[78-L] V-Disc programmes

[Julian Vein]

BBC Radio 2, Monday 17 August, 11.30pm BST.
Uncle Sam Goes Pop: the Story of V-Discs

“Never heard of V-Discs? Well you wouldn’t unless you were a GI in the 
Second World War, or a musicologist buried in the up to your ears in 
tape in the vaults of the Library of Congress. [sic] In this innovative 
three-parter, Patti Austin tells the story of the time in 1943 when the 
US military, in a special arrangement with the record companies, 
recorded popular cuts of the day and issued them as morale boosters for 
the troops overseas. But they were never to be available commercially. 
When the war ended these discs were destroyed, so if you’ve got one in 
the loft it must be worth a bit. Tony Peters.”

New series. 1/3
“US singer Patti Austin tells the story of V-Discs—the 1940s record 
label set up by the US military in order to provide entertainment for 
soldiers stationed overseas. This coincided with a royalty-issues union 
strike against RCA Victor, Columbia, Capitol Records and Decca by the 
American Federation of Musicians, which from 1943 agreed to record discs 
only to the military as long as they were not available for purchase in 
America. V-Discs commissioned more than 900 special recordings by the 
era’s top artists—from Glenn Miller to Fats Waller—and, as agreed, the 
discs were destroyed after the war, though Washington’s Library of 
Congress retains a full set. Expect to hear some of these gems.”

Make sure it’s on so late few people will get to hear it!

      Julian Vein


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