[78-L] Dick Robertson [was Brunswick 4411 vocalist question.]

[simmonssomer]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julian Vein" <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Dick Robertson [was Brunswick 4411 vocalist question.]


> Taylor Bowie wrote:
>>> =============
>>> I'm 100.01% sure it's Dick Robertson. My wallet tells me so! I can't
>>> think of any other singer, male or female, who could sing that
>>> perfectly. I think the 2nd, "boop-a-doop" vocal might confuse though.
>>> Oddly enough I played Dick Robertson's vocal on Louis Katzman's "Beale
>>> Street Blues" to someone and he thought it was an English female 
>>> singer...
>>>
>>>      Julian Vein
>>
>>
>> Oh,  Julian...I hope in this case you mean "perfect" as in the sense of a
>> "perfect storm."  Or perhaps "fine" as in Oliver Hardy's famous line 
>> about a
>> "fine mess."
>>
>> I guess it is a skilled performance,  but some things are just better 
>> left
>> undone.     To paraphrase the Weems record of Piccolo Pete:  "Did you 
>> ever
>> hear Dick do some of his tricks?"  Well I did and I don't like them.
>>
>> I am very fond of Dick Robertson's more plain vocals...but just can't 
>> take
>> it when he goes into "character" be it as a sex-starved woman,  a coy 
>> child,
>> or his "Way Down South on the Swanee" dialect.
>>
>> I think my favorite vocal of his would be a tie between the Henderson 
>> Victor
>> of  "Oh It Looks Like Rain" or the ARC record from '32 of  "Holding My
>> Honey's Hand."    And his vocals on the Deccas are mighty good,  too.
>>
>> Taylor
> ==========================
> "Oh It Looks Like Rain" and its session mate "M|y Sweet Tooth Says 'I
> Wanna' (But My Wisdom Tooth Says 'No')"--that must make it the most
> complicated song title, punctuation-wise. They were my introduction to
> Robertson around 1959, and I've been interested ever since.
>
> I think potential singers could learn from Robertson, whether they like
> his style or not. My step-daughter who sings "pop"  and "soul" once
> asked who it was singing when I was playing a tape of his Decca sides,
> so there must have been something that attracted her.
>
> Some of his vocals with Roy Smeck on Decca are pretty good too, better
> than you might expect.
>
>      Julian Vein
>
In my humble opinion Chick Bullock was the very best of the studio singers.
The rest of 'em, including Smith Ballew, Dick Robertson, and Scrappy Lambert 
are better left in the vaults along with assorted  hack females like
Vaughn DeLeath and Lee (ugh) Morse.
O.K. I'm ducking.

Al Simmons