We’ve spent the last couple of days with some devilish music and are even currently enduring Friday the 13th, so what better way to climb back up from down below than with a Stairway to the Stars?
I’ve rounded up every version I could find from 1939,
the year the song was published after being adapted from Frank Signorelli and
Matty Malneck’s 1936 instrumental Park Avenue Fantasy, now with
Mitchell Parish’s lovely lyrics. You can read more about the original here.
We have an even dozen, so let’s get started!
Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (Bluebird)
For me, this is the definitive version. The Miller band was
hitting on all cylinders at this point. Ray Eberle’s vocal here sounds much
more polished than on My Reverie, recorded less than eight months earlier. This song also perhaps suits him better.
Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra (Decca)
Always interesting to compare Bob Eberly to his younger brother Ray when they sang the same song. I agree with the general consensus that Bob was the better all‑around singer. I think Bob lifted the J. Dorsey band to greater heights while Ray kind of went along for the ride as the Miller band ascended the heights, you know?
We catch the Kyser band at the peak of its shticky‑sweet
formula, complete with the singing song title. Harry Babbitt saves it with the
vocal. Kay was hugely popular at the time and in 1939 starred in the first of
several successful movies, RKO’s That’s Right, You’re Wrong!
Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye (Victor)
Sammy Kaye was even more locked into the sweet‑band formula
than Kyser, also employing
the singing song title gimmick. While Sammy stayed in this lane, Kyser’s band would eventually prove to be much more versatile. Sweet bands depended on their vocalists and Jimmy Brown was an asset to the Kaye band.
Personally, I don't mind the singing song titles, but I don't care for the spoken introduction of the vocalist during the song. It takes me out of the mood. And this is coming from someone who digs gimmicks!
Ella Fitzgerald and the Chick Webb Orchestra (Decca)
Ella brings us out of the sweet‑band world with a great
take. She was fronting the late Chick Webb’s band at this point, just before
her solo career really took off.
Al Donahue and his Orchestra (Vocalion)
Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans (Columbia)
A trip across the pond to England! Vocalist George Melachrino would later find great fame as a conductor, but he certainly had the pipes for this. I like this one quite a bit!
Greta Keller (Decca)
Austrian-born cabaret star Greta Keller brings a wistful, world-weary vibe that adds a touch of sophistication to the climb.
Martha Raye (Brunswick)
You’d think we’d be going from the sublime to the ridiculous
here, but Martha plays it straight. She was a talented singer, though her comic
gifts (and large mouth) were too great for Hollywood to ignore. Her then‑husband
Dave Rose provides the accompaniment.
Chick Bullock and His Levee Loungers (Vocalion)
Prolific session singer Chick Bullock fronts a studio band
here. He was a total pro and in-demand for a reason.
Kenny Baker (Victor)
Tenor star Kenny Baker sounds great! He had come to
prominence on the Jack Benny radio show but branched out into just about
every entertainment field. In 1939, he co‑starred in MGM’s At the Circus
with the Marx Brothers. Groucho took the vocal honors in that film with Lydia, the Tattooed Lady, however!
The King’s Men (Vocalion)
We wind up with The King’s Men. Fans of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show will instantly recognize the quartet’s trademark blend. It’s a treat to hear a Ken Darby vocal arrangement on a ballad rather than their usual novelty fare they performed on the show.
We’ve now climbed twelve flights of the stairway, so we’re
well and truly in the stars. Which version elevates you the most?
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