[78-L] Frank Luther items on my want-list for decades

[Guyotsmith at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/19/2009 11:45:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
soundthink at aol.com writes:

Frank  Luther was an extremely talented, prolific artist; unfairly maligned 
by record  collectors, which enabled me to accumulate a good collection of his 
78s for  very little money. I think I probably have around 50 Luther 78s -a 
drop in the  bucket considering his output, but quite representative of his  
career.

Cary Ginell




Cary, you have stated the case very well.  Unlike so many pioneer recording 
artists whose devotees have worked for years to  gain wide popular acceptance 
for their work, Frank Luther has remained a Johnson  without a Boswell, so to 
speak. His astonishing versatility has made it  virtually impossible to 
succinctly sum up his career. He was one of the most  successful of the early 
hillbilly artists, having more Conqueror 78s on the  country page of mid-1930s Sears 
catalogues than anyone but Gene Autry and making  hit records of songs which 
later became standards. Yet, despite his having been  born and raised on a 
Kansas farm, Frank's formal musical training has caused  generations of country 
chroniclers to look askance at his contributions. 
 
Frank recorded a vast number of popular  dance band vocal choruses, and some 
of those records were major hits of the day  - yet there has been no CD 
reissue specifically highlighting Frank's vocals. 
 
Decca once estimated, in the 1940s, that  85% of the children's records sold 
throughout the English-speaking world were  Frank's. While that figure may be 
somewhat inflated, there is absolutely no  doubt that his two initial Decca 
album sets, "Mother Goose Songs" and "Nursery  Rhymes," plus his classic "Winnie 
the Pooh" and "Babar" albums were huge  sellers. Frank, of course, was 
eventually placed in charge of Decca's recordings  for children, as well as the 
label's religious records and educational product.  The records for kids sold 
extremely well - and yet reissues of vintage  recordings of this sort are 
uncommon. As wonderful as it would be to see a CD  reissue of some of the Frank Luther 
recordings for youngsters, I don't envision  it. 
 
We have grown so everlastingly dependent on  the confounded "charts" to tell 
us what is worthy of reissue and study and what  is not that we are consigning 
a great deal of wonderful music to oblivion. Many  of Frank Luther's country 
records and definitely his records for young audiences  far outsold numerous 
"charted" (how I have grown to despise that term!)  recordings frequently 
reissued on CD. 
 
Some years ago, I had the joy of teaching  what I believe was the only 
college course devoted exclusively to a study of the  work and times of Stephen 
Foster.  The two album sets of Foster  compositions by Frank Luther and Zora 
Layman were played and studied. Many  students requested copies of these 
recordings. I don't think any entertainer  ever captured the spirit of Foster as well as 
Frank did. While I enjoy all his  work, the Foster records represent the 
zenith of Frank's career in my  estimation. 
 
Best wishes to all,
 
Jonathan
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