[78-L] Who's still with us?

[Taylor Bowie]

I understand that the very good singer Gary Stevens (sang with Spivak and 
others) is still with us..not sure if he gets label credit in the 30s but 
for sure by '41.    I like the Spivak/Stevens version of Everything  Happens 
to Me as much as the Dorsey/Sinatra one.

I can't confirm this 100% but of those still with us I may have the oldest 
record...a 1930 McGregor & Sollie pressing of a Bay Area band called Gay's 
Red Peppers playing Crying Myself to Sleep.  That was the first band which 
Tony Martin played with  (when he was still Al Norris) and I assume he is on 
it.

Taylor B


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harold Aherne" <leotolstoy_75 at yahoo.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:05 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Who's still with us?


You know, I'm not aware of *any* name recording stars from the 1920s who are 
still
among the living--Banjo Buddy and Davey Lee left us in 2008, and they were 
two of the
last people who actually had their names on a 20s record (though there's 
always a chance
of sidemen or studio musicians from that time still being around, I guess). 
I read on the
Bix Beiderbecke message board that one member of "Wynken, Blynken and 
Nod"--the
vocal group on Jean Goldkette's "Ya Comin' Up Tonight, Huh?"--was still 
alive, though
she was past 100 a couple of years ago. Haven't heard anything since.

There are a handful from the 30s, albeit more from the latter part of the 
decade than
the earlier...Patty Andrews, Tony Martin, Lena Horne, Vera Lynn, Bea Wain, 
Deanna
Durbin, Danielle Darriueux (she made quite a few French Polydor sides in the 
30s), and
child performers Sybil Jason and Bobby Breen, both of whom were on Decca in 
the
mid/late 30s. Kay Starr had a Glenn Miller session in 1939, I think, and 
she's still
around.

There are a couple of people whose status I haven't confirmed: Evelyn Dall 
was a
singer with Ambrose in the mid-30s and she may still be alive. Durrelle 
Alexander,
a Paul Whiteman singer of the 1934-36 period, may also still be around.

I hope others can add to the list!

-Harold


--- On Thu, 3/19/09, soundthink at aol.com <soundthink at aol.com> wrote:
From: soundthink at aol.com <soundthink at aol.com>
Subject: [78-L] Who's still with us?
To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 11:15 PM

Now that we've entered a new year, I'll pose my annual question: who is
still alive who made records in the 1920s and 1930s? Rose Marie is 
definitely
one - she's 85. I believe western swing bandleader Jimmie Meek (OKeh and
Decca's Sons of the West) is still with us, and he'll be 98 this year.

Cary Ginell





_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l