Monday Music: Georgia on My Mind (Billie Holliday)

Billie Holliday's 1941 recording of the song by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics). Of all the recordings I have heard of this song, I think her phrasing of the lyrics is the best.

 

From the YouTube notes:

"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics). It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state or to a woman named "Georgia". Carmichael's 1965 autobiography, Sometimes I Wonder, records the origin: a friend, saxophonist and bandleader Frankie Trumbauer, suggested: "Why don't you write a song called 'Georgia?' Nobody lost much writing about the South." Thus, the song is universally believed to have been written about the state. 

The song was first recorded on September 15, 1930 in New York by Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke on muted cornet and Hoagy Carmichael on vocals. The recording was part of Bix Beiderbecke's last recording session. The recording was released as Victor 23013 with "One Night in Havana". Billie's accompanied by Shad Collins tp; Leslie Johnakins, Eddie Barefield as; Lester Young ts; Eddie Heywood p; John Collins g; Ted Sturgis b; Kenny Clarke ds. Recorded in New York City, March 21, 1941. (OKeh Records)

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It's a Lovely Day Today

April 16 is National Record Day

When I was growing up, we had one of those RCA Victor record players that closed up like a little suitcase when not in use. On the inside of the lid was an emblem of an old fashioned Victrola with a dog looking into the speaker. The caption read, "He hears his master's voice." The idea was that the sound was that realistic (though it was not an advanced "high fidelity" and certainly not stereo). It would play the standard 78 rpm records, and with an adapter could handle 45's. I suppose it was my older brother who explained to me to dial to "78" for the "little hole records," and "45" for the big hole records. We had quite a variety of children's records, songs from musicals, as well as what had been radio hits in "my parent's day" Some that I remember were, "Shrimp Boats is-a Comin'," "Oh What Beautiful Morning," "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob-bob-bobin' Along," "Westward Ho the Wagons," "Oh, Susanna," and "The Gandy Dancers Ball," to name a few.

With The Gandy Dancers Ball, we would often dance around the room and hop onto the bed. How could one help it with such a lively tune and words like "they danced on the ceiling and they danced on the wall" followed by "Swing around, swing around, swing around the Jimmy John, Swing the pretty girl around the Jimmy, Jimmy John." We thought the words were "swing around the jibby jop." We had no idea what a jibby jop might be, but we were kids, accustomed to not knowing the meaning of lots of words in use by adults and on TV. All we knew was that it was a fun song.

By the time we were in our "tweens and teens" there were the 45s with the Beach Boys, Ricky Nelson, Herman's Hermits, etc. Then The Beatles hit the Sullivan Show and started selling LPs like crazy. Whenever a few of us gathered at someone's house, a record player was usually utilized. How ever you spin it, records have had an impact on our lives for a long time.

Here is another old tune, recorded on a 78 and played on an old-fashioned record player. I heard this one often on television variety shows growing up. One of the standards from the Great american Songbook. "It's a Lovely Day Today," performed by Perry Como. Take a listen and celebrate National Record Day.

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Monday Music: What'll I Do?

I have a penchant for poignant songs and haunting melodies. They can take me to another place and allow me to dwell with my feelings and perhaps even take me to a new awareness of life. Irving Berlin's song, "What'll I do?" is a masterpiece. It has been recorded by a long list of performers through the years. It was featured on the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 film The Great Gatsby and has been used countless times on television as well as the big screen to convey in a few words what some find it difficult to communicate in a thousand lines. The melody itself even without the words has a powerful effect.

I looked at many renditions on You Tube. The song has been covered by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, and a host of others. The version That I liked the most was recorded by Linda Ronstadt in her 1983 album, What's New which features standards from the great American songbook. Ronstadt collaborated with the famous bandleader and arranger, Nelson Riddle, giving it that authenticity of the era in which the song first became famous.

You may be interested to hear other fine renditions of this song. Art Garfunkle did a version which is a faithful rendition using more modern orchestration and well worth hearing. Bea Arthur, in an excellent performance, sang the song in an episode of the TV show, The Golden Girls.