[78-L] Phil Harris on OKeh and Harmony

[David Lennick]

Both are reissues..it was originally on Vocalion, same number, where it was 
titled "The Groove Song". "Nobody" was Vocalion 3430. Phil was selling records 
on Victor in the late 40s and was a big star on the Jack Benny Program (and on 
his own show) so reissuing older material just made sense for anyone who had 
it. The Harmony label was a short-lived budget label c. 1948-49, pressed by 
Columbia but actually marketed by Eli Oberstein.

Ingle's "Nowhere" was a parody of Phil's song (which he stole from Andy Razaf) 
and of "Out of Nowhere" which was enjoying a resurgence in 1947. The LA prefix 
is Brunswick's Los Angeles designation in the 30s.

dl

agp wrote:
> I'm looking to get some info on the original issue/ recording of 
> That's What I Like About the South by Phil Harris. This is as opposed 
> to the re-recording on RCA.
> 
> I have two copies of the original
> 
> OKeh 3583 (this is the common purple gold script OKeh label)
> That's What I Like About the South (mx. LA1326)
> Constantly (mx LA1327)
> 
> Harmony 1024 (this is the purple gold script Harmony label)
> That's What I Like About the South (mx. LA1326)
> Nobody (mx. LA1220)
> 
> If I have it right, the Harmony version was a re-issue in the 40s. 
> I'd guess it was to try to grab the audience looking for the RCA 
> version, but seeing as its backed with Nobody, was it also a response 
> to Red Ingle's Nowhere, which was an parody of both?
> 
> But what about the OKeh version. I thought that his Columbia sides 
> where just that -- on Columbia. So is it a reissue, also?
> 
> What are the recording dates and issue for these disks?
> 
> Finally, and I'm sure that this is a topic that has seen lots of 
> mention, the LA of the master number -- does it stand for something - 
> Los Angeles? Lateral?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> T
>