We continue along with our survey of "Jingle Bells" recordings with a handful from the latter half of the 1930s.
We start off with the extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and arranger Benny Carter with his Swing Quintet and this version recorded in England in 1936:
Benny Carter provided a lot of good music over a very long career!
Next we move to 1937 with this interesting take on the tune by Scottish import Ella Logan (later best-known for the Broadway hit "Finian's Rainbow"):
That's good fun, with a real late-1930s feel!
I find it interesting that Ella only sings the chorus and none of the verses. And she sings "Jingle all the day" each time, rather than "Jingle all the way." I don't know of another record in which the singer does that!
And I'm stumped as to why the label reads "Jingle (Bingle) Bells." She never sings "bingle" at all. Is it just to indicate it's a wacky version?
From 1938, we have Vernon Geyer playing the tune on the Hammond Electric Organ, which had only been around a few years:
That has a good sound! Intriguing to me is that record shows the title as "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells," which is unusual, if not as wacky as throwing "bingle" in there!
Also from 1938 is this recording from a transcription disc (made for radio broadcast as opposed to retail sale) by the King Cole Trio:
Always cool to hear Nat "King" Cole with his trio (Nat on piano with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince at that point) and this is very early in his stellar career, Nat being only 19 at the time!
Also of note is that they actually mention Christmas at the end of the tune, turning it into a Christmas song!
The year 1939 finds Dick Powell still firmly in crooner mode as he sings with The Foursome:
Dick Powell could really sing, but we knew that!
The Foursome is intriguing as it included Del Porter (above, third from left), who played clarinet and ocarina in addition to singing and was later a very important member of Spike Jones's City Slickers group!
Also from 1939 is this record by Tiny Hill and his Orchestra:
Naturally, as with anyone nicknamed "Tiny," he was actually a very big guy - literally "America's Biggest Bandleader!"
I like his intentionally corny sound and good-natured vocals!
What's interesting on Tiny's record is that they add the "Hey!" after "Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh." We always did the "Hey!" when I was a kid and it seems so common-place now that you would think it was actually part of the song. But it's not and this, I think, is an early example, at least on record.
We wrap up 1939 with this really well-done version by the Victor Salon Orchestra, under the direction of Rosario Bourdon:
That's good work by the Canadian cellist/arranger/conductor Bourdon!
This was the flipside of "The Night Before Christmas" by famous radio announcer Milton Cross.
Hey, let's listen to that too:
That's a solid two sides on that frequently reissued record (as at the top of this page)!
Next: we move into the 1940s!
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