[78-L] WNEW label

[David Lennick]

Somewhere (just spent too much time looking) I have a 45 EP pressed by RCA 
containing FOUR versions of Make Believe Ballroom Time..I know it has Glenn 
Miller and Charlie Barnet but I can't remember who else. And I'm pretty sure 
one of the songs wasn't the famous one.

White label, promotion of some kind, or maybe for use by local stations. It 
came out of CKEY.

dl

Michael Biel wrote:
> Is this a record for sale or is it a white label pressing with plain 
> lettering with the title in two lines below the hole?  I saw a pile of 
> them at Rodgers and Hammerstein Archive years ago.  They have the WNEW 
> 78 collection.  I also have a 8 1/2 x11 color picture I copied out of a 
> Radio-TV mag recently of Block in his studio in WABC with his turntables 
> with two Gray arms, a tag saying "ABC Martin Block Special Turntable -- 
> Do Not Remove From This Location".  On the turntable facing the camera 
> is this record.  You can make out  MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM THEME  but the 
> top half of the label is indistinct. 
> 
> Starting in 1940 his theme was "Make Believe Ballroom Time" recorded by 
> Glenn Miller with the Four Modernaires.  Prior to that his them was 
> "Make Believe Ballroom" by Charlie Barnett with the Barnett Modernaires, 
> BS- 102407-1 Bluebird B-6504 Aug 3, 1936.   When the ASCAP scrike was 
> looming, Block knew he would lose his theme, so he had a new one 
> written, took partial writing credit, had Miller record it, but insisted 
> on having the continuity of the Modernaires on both.  Miller liked them 
> so much he stole them from Barnett, although John Flower's book notes 
> they had been with Paul Whiteman.   BS 056479-1, Bluebird  B-10913  Oct 
> 11, 1940.  There is a -2 that  first was on an EP . 
> 
> The records I recall seeing were Victor master pressings of the Miller 
> side.  What style is the matrix number and pressing on your copy?  As 
> for Merle Pitt, the recording he made of the first theme was in 1938.  
> mx.22316  Vocalion 3959  Jan 18, 1938.  I finally got a copy of it and 
> his other record from that session, but I am not sure if Block ever used 
> the record for his broadcast because he only mentioned Barnett and Miller. 
> 
> If that matrix is indeed from Nov 54, Block had moved to WABC at that 
> time, taking the program title with him, but WNEW continued to ALSO use 
> it.  Perhaps the record you have is ANOTHER recording for William B. 
> Williams to use.  Does it sound like Miller or Barnett?
> 
> Mike Biel   mbiel at mbiel.com 
> 
> David Lennick wrote:
>>  From the matrix number, probably November 1954..that's all I got!
>>
>> dl
>>
>> Glen Richards wrote:
>>   
>>> Folks, I'm certain we've covered this before, but I must've been 
>>> sleeping. I have a copy of "WNEW's 'Make Believe Ballroom Time' Theme" 
>>> on the WNEW label, same item on both sides, mx P 50301, no artist 
>>> credit. Any idea who it might be - Merle Pitt, the bandleader for the 
>>> show? Oh, and the date of course! (grin)
>>>
>>> Thank you very much!
>>>
>>> Glen
>