"Jingle Bells" - Part 10 - Signature Records!

We're still in the mid-1940s as our "Jingle Bells" survey lands us on a couple of tracks from the independent Signature Records label.

First up from 1946 is the wild scat singer Leo Watson, backed by the Vic Dickenson Quintet:

Leo Watson was one-of-a-kind with his crazy vocalizing. I've heard him described as ahead of his time, but if so, we're still waiting for that time!

He had an interesting career, first coming to semi-prominence with the Spirits of Rhythm group, heard here on this early release from Decca Records in 1934:

Leo also got the chance to record with a couple of bands in the late 1930s.

Here's both sides of a record with Artie Shaw from 1937:

A couple of things of note on the label: Artie was still billed as "Art Shaw" at this early point of his career and someone with a sense of humor added a question mark as to whether Leo is actually contributing a vocal!

Funny that even with the very limited lyrics of "Shoot the Likker to Me John Boy" Leo sings, "Shoot the likker to John Boy," as if he doesn't care what the name of the song actually is!

He actually sings lyrics on this cut with Gene Krupa from 1938:

Leo's vocal is fairly straight, but still stylized. I like it!

Back to his record of "Jingle Bells," Leo's "vocal" would barely clue you in as to what song is involved, as he doesn't sing the melody at all and winds up somehow incorporating "Alexander's Ragtime Band!"

Not to sleep on, however, is the great trombone playing by Vic Dickenson, who holds the thing together musically.

We jump ahead one year to 1947 with this Signature Records release from Johnny Long and his Orchestra:

I think that's a blast, partially because it sounds exactly how "Jingle Bells" by Johnny Long should sound!

Probably the most distinctive feature of Johnny's band, besides the fact that he played left-handed violin, was that the band members would sing/shout lyrics or phrases with or without an actual vocalist.

(Interesting that the band shouts, "Shoot the snow to me, Joe!" a la John Boy and that likker! "Shoot the Sherbet to Me, Herbert" was another song in that sub-genre!)

The band recorded its best-known number, "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town," in that style a few times, the first time on Decca Records in 1940:

I think that's a lot of fun and is always welcome to me when I'm listening to a mix of big band records!

For further illustration, here's Johnny Long's hit record of "We'll Build a Bungalow" from 1949:

Abbott & Costello fans (such as myself) remember Johnny Long from 1943's "Hit the Ice" (my vote for most underrated A & C picture) in which Johnny winds up married to Ginny Simms, much to Lou's chagrin!

Here's a clip of Ginny and Johnny and his band from the movie:

Good fun!

The clarinetist looks like Ernie Caceres to me, but I can't find any documentation that Ernie played with Johnny Long post-Glenn Miller.

Back to this particular record of "Jingle Bells," the flipside "Winter Wonderland" is also great, giving vocalist Francey Lane a little more vocal room:

Interesting stuff from Signature Records!