For our next collegiate song, we flip over the Ted Wallace record of "Football Freddy to find "Fraternity Blues" on the other side!
So, let's hear that Columbia recording:
That's "Ted Wallace" (Ed Kirkeby) on the vocal and Jack Purvis back on trumpet!
Another fun version of the song was cut by Hal Kemp's band on Brunswick:
The "vocal refrains" are by usual suspect Skinnay Ennis and Saxie Dowell (later noted as writer of "Three Little Fishies").
Hal Kemp comes back into the picture in a bit...
You probably noticed that an odd drawing of Kay Kyser is on the sheet music for "Fraternity Blues" and that he's listed as the composer.
Funny thing is that I don't think Kay ever recorded the song! This was very early in Kay's career and he was between recording contracts at the time.
Kay had attended UNC and took over the campus band from Hal Kemp when Hal and Skinnay Ennis, et al turned pro. When Kay graduated, he recorded a few sides for Victor that didn't go anywhere, including this ode he co-wrote to another fair co-ed, "Collegiate Fannie":
Vocalist/saxist Sully Mason was with Kay from the start and remained a popular member of the band for many years.
It's interesting to hear Sully singing "Collegiate Fannie" with a Kyser arrangement so different from what we usually think of from the Kollege of Musical Knowledge!
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