[78-L] Tops and Top 10 and so on

[David Lennick]

I thought we'd clarified Professor Sandy's status ages ago. Definitely real, 
and he was on Solitaire and its related dime store labels (Cameo, Manhattan). A 
lot of real records by real people got swallowed into these multi-track 
releases, like Gene Austin's late recordings with Les Paul, some of which had 
previously appeared on London..the Harmonicats, ex VitaCoustic and Universal.. 
note that I'm talking now about Solitaire (and offshoots), which had no 
connections with Tops or Waldorf Salad Bowl. Solitaire also got Lena Horne's 
Black & White recordings, the Spellbound album from ARA, some early Frankie 
Laine from Gold Seal and who knows who else, Pee Wee Hunt's pre-Capitol sides, 
those two Lord Buckley sides that I'm still trying to trace, and tons of 
amateur stuff like the University of new Hampshire University Marching Band and 
the world's worst violinist, Herman Henry (I suspect that he was a gag, since 
his accompanist was named "Carl Lampson" which is Carl Lamson with a p in it).

dl

zimrec at juno.com wrote:
> Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:09:05 -0400
> From: "Steven C. Barr" <stevenc at interlinks.net>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Tops and Top 10 and so on
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Message-ID: <00572762FDD3401BB4C7C9D49C247DE3 at stevencPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bill McClung" <bmcclung at ix.netcom.com>
>> When I come across a Tops or Top 10 or other multitrack "hit" 78 I never 
>> recognize the artists.  The only ones I've bought have songs sung by 
>> Scatman Crothers on Top.
>> Are there any of these artists that I should know or were there any done 
>> under a pseudonym?
>>
> These are, to me, the "last unexplored frontier" of 78rpm discography! I 
> have tried
> to keep separated my holdings of  "multi-track" 78's...what I have learned 
> so far:
> 
> <snip>
> 
> 2) Since the artists were otherwise unknown, I doubt if we shall EVER know
> if the credits are actual artists or "noms du disque"...?! The only 
> exception I
> have run across is "Preston Sandiford" (a band leader on several MT's). I
> searched that name on the Internet, and it seems to have been the real name
> of an actual bandleader!
> 
> <snip>
> 
> Steven C. Barr
> 
> ====================================
> 
> Again I've fallen behind in perusing the 78-L digests and have just come across the above.  It's interesting to see the name Preston "Sandy" Sandiford mentioned.  Back in the 1970s, I briefly interviewed him.  Unfortunately, only handwritten notes, no tape.  He had an office on the second floor of the G. Schirmer building on Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts -- opposite the Public Gardens or Boston Common -- where he taught piano.  He had produced some record sessions for the CrystalTone label which was owned by the Yakus brothers.  I never noticed his name associated with the Tops recordings, but then again, I tend not to pay attention to the specifics when I see the label, which is quite frequently.
> 
> Art
>