Happy Birthday, Judy!

Hey, today is the centennial of the birthday of Judy Garland!

In honor of the occasion, let's listen to some 78s from the start of her solo career!

First up is both sides of her "platter preem" for the Decca label:

The label says Judy was 13 years old, but the tracks were recorded on June 12, 1936, so if our math is correct, she had just turned 14!

The very hot uncredited band on that session was Bob Crosby's great band with arrangements by bassist Bob Haggart. 

At the time Judy hadn't made her feature movie debut and apparently Crosby band director Gil Rodin didn't want the band to be credited on the record of an unknown singer!

Judy's first feature for her home studio of MGM was 1937's "Broadway Melody of 1938" in which she stole the show by singing "You Made me Love You" (with special lyrics) to a picture of MGM superstar Clark Gable.

Here's her Decca record of the song:

That shows off her acting skills too!

Judy sang her early signature song "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" in 1938's "Listen, Darling" (which I talked about here) and cut the song for Decca at a 1939 session, but the label didn't release it until 1943. 

Here it is:

Victor Young's studio orchestra included Spike Jones on drums. Spike was unknown in 1939, but by 1943 was riding high with his City Slickers and "Der Fuhrer's Face!"

Of course, Judy's most famous movie of the 1930s was MGM's "The Wizard of Oz." Here's Decca's coupling of two songs from the picture, including the Oscar-winning "Over the Rainbow":

Very intriguing is the flipside recording of "The Jitterbug," that song having been cut from "The Wizard of Oz" before its release. Legend has it that "Over the Rainbow" barely survived the cut, which is crazy to think!

Some fun records!

Take away all the baggage and you have an extremely talented and likeable star who was about as great a vocalist as ever graced a movie soundstage!