s. The show includes a re-creation of the first breathless 1920s radio listening experience! (60 min)
Show No. 37: Oct. 6, 1985
"Silly Songs" features: Some of the silliest songs of the 1920s and '30s, including "I Faw Down and Go Boom" by George Olsen's Orchestra, "Hi Diddle Diddle" by Ted Lewis, "Barking Dog" by Gorman's Novelty Syncopators, "Yes We Have No Bananas" by Arthur Field, "Constantinople" by the Happiness Boys, "Barney Google," "Oogie Oogie Wa Wa" and "Chick-Chick-Chick-Chick-Chicken." (60 min)
Show No. 38: Oct. 20, 1985
"Gene Austin" features: A look at a very successful vocalist of the 1920s and early 1930s who is almost forgotten today. Known for his 1927 hit, "My Blue Heaven," Austin recorded dozens of hit songs and toured the country for years. Songs include "Carolina Moon," "Ramona," "Forgive Me," "A Garden in the Rain," "My Melancholy Baby," "Ain't She Sweet" and many others. (60 min)
Show No. 39: Oct. 26, 1985
"Various Artists of the 1920s" features: Well-known and lesser-known artists including The Rhythm Boys, Helen Morgan, Kate Smith, Sophie Tucker, Miff Mole and his Little Molars, Cliff Edwards, Red McKenzie, George Gershwin, Blossom Sealey and Ethel Waters. (60 min.)
Show No. 40: Nov. 10, 1985
"Ruth Etting Part Two" features: A second installment of songs by Ruth Etting, beginning in 1928 with "I'm Keeping a Red, Red Rose" and "Glad Rag Doll," and including plenty of her radio hits and B-sides -- "Now I'm in Love," "Deed I Do," "The Right Kind of Man," "Holding My Honey's Hand," "What is Sweeter," "Why Dream" and many others. (60 min.)
Show No. 41: Nov. 24, 1985
"Rudy Vallee Part Two" features: A history of the first superstar singer of his day. With his reedy voice that had to be amplified by megaphone, Vallee (left) seemed an unlikely celebrity, but he had a string of hits in the 1920s and '30s, including "Was That the Human Thing to Do?," "I'm Still Caring," "My Time is Your Time," "Bye and Bye Sweetheart," "Coquette" and others. (60 min.)
Show No. 42: Dec. 1, 1985
"Songs of the South" features: A musical tribute to the candy-colored myth of the Sunny South, full of happiness, sunshine, watermelon and cotton fields. Includes songs by Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Vernon Dalheart, Gus Arnheim's Orchestra, Eddie Cantor, Connie Boswell and others, singing "Are You From Dixie?", "I'm Alabamy Bound," "It's Sleepytime Down South," "Georgia," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," "It's Melon Time in Dixieland" and others. (60 min.)
Show No. 43: Dec. 8, 1985
"Women We Have Loved" features: If your name is Mary Ann, Marie, Hard Boiled Rose, Nancy, Raquel, Betty, Cecilia, Charmaine, Cindy, Diane or Gertie, there's been a song written about you, and this show has all those songs -- and more! (60 min.)
Show No. 44: Dec. 15, 1985
"Harry Reser & Eddie Peabody" features: Two of the most amazing banjo players ever, performing fleet-fingered magic on a variety of very silly songs. Reser's band went by dozens of names. He performs 1920s hits and misses including "My Sunday Girl," "If My Baby Cooked as Good as She Looked," "The Whoopie Cat Brigade," "Collegiate Sam," "I'm Just Wild About Animal Crackers" and "Nagasaki." (60 min.)
Show No. 45: Dec. 29, 1985
"Kate Smith" features: A collection of songs by the "First Lady of Radio" in the 1930s, who turned her weekly radio show into a nationwide phenomenon. Includes the Nov. 10, 1938 radio debut of Kate singing "God Bless America." (60 min.)
Show No. 46: Jan. 5, 1986
"Schmaltz and Piffle" features: A bounty of overwrought sentimentality and nonsense, including kid songs ("I'm Tying the Leaves So They Won't Come Down" from 1908, "Don't Steal Daddy's Medal," "Dream of a Miner's Child"), pure hokum by Ted Lewis and Al Jolson, a tribute to "Bananas" by the Hoosier Hot Shots, Frank Sullivan's immortal "Doodle Dee Doo," Gracie Fields' "The Thingamabob" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 47: Jan. 12, 1986
"Potpourri" features: A cross-section of music with no particular theme, including "Ain't She Sweet" by the Radio Lites, an odd version of "The Charleston" by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, "Your Feets Too Big" by Fats Waller, "Cake Walkin' Babies," "Bandana Days" by Eubie Blake, "My Honey's Lovin' Arms" from 1928 and much more! (60 min.)
Show No. 48: Jan. 26, 1986
"Hit of the Week 2" features: Another collection of "Hit of the Week" records which were printed from 1929 to 1932 on cardboard and sold for 15 cents. The sound may not be the best, but there are some great old songs, including "Little Girl," "Maybe It's Love," "You're Driving Me Crazy," "Sing You Sinners," "Ida," "Some of These Days" and many more by Tony Rich's Radio Orchestra, Harry Reser's Radio Band and others. Includes a commercial by the Mills Brothers and a commercial for the new 1932 Chevy! (60 min.)
Show No. 49: Feb. 2, 1986
"A Salute to February" features: A musical tribute to everyone's least favorite month. Looking on the bright side, the songs include "The Heebie Jeebies" by the Boswell Sisters, "Stormy Weather," "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" by Kate Smith, "Out in the Cold Again" by Ruth Etting, "I Get the Blues When It Rains" by the Ink Spots, and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 50: Feb. 9, 1986
"Gus Arnheim Again" features: A collection of live radio broadcasts from the glamorous Cocoanut Grove Ballroom (1927-1931), including vocalists Loyce Whiteman, Bing Crosby, the Rhythm Boys, Russ Columbo and others. Songs include "I'm Through With Love," "Sing a Little Jingle," "You're The Surest Cure for the Blues," "Them There Eyes," "Do the New York" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 51: Feb. 16, 1986
"Leftovers" features: A collection of songs left out of previous shows due to lack of time. Includes "Good Night Sweetheart" by the Paul Sisters, "Roll Roll Rolling Along" by Irving Kaufman, the 1918 "Down Home Blues" by the Fred Waring Orchestra, "I'm Hatin' This Waitin' Around" by Chick Bullock, and the tap-dancing song "A New Low Down" by Bill Robinson. (60 min.)
Show No. 52: Feb. 23, 1986
"An Early Spring" features: A wishful-thinking sampler of sunshine and springtime, including Jo Stafford's "Spring is Here," Charles Harrison singing "April Showers," the Freddy Martin Orchestra playing "April in Paris," as well as "Old Man Sunshine," "Sunny Side Up," "Sunbeams" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 53: March 2, 1986
"Foxtrot Fever" features: A danceable sampling of all-foxtrot music by the bands of the 1920s and 1930s, including "My Baby Just Cares For Me," "Little Girl," "I Still Get a Thrill Thinking of You," "Do Wacka Doo," "Moonlight on the Ganges" and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 54: March 9, 1986
"Show Stoppers" features: A collection of rare songs and comedy skits by vaudevilians, beginning with the 1890s song "The Sly Cigarette" by S.H. Dudley and continuing with Lillian Russell, Webber and Fields ("The Drinking Scene"), Marie Dressler, David Montgomery and Fred Stone ("Mariah"), Eva Tanguay's very strange "I Don't Care," Irene Franklin's "Redhead," Harry Lauder, Florrie Ford, and Fred Lambert singing "My Wife's Gone to the Country." (60 min.)
Show No. 55: March 22, 1986
"Victrola Dance Party" features: A departure from the usual format, featuring a re-creation of a living room party with dance music of the 1920s. Complete with crowd noise, the Victrola winding down, records skipping and a running narrative about the party getting out of hand. (60 min).
Show No. 56: March 30, 1986
"Ziegfeld" features: Selections from the Ziegfeld Follies performers, spanning 1907 to 1931. Songs include Eddie Cantor's "That's The Kind of Baby For Me" (1917), a Will Rogers 1923 monologue, Norah Bayes' "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" (1908), Fanny Brice's "My Man," Van and Shenk's "Mandy" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 57: April 6, 1986
"Favorites Old and New" features: A departure from the era usually covered on the show, this installment is "an exercise in self-indulgence," with music from the turn of the century through the 1960s, including Eileen Stanley's "I'll Get By," The Ink Spots singing "Whispering Grass," Eddy Arnold singing "Anytime," and a variety of showtunes that made dad smile. (60 min.)
Show No. 58: April 13, 1986
"Spring Flowers" features: Songs based on flowers, including innumerable rose songs, Charles Harrison singing "Apple Blossom Time," Henry Beaver singing "Tiptoe Thru the Tulips," daisy songs, Dick Todd singing "Orchids for Remembrance" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 59: April 27, 1986
"Fan Favorites" features: A selection of songs to thank listeners for pledging during the fund drive. Favorites include Helen Kane's "I Wanna Be Loved by You," Harry Reser and his Kleeko Club Eskimos playing "My Sunday Girl," Ruth Etting's "10 Cents a Dance," the Boswell Sisters' "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," The Ink Spots' "We Three" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 60: May 4, 1986
"Hawaiian Songs" features: A look back at the Hawaiian craze that permeated popular culture in the 1930s, turning the ukelele into the national musical instrument. Lots of 1930s vintage Hawaiian songs, and dad's story of trying to learn the ukelele for 25 cents a week. (60 min.)
Show No. 61: May 11, 1986
"Mother's Day" features: A collection of gooey songs about mothers, with some fascinating mother trivia to offset the sentimentality. Includes Will Rogers talking about moms in 1935, John McCormack singing "Mother of Mine" and "Mother Macree," Vernon Dalhart singing "A Boy's Best Friend is His Mother" and "Don't Leave Me Mammy," Henry Burr singing "M-O-T-H-E-R" and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 62: June 1, 1986
"Marion Harris" features: A survey of songs by this little-known but influential vocalist of the 1920s and 1930s. Harris was known for her stylish singing, clarity and gift for getting the most out of every song, influencing the vocal styles of Bing Crosby and Ruth Etting. Songs include "It Had to be You" (1924), "I Can't Get the One I Want," "St. Louis Blues," "I've Got a Cross-Eyed Papa," "The Man I Love" (1927), "Nobody's Using It Now" (1929) and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 63: June 8, 1986
"A Grab Bag of '20s Tunes" features: Plenty of hits by the prolific Paul Whiteman's Orchestra ("The Man I Love," "Rhythm King," "Louise," "The New Tiger Rag") and other '20s songs including Duke Ellington's "Digga Digga Doo," Bing Crosby with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra singing "My Kind of Love," Louis Armstrong singing "St. Louis Blues" and a silly version of "Varsity Drag." (60 min.)
Show No. 64: July 13, 1986
"1929" features: A selection of songs from the year most associated with the stock market crash. Despite the year's reputation, the music is pretty bouncy, including "Broadway Melody" by Charles King, "Love, Your Magic is Everywhere" by Gloria Swanson, "Why Can't You" by Al Jolson, the very silly "Hang On To Me" by Cliff Edwards, songs by Ruth Etting, Helen Kane, and the extremely zippy "Firehouse Blues" by the Mountain City Blues Blowers. (60 min.)
Show No. 65: July 27, 1986
"Anson Weeks Orchestra" features: Selections from two 1932 live radio broadcasts from the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, where this dance orchestra played for seven years. The group was a national phenomenon, playing across the country and on radio for years. Songs include "Let's Fly Away," "With a Song in My Heart," "Who's Your Little Hoosier?" and "OK Toots." (60 min)
Show No. 66: Aug. 3, 1986
"Songs About Food" features: A buffet of tasty tunes including "Java Jive" and "Pork Chops and Gravy" by the Ink Spots, Pete Seeger's "Beans, Bacon and Gravy," Jack Buchanan and Gertrude Lawrence singing "A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich and You," The Hoosier Hotshots singing "I Like Bananas" and plenty more. (60 min.)
Show No. 67: Aug. 17, 1986
"Going Home" features: Songs about going back where you came from, including "I'm Winging Home" by Harold 'Scrappy' Lambert, "Homesick" by Marion Harris, "I'm Alabamy Bound" by Bing Crosby, "Way Back Home" by the Boswell Sisters, Frank Crumett's "Home Again Blues," Percy Hemus' "On the Road to Home Sweet Home" and more! (60 min.)
Show No. 68: Aug. 24, 1986
"Hal Kemp's Orchestra" features: A survey of hits by this top 1930s dance band, including a segment of a 1934 radio show, and songs such as "Got a Date With an Angel," "You're Getting to be a Habit With Me," "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking," "Johnny One Note" and "Boo Hoo." (60 min.)
Show No. 69: Aug. 31, 1986
"Baby Songs" features: Just a few of the thousands of songs with "Baby" in the title, including Ruth Etting singing "Hello Baby How Are You" from 1926, Paul Small's 1930 "Pardon Me Pretty Baby," Blossom Sealey's "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," Jan Garber's "Baby Face," Gus Arnheim's 1928 "Sing Me A Baby Song," Ethel Waters singing "Baby of Mine" and plenty of others. (60 min.)
Show No. 70: Sept. 7, 1986
"Assorted Singers of the 1920s" features: A selection of the many singers and dance bands of the era, including Eddie Cantor's 1925 "If You Knew Susie," Eva Taylor's "Cakewalkin' Babies," Fanny Brice's "The Sewing Machine," Ruth Etting's "Button Up Your Overcoat," Helen Kane's "Get Out, Get Under the Moon" and more! (60 min.)
Show No. 71: Sept. 13, 1986
"Peppy Tunes" features: An unrelentingly upbeat program of songs that really move along, including Sam Brown's Orchestra's "Yes Yes," The Kentucky Serenaders' "Keep Your Sunny Side Up," the Ted Lewis Orchestra playing "The Tiger Rag," Duke Ellington's Hot Chocolates playing "Sing You Sinners," Phil Harris doing "Fit as a Fiddle" and many more! (60 min.)
Show No. 72: Sept. 21, 1986
"The Phonograph" features: A history of the phonograph, on the centennial of its mass-marketing debut. Includes snippets from band songs, humorists and soloists of the 1890s, along with "The Electric Light Quadrille" by Issler's Orchestra (1889), a 1906 commercial called "I am the Edison Phonograph," a snippet of the voice of Sara Bernhardt, "The Mikado" from 1895, and on up to the 1920s. (60 min.)
Show No. 73: Sept. 28, 1986
"New (To Me) Records" features: A set of songs not previously played on the show, including Billy Murray's 1919 "Take Your Girly to the Movies," Phil Harris' 1933 "My Extra Ordinary Girl," Irving Kauffman's 1926 "The Little White House at the End of Honeymoon Lane," The American Quartet's song of commuter angst, "On the 5:15," Bill Cox singing "The NRA Blues," Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy singing "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," and more! (60 min.)
Show No. 74: Oct. 5, 1986
"Leftovers" features: Songs that didn't get played on previous shows due to lack ot time. Includes Art Mooney's "Collegiate," a 1903 Scott Joplin rag called "Weeping Willow Rag," the stridently racist "Goodbye Mama I'm Off to Yokohama" by Dick Robertson, Fred Waring's 1927 "Hello Swanee Hello," George Olsen's "Beyond the Blue Horizon" and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 75: Oct. 12, 1986
"1936" features: Songs of the year, including Fred Astaire's "Let's Face the Music and Dance," "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," "The Way You Look Tonight" and others. Also, Dick Powell's "It's De-Lovely," Bing Crosby's "I'm an Old Cowhand" and "Pennies From Heaven," Stuff Smith's comedy song "Knock Knock," Tony Martin's "When Did You Leave Heaven?" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 76: Oct. 19, 1986
"Clothing" features: Songs that relate, in one way or another, to clothes. Includes Ted Lewis singing "Wear a Hat With a Silver Lining," Harry Richman singing "Puttin' on the Ritz," Eddie Cantor singing "Now That The Girls are Wearing Long Dresses," a song about rolling your stockings in just the right way, and a little ditty called "Keep Your Skirts Down, Mary Ann." The show runs a little long. (65 min.)
Show No. 77: Oct. 26, 1986
"Time" features: Songs that deal with the passing of time, including Dick Robertson's "If I Could Be WIth You One Hour Tonight," Kenny Sargeant's "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?", Mildred Bailey's "Always and Forever," the Coon Sanders Orchestra playing "I'm Dreaming of Tomorrow," Al Jolson's "A Quarter To Nine" and lots more! (60 min.)
Show No. 78: Nov. 2, 1986
"Trains" features: A selection of songs about, or taking place on, trains. Includes "The Boxcar Blues" and "Brakeman's Blues" by Jimmie Rogers, Blossom Sealey singing "I'm Alabamy Bound," Woody Guthrie singing "John Henry," several rail disaster songs by Vernon Dalhart, Mildred Bailey singing "I Took a Trip on a Train and I Thought About You," and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 79: Nov. 24, 1986
"Hellos and Goodbyes" features: An even split of introductions and farewells, including "Hello Baby" by Ruth Etting, "Hello Sunshine Hello" by Eddie Cantor, "Hello Tucky" by Al Jolson," "Goodnight My Love" by Ozzie Nelson, "Bye Bye Blues" by Scrappy Lambert, "Goodnight" by Ted Lewis and his Orchestra, and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 80: Nov. 30, 1986
"Animals" features: Songs about or titled after animals, including Collins and Harlan's 1907 novelty song "Monkeys," Mildred Bailey singing "Bob White," Ozzie Nelson's Orchestra playing "Jellyfish," George Olden's "Horses," the Rhythmaires doing the "Yellow Dog Blues" from 1932, Hal Kemp's "Nuts About Mutts" and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 81: Dec. 7, 1986
"Musical Questions" features: An hour of queries, including "Who Played Poker with Pocahontas?" by Al Jolson (left), "Are You Coming Back to Old New Hampshire, Molly?" by Harry McDonough, "How's Chances?" by Clifton Webb, "Where is the Song of Songs For Me?" by Lupe Valez, and "Are You Having Any Fun?" by Helen Logan. There are even a few answers. (60 min.)
Show No. 82: Dec. 14, 1986
"Home" features: Songs about dear old home, including "What Do I Care? It's Home" by Bing Crosby (1933), the Sterling Trio's "Dear Little Home Sweet Home" (1907), Mildred Bailey singing "Cabin in the Pines," the George Olsen Orchestra playing "A Stucco in the Sticks" and lots more. (60 min.)
Show No. 83: Dec. 28, 1986
"Through the Year" features: A trip through the months, with a side trip through the days of the week. Includes Little Jack Little singing "June in January," Connie Boswell's "My Funny Valentine," Marion Harris singing "One Morning in May," Henry Burr singing "One Day in June," Kate Smith's "September Song" and so on. (60 min.)
Show No. 84: Jan. 11, 1987
"Love Songs" features: Another installment of everyone's favorite subject, including "Love is the Thing" by Kenny Sergeant, John McCormack's "Love Me and I'll Live Forever" and "Love Thee Dearest," Russ Columbo singing "Prisoner of Love," Isham Jones doing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," Mildred Bailey's "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," Beatrice Lilley's "Like He Loves Me" and more. (60 min.)
Show No. 85: Jan. 18, 1987
"The Palm Garden" features: A soundscape of dinner music played in old style, while dad wanders through the imaginary potted plants, recording bits of dialogue and conversation from the guests. You may recognize some famous characters and movie moments sprinkled in here, but if you can tell me what dad was trying to do in this very odd segment, please let me know! (60 min.)
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