[78-L] Vaughn DeLeath

[Michael Biel]

Taylor Bowie wrote:
> Thanks,  Sean..I will seek out the Edison.  I assume it's a thick one if 
> it's the tune I'm thinking of from 1927 (I Like What She Likes,  She Likes 
> What I Like...).
>
>   

Can you just imagine this song being sung by Vaughn about Kate 
Smith?????  There's a couple of thick ones!!

> No word yet from the front lines about Maurice J...the guy who puts the 
> "Gunk" into  Gunsky.
>
> Taylor
>
>   

The first Gunsky record I ever came across was "I'm Sorry Sally" on a 
VivaTonal Columbia, and I really liked it.  It's a sweet song and he 
puts just enough feeling and tenderness in it that you really feel the 
pain the guy is going thru with an unhappy sweetheart.  Then I found a 
few more of his records and ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!   They 
are HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He had a syndicated program in the 
early 30s, and somehow one time when I was in Joe Franklin's office his 
name came up.  Joe said he had some of the ETs and he'd look for them 
and loan them to me next time I stopped by.  About a month later he told 
me that he had found them and was bringing them in and put them down on 
the floor of the elevator to hit the button and forgot them there.  A 
few hours later when he remembered they were GONE!  So they're either in 
some landfill or some poor sap's collection -- and THEN gone into a 
landfill.

The all-time worst vocals I have ever heard was a male and female team 
doing the vocal on a 1930 VanDyke called "Over the Radio Waves."  Don't 
have it handy so I can't give you the details, but I think it is going 
to be the final track on a CD I am planning.

Mike Biel   mbiel at mbiel.com  
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sean Miller" <smille1 at nycap.rr.com>
>
>   
>> Taylor...
>>
>> Really???!!!  I love VDL...always have!  She did a really funny laughing
>> record that came from Gennett matrices that I have on a Supertone.It's
>> priceless.  Her "Anything We Like We Like Alike" on electric Edison is
>> fabulous as well!        Sean
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Taylor Bowie
>>
>>
>> I can listen to and enjoy a lot of different music and singers,  ranging
>> from JW Myers to Layne Staley.
>>
>> There are two 1920s singers who each made and sold a lot of records,  and
>> who I have tried to listen to for years and just can't understand how and
>> why they were so popular.There are lots of horrible vocals on stray dance
>>
>> band records by various unknowns,  but these two were very well known to 
>> the radio listening public and to record buyers.
>>
>> One is Vaughn De Leath.The other is Maurice J. Gunskey.  I just tried to
>> listen all the way through his Viva Tonal version of How Am I To Know...a
>> wonderful song...and I couldn't stand it.  How could anyone in 1929 have
>> gone for his so out-of-date r-r-r-r-r-olling of his r-r-r-r-rs?  And an
>> ugly,  small voice to go with the mannerisms.
>>
>> De Leath is an even bigger mystery to me...a flat and unmusical sound to 
>> her voice, and she was frequently guilty of some of the worst attempts at 
>> being"jazzy" that I've ever heard.I sometimes think she is actually a sheep 
>> who has somehow learned to sing in English but at any moment might revert to
>> "Ba-a-a-a-a"-ing in her native tongue.
>>
>> So many others took me a while to appreciate:  Irving Kaufman,   Sid 
>> Garry,Lee Morse,Scrappy,etc. But nothing seems to work with Maurice or 
>> Vaughn
>>
>> (note what her initials spell...maybe that's part of the problem)
>>
>> I don't like all singers equally but I can certainly see what's what with
>> most of them,  even if I don't seek out their records.  But these
>> two....what's up with them?  Any fans of either who could suggest some of
>> their better disks?   Thanks from    Taylor
>>
>>