Friday Fun: Lost in the Fifties

For a little fun this Friday, let’s follow Juan Tizol’s Perdido into the 1950s for a quartet of lively instrumental takes...

Mary Lou Swings in London

First up is the great Mary Lou Williams with this 1953 cut on the Vogue label:

Wonderful as always. It may have been recorded in London, but Mary Lou swings the band wherever she goes!

Prado Brings the Mambo

Still in 1953, we have Pérez Prado with his mambo‑charged take on RCA Victor:

I’ve said before that I’m a total sucker for a Prado recording of a big‑band standard, and this one absolutely pushes that button.

Tex Goes Western Swing

Jumping to 1955, here’s Tex Williams on Decca, pushing my Western Swing button:

That was released on the same 45 rpm EP as Tex’s version of Take the “A” Train. If I’d been around in 1955, that side would’ve been worn down to a smooth circle!

Jordan’s Rare Detour 

Also from Decca in 1955, here’s Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five:

This record from late in Louis's legendary run with Decca is interesting for a couple of reasons — not only is it a rare instrumental, but I think it’s the only number from the Ellington songbook that Louis recorded for the label.

Sammy Swings the Lyrics

Before we go, let’s sneak in a vocal version to remind ourselves that Perdido does have lyrics. We stay with Decca for Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1957:

That’s from the album Sammy Swings. Truth in advertising!

Buttons Pushed, Weekend Achieved

A lot of buttons got pushed today — that’s Friday Fun!

Monday Side‑Session: We Got It Good

For today’s side‑session, we follow up on Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” with ten contemporary covers from the 1941–42 period — a little cross‑section of how the tune moved through popular music right when it was new.

So, let's start spinning...

We start with Dinah Shore on Bluebird:

The tune fits early‑Dinah perfectly — that clean, youthful phrasing she had in the early ’40s.

Next up is Ella Fitzgerald for Decca:

Quite lovely. This comes from the period when Ella was still fronting the Chick Webb band after Chick’s passing, and you can hear that blend of band-singer polish and her emerging solo personality.

Then we have The Charioteers on Okeh:

A warm group sound with Billy Williams leading the way.

A number of bands also picked up the tune, usually with a canary handling the vocal. Here’s Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee on Columbia:

Typically solid work from Benny and Peggy — clean, poised, and right in their wheelhouse.

Jimmy Dorsey recorded his version for Decca with his star vocalist Helen O’Connell:

I think this type of song fits Helen better than the novelties she sometimes performed. JD’s alto is solid as usual.

Les Brown and Betty Bonney cut the song for Okeh:

Betty tends to be overshadowed by Doris Day in the Les Brown story, but she was excellent too — and this track shows it.

Bunny Berigan recorded his version with Lynne Richards for the small Elite label:

These relatively late records by Bunny are always intriguing — you can hear both the brilliance and the strain of those final years.

Next up is Vaughn Monroe, who had Marilyn Duke sing the vocal for Bluebird:

This is from the period when Vaughn was more of a bandleader who sang, rather than a singer who led a band, as I like to say, as he didn't sing on every record and also recorded instrumentals.

We get a rare male vocalist as Eddy Howard takes the vocal himself on his Columbia side:

Eddy, like Vaughn, had his greatest success post-WWII, as they were able to directly compete with the singers in a way most bandleaders could not.

The most intriguing contemporary cover to me is this version by Earl Hines on Bluebird:

What I find fascinating is the vocal arrangement: Madeleine Greene and the Three Varieties sing in the third person, while Billy Eckstine sings about himself having it bad. And that is good!

There have been countless remakes of “I Got It Bad” in the decades since, but these contemporary covers give us a snapshot of how the tune lived in its own moment — across labels, across styles, across the early‑’40s pop landscape.

We got it good!

Monday Side-Session: Sittin' and Singin'

Following yesterday’s look at Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s Just a‑Settin’ and a‑Rockin’, today we slide over to the covers, remakes and lyrical detours that kept the tune alive through the mid‑’40s and beyond.

As I mentioned, once Lee Gaines of The Delta Rhythm Boys introduced lyrics, the tune’s title shifted from settin’ to sittin’ — and the song suddenly had a whole new life.

Let's start with some versions from 1945...

🎙️ The Delta Rhythm Boys Get It Rolling

First, let's spin The Delta Rhythm Boys’ popular 1945 Decca record:

This one has that easy, confident glide the group specialized in — tight harmonies, a relaxed beat, and a groove that feels like it’s leaning back in a chair. You can hear why this version helped the lyrical “sittin’” catch on.

For further illustration, here's a video clip Lee and the fellows:

Nice!

🌟 Thelma Steps In

Here’s a terrific version by Thelma Carpenter on the Majestic label:

Thelma gives the tune a buoyant lift — her phrasing is crisp, her tone warm, and she swings the melody without ever pushing it too hard. It’s one of those versions where the band and singer feel perfectly matched.

🎤 June & Stan Swing the Verse

Next up: Stan Kenton on Capitol with June Christy:

June Christy sounds terrific here — bright, playful, and rhythmically sharp — and she gets to sing the rarely heard verse, which is a treat in itself. Kenton’s band gives the tune a bit more punch, but June keeps it cool and stylish.

Here's a video of clip pf June with the Kenton band:

Retro-crush mode fully engaged!

🎷 Georgie’s Webster‑Warm Tenor

For one more 1945 version, here’s tenor sax star Georgie Auld with vocalist Lynne Stevens on the Musicraft label:

Georgie brings a warm, slightly breathy tenor sound that nods toward Ben Webster’s feel on the Ellington original. And Lynne is definitely an underrated canary. Together they make a version that feels both relaxed and musically alert.

🎶 The Pied Pipers Blend It Beautifully

Moving to 1946, here’s a non-commercial transcription recording from The Pied Pipers:

A smooth, well‑balanced group performance with June Hutton leading. The Pipers give the tune a lighter, more polished sheen — almost a radio‑friendly gloss — but they keep the rhythmic bounce intact.

🎺 Delta Rhythm Boys Return

                                                  

While in 1946, we also encounter The Delta Rhythm Boys again, as they sing another version of Just a‑Sittin’ and a‑Rockin’ for Decca, this time backed by Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra:

Not sure why Decca had the group return to the tune so soon, but the more relaxed pace and big band backing give this version a totally different vibe.

🌫️ June's Recollection

Let’s jump ahead to 1959 for three more versions, starting with June Christy’s remake for her Capitol album Recalls Those Kenton Days:

Always great to hear Misty Miss Christy with that wonderful Capitol Records sound!

🇸🇪 Alice's Swedish Sparkle

Next up is Swedish singing star Alice Babs with this cut from her Decca album Alice and Wonderland:

I think she’s absolutely delightful but it's not just the charming accent - she has serious music chops as well.

Word is that Duke Ellington was impressed with this recording, which prompted him to want to work with Alice, resulting in some wonderful joint projects!

And we're fortunate enough to also have a video clip of Alice in action:

Total retro-crush mode!

🎹 Shirley Rocks the Keyboards

Let’s close out with an instrumental version – Shirley Scott with this single taken from her Prestige album Scottie Plays the Duke:

"Scottie" gives the tune a stylish instrumental reading, moving between piano and organ with her usual soulful touch. She keeps the melody intact but adds subtle harmonic twists that make the track feel fresh and modern.

Hope you enjoyed sittin’ and rockin’ with me today!

Tuesday Tidbit: Singin’ in the Train

Yesterday we rode Billy Strayhorn’s “A” Train — all instrumentals, all bright rails and easy scenery.

Today we hop aboard two vocal versions from The Delta Rhythm Boys, each with its own charm.

Their first take came in 1941 for Decca, the same year Ellington’s hit version rolled out:

It’s a lively, good‑natured rendition — the kind that feels like someone smiling behind the microphone.

Six years later, the group revisited the tune for RCA Victor:

Also fun, also buoyant… but listen closely. Something shifts.

Warehouse Whispers — A Lyric Mystery in the Stacks

And here’s where the lights dim.

Those lyrics?

They’re not the same.

And the paperwork?

It doesn’t line up.

Billy Strayhorn is always credited as the sole songwriter, but he probably didn’t write either set of lyrics. The official files sit there looking confident, but the recordings tell a different story — the kind that makes a warehouse clerk stop mid‑shuffle and squint at a mislabeled acetate.

Lee Gaines, leader of The Delta Rhythm Boys, is often credited for the 1941 lyrics. But the fingerprints feel fresher on the 1947 version. My hunch: Gaines wrote the later set, not the earlier one.

Then there’s Joya Sherrill, who reportedly wrote her own lyrics and brought them to the Ellington band in 1944 when she joined as a featured vocalist. But those same lyrics show up two years earlier, sung by Betty Roché in the movie Reveille with Beverly (1942).

Joya had a brief stint with the band as a high‑schooler in the summer of ’42, but her lyrics were already circulating — The Delta Rhythm Boys used the "Joya lyrics" for their Decca record in August 1941 — months before she ever stepped onto the bandstand.

Two recordings.

Two lyric sets.

Two possible authors.

And a tune whose official credits sit there like a locked drawer with the wrong key in it.

We love a good mystery — especially one that hums along the rails!

P.S. And, yes, I'm aware that the title of this post is corny even by my standards, but I stand by it!

Word Association Wednesday: That’s the Thing to Do

Following Sunday’s Day Dream and rolling right into today’s WAW, my train of thought took a few scenic turns — there are so many songs with “dream” in the title. So why not go straight to Dream, the 1945 classic by Johnny Mercer.

🌙 The First Few Winks

Johnny was one of the bosses at Capitol Records at the time, and he handed the tune to his frequent collaborators The Pied Pipers, who recorded it in late 1944 for release in early ’45.

Let’s spin it:

That record was a huge hit, and it’s easy to hear why — it’s really a dream.

By then, June Hutton had stepped in as the Pipers’ lead singer, replacing Jo Stafford, who was busy becoming a solo star on Capitol.

💫 Frankie's Fantasy

Once the Pied Pipers’ version took off, other labels naturally jumped aboard. Over at Columbia, Frank Sinatra recorded it a little later in 1945:

The song fits young Frankie like a glove. Cue the bobby-soxers!

✨ Martin's Mirage

Singers like Sinatra were starting to take over in 1945, but big bands were still holding strong, so Victor had Freddy Martin cut Dream with vocalist Artie Wayne:

A typically smooth reading from the Martin band with a somewhat haunting vibe.

🌜 Jimmy’s Alto Apparition

Meanwhile, over on Decca, Jimmy Dorsey recorded the tune with Teddy Walters:

Jimmy’s alto floats right through that lush arrangement.

🌠 Castle in the Air

For one more band take, we head to the small Musicraft label, where trumpet star Lee Castle recorded his version with Tony Dexter:

Lovely trumpet work from Lee on that one.

💤 Santo & Johnny's Somnambulism

Plenty of other versions of Dream have appeared over the years. Let’s close out with this 1959 track on the Canadian American label from Santo & Johnny:

They’re in full Sleepwalk mode — and I love it!

Warehouse Whispers

Johnny Mercer was known primarily as a lyricist, and out of the approximately one zillion songs in his catalog, Dream is one of the very few for which he wrote both the lyrics and the music.

Quite a dream!

Friday Fun: Fine Times Two

When listening to versions of Fine and Mellow on Wednesday, we also heard Nellie Lutcher putting her stamp on the tune. That sent me back to one of her signature numbers that sneaks “fine” right into the title — Fine Brown Frame. So…

Here’s Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm with her big 1948 hit on Capitol:

That’s just pure, flirty fun. I remember first hearing it on a CD compilation around 2000 and immediately thinking, “Wait — what’s this? How did I not know about this?”

And because I’m a sucker for pop‑culture name‑drops, I love how she casually tosses in Robert Taylor, Robert Young, (Don)Ameche, and (Clark) Gable. Only Nellie could make a roll call of Hollywood leading men feel like part of the rhythm section!

As usual, she makes every song sound like it was written specifically for her. So I was surprised to learn sometime later that there was an earlier version of Fine Brown Frame — by Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra on Decca, recorded four years earlier:

It’s pleasant enough, but it doesn’t quite have that special spark Nellie brings. Still, it’s always fun to go digging and hear how a tune evolves before the right artist comes along and makes it shine.

But Nellie is fine times two!

Word Association Wednesday – Very Mellow

For today’s Word Association Wednesday, we take the “mellow” from In a Mellow Tone and let it drift us over to Billie Holiday’s Fine and Mellow — a song that wears its title perfectly.

Billie Sets the Mood (1939)

Billie first recorded it in 1939 for the Commodore label:

Billie wrote the tune herself, and it appeared as the flipside of her searing, history‑making recording of Strange Fruit. Even with that kind of company, Fine and Mellow holds its own — a blues that feels lived‑in, unhurried, and unmistakably Billie.

Erskine Hawkins & Dolores Brown (1939)

A couple of bands picked it up after Billie’s version hit. Here’s Erskine Hawkins with vocalist Dolores Brown on Bluebird from late 1939:

I like this one a lot. Dolores Brown isn’t Billie — nobody is — but she brings a nice, steady presence. The real star for me, though, is pianist Avery Parrish. His playing here already hints at the mood and touch of his big hit After Hours, which he’d record just a few months later.

Andy Kirk & June Richmond (1940)

Andy Kirk took a swing at the tune in 1940 with June Richmond:

June’s vocal is terrific. She’s not trying to imitate Billie; she’s got her own thing going, and it works beautifully. And Mary Lou Williams on piano? Always a treat — she lifts every record she touches.

Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm (1947)

The pianists keep rolling as we jump ahead to 1947 for one more version. This time it’s Nellie Lutcher, playing and singing for Capitol:

Nellie always makes a song sound like it was written for her. She reshapes the tune just enough to make it feel like a Nellie Lutcher original.

Billie in Full Bloom — The Sound of Jazz (1957)

Before we wrap up, let’s watch Billie herself performing Fine and Mellow on the 1957 television special The Sound of Jazz, surrounded by a stellar group of musicians:

Billie really seems to savor those instrumental solos between her vocal choruses — listening, reacting, almost conducting with her eyes.

So yes… fine and mellow indeed.