"Jingle Bells" - Part 37 - Cha Cha Cha!

We land in 1959 with "Jingle Bells" and popular entertainer Pearl Bailey with this single on Roulette Records:

Hey, we've had a few Mambos, so why not a Cha Cha Cha?

The flipside of that record is a fun novelty Christmas song:

I think both sides are a lot of fun. Pearl Bailey had a ton of personality and it really shines through on that record!

"Billboard" agrees:

Swinging back around to Dinah Shore, here's a clip of Pearl on Dinah's show from 1960:

We go back a year to 1958 (I think!) for this odd but fun track by the Capitol Studio Orchestra:

I believe that track was first released on the "Christmas Cocktails" CD in 1996. Whatever the case, it's very 1950s hi-fi!

For another Cha Cha take on "Jingle Bells," we jump all the way to 2004 with this instrumental by Big Bad Voodoo Day from their album "Everything You Want for Christmas":

Cool take!

And here's a version from from the David Ricard Big Band's 2015 album "Holiday Swingin'":

Good to know the Cha Cha is still around!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 36 - Around the World!

We last left "Jingle Bells" in the capable  hands of Peggy Lee in 1962, backed by Billy May and the Jimmy Joyce Singers. 

We now go back a couple of years to 1958 for the LP "A Christmas to Remember" by the Jimmy Joyce Singers (not credited on the font cover - hmmm...), backed by Billy May on Warner Brothers Records.

A late-1950s LP of Christmas music involving Billy May seems right up my alley, but I don't care for the singing on this. At all. 

The Jimmy Joyce Singers on this album include adults as well as kids and the adults especially seem to be trying too hard to entertain us or something. I don't know.

But, the instrumental backing is just fine, as expected when we see Billy May's name on the label. Is there a way to hear the music but not the singing?

Well, sort of, as there are a couple of instrumental tracks, one of which is the very clever "Jingle Bells Around the World":

I think that's a hidden gem!

You might recall that Billy May played the trumpet solo on Glenn Miller's record of "Jingle Bells" back in 1941!

Billy didn't record a lot of Christmas music under his own name, but he did cut this Mambo-ized version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for Capitol Records in 1954:

That's a lot of fun and that track has been reissued a zillion times on various compilations since the 1990s.

I always thought it's interesting that the label credits Alvin Stoller with a "vocal" whereas he really just yells out some things, as that's what one does on a mambo record.

In his usual guise, Alvin Stoller was a brilliant drummer who did tons of session work.

Back to "Jingle Bells," there was an earlier record entitled "Jingle Bells Around the World," recorded by George Cates for Coral Records in 1951:

I was actually kind of disappointed by that record, as it's not really all that clever, just really being Tom Mack singing the song in different languages.

George Cates started a long association with Lawrence Welk around this time and the square-ness on this record is evident of such things!

The various language-ness made me think of that old Joe Gumin record from 1931. 

Interesting to note that Joe had recorded an updated version on the small Chord label in 1948:

Kind of fun, but by the late 1940s, definitely just a seasonal novelty.

Billy May saves the day!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 35 - Liking That Sleighride!

We go from Dinah Shore with "Jingle Bells" to another long-popular female singer - Peggy Lee!

She cut this version of "Jingle Bells" for Capitol Records in 1960:

I think that's a pretty famous version, as it seems to have popped up on a lot of compilations over the years.

Every now and again when hearing some other version, I can hear "I like a sleighride" even when it's not there. It's an earworm!

I think the brevity of the recording works in its favor, as it doesn't qear out its welcome, but another minute of the Jimmy Joyce Singers would probably put it over the top!

That cut was from Peggy's "Christmas Carousel" album, and the title song was the flipside of the 45:

Peggy wrote that one herself - she was very accomplished.

Arranger/conductor Billy May backed Peggy on this album and he does his usual stellar job!

Unlike Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee had the more traditional career arc for popular singers of the 1940s - she made her name with a big band, in her case Benny Goodman, before embarking on a solo career.

Here's a 1941 seasonal tune from Peggy from her time with Benny:

The other vocalist, Art London, later shortened his last name to "Lund" and had a successful career himself!

Peggy laid down a lot of great records!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 34 - Is There Anyone Finer?

Since we dipped our toe into the 1960s with "Jingle Bells," we stop at 1960 for a promotional EP from Chevrolet featuring Dinah Shore!

Here's side one, which features "Jingle Bells" as the second song:

I think that's an outstanding version of "Jingle Bells" and the lead song, "You Meet the Nicest People," is very fun!

Here's the second side of the disc (which plays at 33 1/3 rpm), which features a couple of carols:

That's a very nice little EP that was apparently given out by Chevy dealers, Chevrolet being the sponsor of Dinah's TV show.

When I was a kid, Dinah had a talk show which made her seem like a female version of Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin, but I learned that she had been a much bigger star than either of those gentlemen had been and she was more comparable to, say, Perry Como.

Dinah Shore was interesting as a popular singing star of the 1940s in that she did not make her reputation as a band vocalist before embarking on a solo career. She made her name on the radio which translated to a highly successful recording career.

In any event, Dinah was recording for Capitol records when the Chevy promo EP was issued, but she had recently been with RCA Victor.

While with Victor she had recorded a Christmas EP (at 45 rpm) in 1957, which also included "You Meet the Nicest People" as the title track.

Here's side one:

Interesting to compare the two versions of "You Meet the Nicest People." I think I hear Thurl Ravenscroft on both!

Here's side two of the EP:

Lots of fun and great work from Dinah!

The question in the title of this post is rhetorical, but the answer is: NO!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 33 - Big Band Royalty!

To break away from the kiddie records versions of "Jingle Bells" for a bit, we jump ahead to 1962 with some great jazzy recordings of the tune by two of the greatest bandleaders ever!

First up is Duke Ellington with this track from the 1962 "Jingle Bell Jazz" album on Columbia Records:

That's awesome!

At some point, an alternate version of "Jingle Bells" by Duke popped up. It's decidedly different and I remember being surprised by it when I first heard it, as it was not noted as such. I think it was on this reissue:

Also awesome!

We go from the Duke to the Count, as Count Basie had this recording of " Basie's Jingle Bells" on the Roulette label, also in 1962:

That's as great as a record with that title should be!

I don't know if that had a stock 45 rpm release or just the radio promo version.

Count Basie had recorded a live version the year before at Birdland. I'm not sure when that was originally released, but I first encountered it on this CD:

That's great too!

For a bonus, here's a recent recording by the Count Basie Orchestra from 2015:

Some great stuff from great bandleaders still laying it down in the early 1960s!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 32 - One More Kiddie Record!

OK, one more (for now) kiddie record version of "Jingle Bells," this one on the Junior record label from 1948 as recorded by Scotty MacGregor:

I think that's really fun, with Santa singing the song and breaking the fourth wall by talking about being on a record. So meta!

The flipside is original song:

That's fun too!

I don't know much about Scotty MacGregor other than he cut a number of children's records.

There were some real talents in that field!

And remember:

"Jingle Bells" - Part 31 - Still More Kids!

We have another kiddie record version of "Jingle Bells," this one on the Little John label from 1952:

I think that's really good!

Here's the flipside:

The Little John records were only five inches and played at 78 rpm, accounting for the minute-or-so runtime of the songs. They won't wear out their welcome!

I like how the labels are colorfully illustrated and provide the year and country of origin for the song in question.

The labels give no artist credits at all, though, so the identity of the performers are lost to the ages!

There were some original songs released on the label, which were written by Pat Ballard, who a couple of years later was the writer of the huge hit Mr. Sandman."

The original Christmas songs are pretty fun. I think there were six of them. Here they are:

I like those a lot!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 30 - More Kids!

While we're still listening to kiddie records from 1949 containing "Jingle Bells," we come across this offering from Young Peoples Records entitled "Jingle Bells And Other Songs For Winter Fun" and performed by Gene Lowell:

I found that pretty interesting and another record that kids of the time would have liked, especially those in the recommended 2-6 years age group.

So, I think this was the first issue of the recording and is from 1949, but it was later reissued on the Children's Record Guild, which I understand was kind of like a book of the month club but it was records for kids.

Here's the label for the 1953 reissue:

Gene Lowell did a lot of work with choral groups and was musical director of the Longines Symphonette, purveyors of classical music radio shows and many multi-LP sets back in the day.

Here's a cut from his 1958 Christmas LP on Warner Brothers Records:

Interesting, but not really my thing. Once again, is it wrong that I prefer his work on kiddie records?

"Jingle Bells" - Part 29 - Two Tons of Fun!

We continue with "Jingle Bells" and kiddie records with this little album on Mercury Records from Two Ton Baker that includes a fun version of "Jingle Bells" as the last side.

Here are the first two sides:

And here are the final two sides:

I think this was also released in 1949 and I can really imagine kids of the time enjoying this quite a bit!

Two Ton Baker was best-known in the Chicago area for his radio and television shows, but he also  made some popular recordings.

Here's a 1947 release that was his most famous:

That's fun stuff!

One thing not to sleep on is that he could really play the piano, as often pointed out by his friend Duke Ellington!

Kids in the 1940s and 1950s had some good records to listen to!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 28 - 1949 Kids!

We step back a couple of years to 1949 for a couple of versions of "Jingle Bells" aimed at the kiddie market, both issued on 7-inch 78 rpm records, so they're short!

First is this one on Little Golden Records, sung by Dick Byron:

That's a pretty good little version! And the label is so fun!

I have no idea who Dick Byron is/was, other than he sang on a number of Little Golden Records.

I presume that the Sandpiper Chorus/Sandpipers, who also sang on a ton of these records, was the house name for whatever group of singers they rounded up for a given session, but that might not be accurate.

The "star" of such things is one Mitchell Miller, known under his more familiar name of Mitch, who directed a lot of kids' records as a sideline and always brought his considerable musical acumen to whatever the project.

The next record is also from 1949, but it's from the mighty Capitol Records, who issued a lot of kiddie records and issued a series under the "Tiny-Tunes" name, including this one from Hal Derwin:

I'm very familiar with Hal Derwin, who had been featured with Shep Fields's band in the 1930s, then led his own orchestra, as well as recording solo sides and also dubbing the vocals for musically-challenged actors in a number of movies!

Here's Hal's biggest hit, a song popular in 1946:

Not credited on the label but backing up Hal on "Jingle Bells" is the master arranger/conductor Billy May, who did all sorts of work for Capitol Records.

So, the records were aimed at kids, but the professionalism is there!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 27 - The Great One!

While we're digging some mid-1950s versions of "Jingle Bells," we come across the Great One himself, Jackie Gleason, with this lush version from his 1956 "Merry Christmas" LP on Capitol Records:

That's really in the typical style of Jackie's romantic albums, as "Billboard" points out:

And, hey, that is one sock color cover!

Jackie also included the perennial "Jingle Bells" sidekick on that album:

Just shows a good melody can be played in any style!

Jackie didn't always use vocalists humming along, but he did cut a version of "The Honeymooners" theme in that style in 1956 as well:

Note that Artie Malvin (last heard around here with the Chickering Four) got his name misspelled on the label. Oh, well, as long as the check cleared!

Jackie also recorded a straight-up instrumental version of "You're My Greatest Love" on his "Music to Change Her Mind" album, also from 1956:

That tune is very evocative! You can just see those famous credits in your mind:

Jackie's "regular" theme song is also memorable:

A man of many talents!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 26 - 1954 Instrumentals!

Hanging around 1954 with "Jingle Bells," we come up with a quartet of instrumentals in different styles!

First up is British-born arranger/conductor George Melachrino with a cut from his "Christmas in High Fidelity" LP on RCA Victor:

Melachrino had a couple of Christmas albums and they're well-thought of by holiday music buffs!

The "Billboard" reviewer? Not so much:

Harsh!

Next on the RCA subsidiary "X" Records is trombonist Urbie Green with a cut from his "A Cool Yuletide" album:

Early use of rhyming "cool" and "yule" on a terrific old-school 10-inch LP!

"Billboard" digs it:

"Happily, no vocals..." Hmmm...

Next up is the famous piano duo of Ferrante and Teicher with a cut from their 10-inch "Xmas Hi-Fivories" (another cool title!) LP on the independent Westminster label:

(Arthur) Ferrante and (Louis) Teicher were wackier in the mid-1950s before adopting a more middle-of-the-road approach that sold a lot of albums.

Did "Billboard" like this hi-fi album?

Nope!

We close this session with another duo - the electric harmonica playing The Mulcays:

That's from an EP on the small Cardinal label by the husband and wife duo of Jimmy and Mildred Mulcay. The family that plays (harmonica) together, stays together!

"Billboard" liked this one:

Lots of good instrumental music for the hi-fi lover of 1954 - just don't call it hi-fi if you want "Billboard" magazine to like it!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 25 - Italian Style!

While hanging around the mid-1950s, we come across a couple of Italian style renditions of "Jingle Bells" - or at least Americanized Italian!

We start with popular singer Julius LaRosa with "Campanelle" on Cadence Records from 1954:

I can't follow the Italian part, but I think I catch "Buon Natale," which I know means "Merry Christmas!"

The flipside is another in the never-ending quest for the next "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or "Frosty the Snowman":

I think that's pretty unremarkable on the whole, but "Campanelle" is fun.

Julius cut a number of records playing on his Italian heritage, including this huge hit from 1953:

That's also pretty fun!

Julius LaRosa was popular, but I think he's best-remembered (if at all) for having been unceremoniously blindsided by Arthur Godfrey, who fired Julius on-air during the October 19, 1953 "Arthur Godfrey Time" radio broadcast.

While there's nothing on the label of "Campanelle" to make you know it's "Jingle Bells," Lou Monte gets right to the point with the title of this 1955 cut on RCA Victor:

That's fun and I do catch "Camapnelle" in the lyrics!

Lou Monte made a lot of shticky Italian novelty records, but sings fairly straight on the flipside:

His most lasting contribution to the Christmas music genre is this wacky 1960 novelty on Roulette Records:

Good fun!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 24 - Mambo!

We move ahead with "Jingle Bells" from the staid approach of Fred Waring and Guy Lombardo to a hot music trend of the mid-1950s - the Mambo!

That Latin dance was a big craze with all sorts of songs being recorded as mambos, so why not "Jingle Bells" too?

Here's ace arranger Pete Rugolo on Columbia Records in 1954:

That's a great 1950s big band sound! 

The flipside of that record was non-holiday, but it's an amusing takeoff on Guy Lombardo:

So many Lombardo records did end with that snappy little five-note phrase!

Pete Rugolo had made his reputation as an arranger with Stan Kenton's band after WWII and later did a lot of television work, including the jazzy version of the "Leave it to Beaver" theme for that show's final season:

Solid arrangement!

MGM had their own competing "Jingle Bells Mambo" in 1954 courtesy of the Frank Petty Trio:

The flipside was another mambo-ized holiday tune:

Pianist Mike Di Napoli usually gets label credit as he's featured heavily on the trio's records. Frank Petty himself played guitar and sang.

Frank had sung with Guy Lombardo in the mid-1940s, so there's another connection!

Around the same time, although I don't know the exact year, pianist Joe Loco recorded his mambo version of "Jingle Bells" for the small Tico label:

The flip of that one was "White Christmas":

That's good stuff! My Spanish is good enough to know that "El Rey del Mambo" translates to "The King of the Mambo!"

Joe Loco (real name José Estevez) later signed with Columbia Records, where he cut a new version of "Jingle Bells" in 1955 as part of an EP:

The Tico record is credited to "Joe Loco and his Trio," which I guess would be four musicians (Joe + 3) and the Columbia record is credited as "Joe Loco Quintet," which presumably is five musicians.

The big difference between the two recordings is the sleigh bells on the Columbia record. Is that what the extra guy was for?

Not sure how many degrees Joe Loco is from Guy Lombardo. Something to think about!

This seems like a good place to plop in "Rockin' "J" Bells" by saxophonist Little Bobby Rey from 1959:

Not a mambo, but a great Latin-tinged instrumental which helps illustrate how much things had changed in the preceding five years!

Sorry,  Mr. Lombardo!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 23 - More Decca!

We're back with Decca Records for a couple of renditions of "Jingle Bells" from a couple of the most popular "sweet" bands from back in the day, each of which had a multi-record Christmas album in the early 1950s.

First up is Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians with an epic two-sided version of "Jingle Bells" from 1950:

That's really something! The Pennsylvanians get a workout!

Fred Waring was popular on the radio for a long time, but interestingly did not make recordings for a decade or so starting in the early 1930s, as he apparently did not want his records to be played on the radio, thus competing with his live performances.

Guy Lombardo, however, kept recording with his Royal Canadians all the while, selling millions of records!

Here's their take on "Jingle Bells" from a 1952 album:

That's a more typical version of "Jingle Bells" - short and literally sweet! The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven, in fact!

And could Decca have possibly put you-know-what as the flipside of this record? Oh, yes:

Fred Waring and Guy Lombardo both appealed to a large segment of the listening audience and their records serve as reminders that it wasn't just Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey all the time!