[78-L] Life magazine at Google Books

david.diehl at hensteeth.com david.diehl at hensteeth.com
Thu Oct 29 07:50:23 PDT 2009


...and let's not forget the Nov 1, 1937 article that inspired Harry James' composition "Life Goes to a Party"
DJD 

Visit the Blue Pages: the Encyclopedic Guide to 78 RPM Party Records
http://www.hensteeth.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Harold Aherne [mailto:leotolstoy_75 at yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 01:09 AM
To: 78-L at 78online.com
Subject: [78-L] Life magazine at Google Books

The entirety of Life's 1936-1972 incarnation is now available for viewing at Google Books,and I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring up a few of the discussions of 78s and their artiststhat appeared through the years: 8 August 1938: a major piece on swing appears, discussing the current scene and offeringan overview of jazz's relatively brief history as recorded music. There are photos of a Commodore session which includes Bud Freeman, Jack Teagarden, Eddie Condon andothers, and features a picture of the recording turntable. The caption mentions "wax discs" but the objects are pretty clearly lacquer like those in the 1937 Duke Ellington subject. Anyone know when this session might have taken place? It's on page 58of the issue. 26 December 1938: a lengthy profile of Paul Whiteman is included with some rarechildhood and candid photos. 31 October 1938: the love triangle between Ruth Etting, Moe Snyder and MyrlAlderman is profiled. 26 July 1948: LPs are discussed for the first time, including the famous pictureof the massive tower of 78 albums vs. the modest stack of LPs. 12 February 1951: an obit of Pee Wee Russell is published 15 April 1966: Louis Armstrong, the subject of the week's cover, mentions owningand enjoying records by the ODJB, Henry Burr, Galli-Curci, Tetrazzini, and McCormack 14 June 1968: Irving Kaufman, Billy Murray, Arthur Fields, Russ Columbo, Rudy Valleeand Al Jolson are mentioned as the artists whom [shudder] Tiny Tim seems to evoke. 7 July 1972: a letter to the editor, responding to the controversy over the origin of thephrase "rock and roll", discusses the Boswell Sisters' 1934 record. 1972: Rudy Vallee gets *two* letters published this year, one on 26 May decrying thedemolition of a low-income apartment complex featured in an earlier issue, and one on25 August responding to an article on the Rolling Stones. He says "Actually, a personsuch as Jagger should be locked up. He would have been had he tried to perform in the '20s or earlier, when we wouldn't have tolerated his mad offering". And there are innumerable ads for radio-phono combinations and record companies, including RCA's "Listen" ads/brochures published in 1937-38. -Harold _______________________________________________78-L mailing list78-L at klickitat.78online.comhttp://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l



More information about the 78-L mailing list