[78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer

Fri Nov 6 08:52:09 PST 2009

Jeff,

You make some very good points. Capitol during the Mercer era was a label
where musical decisions were made first. I've always believed that Mercer
recorded "They Didn't Believe Me'' not only because he loved the song, but
it was a personal appreciation directed to his friend Kern. Like a thank
you.

Tilton was available, Mercer liked her and that was that. Yes, she was not
the greatest singer at the time, but she was good enough, and she did sell
records. His other early signings were Gordon Jenkins, Stan Kenton, Bobby
Sherwood, and Ray McKinley, quite an eclectic group. The set on Collector's
Choice of Tilton's Capitol sides was very revealing; I'd hadn't heard them
before, and many of them were quite good. Off the top of my head, I can't
remember who else recorded John Benson Brooks' "Where Flamingos Fly" during
that time.

Interesting thoughts about Mildred Bailey, but those Decca contracts were
really weird. She may have been signed for a multi-year period because she
needed the money, and was simply not available. She was also her own worst
enemy sometimes.

And yes, "On the Nodaway Road" is one of the best of the Mercer-PIpers
sides. The song was written in 1935 and hardly got any attention, even after
Mercer recorded it. Part of the reason was the way it was published, as an
art song. At least the Capitol recording was at a danceable tempo. "You and
Your Love" and "You Grow Sweeter as the Years Go By" are also beautiful from
that first Mercer album.

I could write about the Mercer Capitol sides endlessly. There is so much
good music going on in them, and as my mentor would point out, every one of
them had a special, unforgettable moment that made you want to listen to
them many times.

Jeff Sultanof

On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 9:41 AM, Jeff Austin <jaustin214 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Part of what made Mercer's Capitols so much fun was his ability to do
> pretty much as he wished in terms of material.  Who knows what propelled him
> to make his early side of "They Didn't Believe Me," other than his regard
> for the song, which didn't have much currency at that moment.  I was glad to
> see that one of my favorites, "On The Nodaway Road," which has much the feel
> of a Willard Robison song, finally made it to a recent CD issue on DRG.  I
> don't think that "Missouri Walking Preacher," which was Robison's, has ever
> shown up in any form beyond its first issue.
>
> One thing that was a little surprising, in the context of the documentary,
> was the attention given Glenn Wallachs.  My understanding had been that his
> primary allure to Mercer and DeSylva was based on having access to a
> significant quality of high-quality shellac.
>
> If there is any single question I have regarding Mercer and Capitol
> Records, it would be why Mercer never opted to throw a bone to Mildred
> Bailey during the latter part of her life.  The label's early embrace of
> Martha Tilton always struck me as a little misguided, with no disrespect
> intended toward Her Liltin'-ness.  Mercer was outspoken in his regard for
> Bailey (she certainly helped put any number of his songs on the map), and
> Decca never seemed quite the right home for her in the early '40s.  Capitol,
> no doubt due to Mercer's presence, always seemed to allow its artists room
> for a little edginess and even silliness that might have allowed Mildred to
> flourish in way she couldn't quite on other labels.
>
> This, btw, is my first posting to this list.  I don't know why I have not
> joined prior to now, but it seems like a interesting group of extremely
> knowledgeable people.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Jeff Sultanof <jeffsultanof at gmail.com>
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Thu, November 5, 2009 11:10:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer
>
> Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records with Jo Stafford, the Pied Pipers or just
> himself with Paul Weston's Orchestra (often the arrangements were written
> by
> Skip Martin) are among my favorite recordings of all time. Fantastic vocal
> and instrumental arrangements, near-perfect performances - there is so much
> love on these records.
>
> I well remember afternoons with my mentor Jerry Graff, who had one of the
> greatest vocal groups ever, The Beachcombers. We would sit and listen to
> these records and Jerry would tell me what to listen for and why something
> worked as well as it did. Sharing these records with him turned out to be
> great arranging lessons.
>
> I have one great favorite, "Movie Tonight," a record I first heard when I
> was three years old. I still get shivers when I hear it.
>
> May Johnny rest in peace.
>
> Jeff Sultanof
>
> On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 10:47 PM, Cary Ginell <soundthink at live.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > No harm intended, Randy. Guess we just agree to disagree. I found the
> > program eminently entertaining and not at all irritating. Maybe some
> newbies
> > will be encouraged to pick up Gene Lees' splendid bio of Mercer,
> "Portrait
> > of Johnny" that came out a few years ago.
> >
> >
> >
> > I only wished that they had included "The Sweetheart Tree" from "The
> Great
> > Race," which Mercer wrote with Henry Mancini. I think that was one of his
> > best songs.
> >
> >
> >
> > One thing that would have been nice to include as maybe a voiceover
> (unless
> > there was video taken of this), was a one-man concert Mercer gave in the
> > early 70s that was issued as part of a 3-LP box set from the
> > Book-of-the-Month called "An Evening With." Each LP features a solo
> > performance by a classic American songwriter. Mercer's on one, Sammy Cahn
> on
> > another and Alan Jay Lerner on the third. You talk about a whirlwind
> show.
> > Mercer sang parts of 50 of his songs in that hour. I haven't listened to
> the
> > LP in quite a while, but I'm going to drag it out this weekend and listen
> to
> > it again.
> >
> >
> >
> > Cary Ginell
> >
> > > Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:32:23 -0800
> > > From: forwardintothepast at yahoo.com
> > > To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > > Subject: Re: [78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer
> > >
> > > Cary, I didn't want analysis, I merely wanted Mercer's lyrics to be
> > heard.
> > >
> > > This was cut with such a short attention span that any given song
> wasn't
> > performed by one artist, it was performed by six or seven, sometimes with
> > jarring key changes along the way. And you're right--everybody was
> > identified, along with the source of the material, which normally I would
> > applaud, but when each shot only lasted six or seven seconds at best it
> made
> > for a tremendous amount of visual clutter, all of which distracted
> mightily
> > from appreciating the nuances of Mercer's lyrics. I felt like Johnny was
> > softly trying to sing one of his songs, while a juggler and a circus
> clown
> > and a guy on a pogo stick were all blocking our view of him.
> > >
> > > This should have been edited with more of an emphasis and respect for
> > Mercer's words. Lyrics are delicate things.
> > >
> > > I should note that I thought the biographical portions of the show were
> > generally fine, just not organized the way I would have liked. You and I
> > know Mercer's story forward and backward, so if this documentary actually
> > told it forward and backward, we still knew what happened and when.
> Someone
> > who was just learning about Mercer would be mightily confused, I suspect.
> > >
> > > --Randy
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> >
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