[78-L] 1950s big band (was Frosty)

[Royal Pemberton]

How high did Si Zentner's 'Up a lazy river' get (1962)?   That's a big band
instrumental, though done with what I call a 'twist tempo' feel.  (And
you'll notice the tempo gradually slowing down through the track....drummer
getting lazy?)

On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 6:08 PM, David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>wrote:

> Billy May went only to #49 in the US. Not a hit.
>
> Les Baxter? You gotta be kidding. Unchained Melody and Wake The Town are
> vocals. Poor People of Paris is "cute instrumental" and no more big band
> than
> my Aunt Geri's grocery list.
>
> Honey-Babe is strictly vocal, not a big band record by anyone's definition.
>
> Nelson Riddle led a big band for singers like Sinatra but Lisbon Antigua
> has
> STRINGS and no big band elements. Eddie Heywood with Hugo Winterhalter
> comes
> closer to big band.
>
> Ted Heath couldn't sell shoelaces in the US but he definitely counts in the
> Uk.
>
> Reg Owen was a top ten hit here, so that one counts. Ditto Ray Anthony.
> We're
> almost up to ten....
>
> Answer to backup question: Mitchell Ayres?
>
> dl
>
> Kristjan Saag wrote:
> > David Lennick wrote:
> >
> >> Nobody's saying they weren't popular, only that there were virtually no
> >> big
> >> band hit singles after 1954. And I think we've listed the two
> exceptions.
> > --
> > There were more exceptions.
> > Art Mooney reached the no 6 spot in the US 1955 with "Honey-Babe"
> > Les Baxter no 2 in the US and no 10 in the UK 1955 with "Unchained
> Melody"
> > Les Baxter no 10 in the US in 1955 with "Wake The Town And Tell The
> People"
> > Perez Prado no 1 in the US and UK 1955 with "Cherry Pink And Apple
> Blossom
> > White"
> > Billy May no 9 in the UK 1956 with theme from "The Man With The Gold Arm"
> > Nelson Riddle no 1 in the US 1956 with "Lisbon Antigua"
> > Les Baxter no 1 the US 1956 with "The Poor People Of Paris"
> > Perez Prado no 2 in the US and no 8 in the UK 1958 with "Patricia"
> > Ted Heath no 3 in the UK 1958 with "Swingin' Shepherd Blues"
> > Reg Owen no 10 in the US 1959 with "Manhattan Spiritual"
> > Ray Anthony no 8 in the US 1959 with "Peter Gunn"
> >
> > And this was just Top 10.
> > True: most of these weren't jazz tunes, not even jazz arrangements, but
> who
> > said Big Bands always played jazz music?
> > Big Band arrangements though, were still commonplace on many, if not most
> > vocal hits of the 1950's. Who backed Jo Stafford, Frank Sinatra, Perry
> Como
> > and all the successful vocal quartets? It wasn't Bill Haley's Comets or
> The
> > Kingston Trio. Many of those hits would have been released under the
> > orchestra's name in the early 1940's.
> > Kristjan
> >
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