[78-L] Alvino Rey and The Kings

Wed Apr 21 19:05:36 PDT 2010

The Kyser version of "Bell Bottom Trousers" came from an album I bought back in the early '80s called
"Screwballs of Swingtime".It was one of those that disappeared thanks to my sister in law selling off my
records several years ago.The album also had a recording called "Seven Years With the Wrong Leander"
by Horace Heidt.Did Lunceford record his Majestic sides at Decca?I've got his "Hi Spook" on Decca
which I also have on a CD of Lunceford's music.John Lewis led the orchestra.Lewis' "Hi Spook" was
slowed down somewhat compared to the original version on Decca.By the way,who organised Majestic?
I was of the impression it was former bandleader Ben Selvin who did a review of the record business that
led to the recording ban of August,1942 until November,1944.Yvonne King was another great favourite
of mine.I heard her on a Victor 78 of "I Never Knew" by Rey with a Herfurt clarinet solo and an unkno-
wn trombone soloist.Did May do that arrangement as well?I once spoke to Yvonne King shortly after
Skeets Herfurt's death and told her so.She was better known as "Vonnie Burch" as I recall.I believe she
was married to the late pianist Buddy Cole.

________________________________
From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Wed, April 21, 2010 5:58:04 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Alvino Rey and The Kings

Dan,  I haven't heard the Kyser Bell  Bottom Trousers but would like to. 
The Pickens Sisters were popular on radio in the 30s and made some records 
for Victor in '32 -'34.  Sister Jane Pickens continued with a solo career 
for a time after the other sisters quit the biz.

I haven't played it in a while,  but I recall that the Lunceford Majestic of 
"J.G." is very good...the "J" is for Joe  Thomas and the "G" is 
for........gee,  I forgot.  I haven't seen a Majestic of them doing "Margie" 
but I'd imagine that the reissue was of their famous earlier version on 
Decca.

I'm sure others will  correct me if they have secret info,  but in my 
experience the Reader's Digest record sets are worth about the same as the 
Reader's Digest books,  i.e. zip.

Taylor

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Van Landingham" <danvanlandingham at yahoo.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Alvino Rey and The Kings

> What of Haymer's solo on Kyser's "Bell Bottom Trousers" with the Popeye 
> the Sailor and Olive Oyl impression?Who were the Pickens Sisters?The only 
> recording I ever had of "Cement Mixer" was a red
> label Majestic by Jimmie Lunceford.I believe Joe Thomas was the tenor 
> soloist on it.I did have Lunceford's
> "Margie" with Trummy Young" also on a red label Majestic but I haven't 
> seen it in years.It was also on a
> big band boxed set as well.Speaking of which,are any of those boxed sets 
> like "The Great Band Era" on
> Reader's Digest worth any money?I've got three sets of them plus a boxed 
> set of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn
> Miller and one set of various big bands.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 3:43:09 PM
> Subject: [78-L] Alvino Rey and The Kings
>
> that must have been one kick-ass group to hear in person.   Some of those
> post-war Capitols are really hot..."Cement Mixer" comes to mind.  The King
> Sisters were stand-outs among all those excellent sister vocal groups...I
> always thought it odd that the most famous and popular of the sister acts
> (Andrews) was not among the better ones in terms of the actual music.
> Perhaps others rank them higher,  but to my ears they don't cut it when
> compared with King,  Dinning,  Boswell,  Clark,  McGuire,  De Marco and
> other sister groups.  I do like 'em better than the Pickens Sisters!
>
> One of the very best of the Kay Kyser Columbias is his version of  "Strip
> Polka" with terrific tenor sax from Herbie Haymer and a great vocal from
> saxist Jack Martin.
>
> Taylor
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "simmonssomer" <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 3:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] on-topic: cowboy stamps
>
>
>> Caught Alvino Ray and His Band at the Strand Theatre in NYC.(Broadway and
>> 47th street)  Musta been about 1946. Complete with the King Sisters
>> Alvino out front with that (whaddayacallit) Hawaiian guitar.(The one that
>> lies flat)  Good band..good charts.
>> He opened with "The Strip Polka"  Hot stuff.
>> Next number "The Major and The Minor"
>> I can still see the band and Alvino in my mind's eye.
>> A tall man with a fairly grave look.
>>
>> Al Simmons
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Dan Van Landingham" <danvanlandingham at yahoo.com>
>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:08 PM
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] on-topic: cowboy stamps
>>
>>
>>> Frank DeVol did that?He was a acquaintance of mine.I knew of him via
>>> Horace Heidt's Musical Knights
>>> as well as his involvement with Alvino Rey's band.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
>>> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>>> Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 11:16:53 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [78-L] on-topic: cowboy stamps
>>>
>>> Hart recorded his poem "Pinto Ben" on that Red Seal.  He'd made his last
>>> movie in 1925,  but did get a sort of boost from Rudy Vallee in the
>>> mid-30s,
>>> when Vallee had him as a guest numerous times on his radio show.
>>>
>>> Vallee actually published sheet music to a Pinto Ben song,  using Hart's
>>> words with music by Frank DeVol.  I think that was issued around the 
>>> time
>>> Hart passed in 1946.
>>>
>>> Taylor
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "David Lennick" <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
>>> To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 7:42 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [78-L] on-topic: cowboy stamps
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hart was also on 78..a Red Seal, at that!
>>>>
>>>> dl
>>>>
>>>>> Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:33:15 -0500
>>>>> From: neechevoneeznayou at gmail.com
>>>>> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
>>>>> Subject: [78-L] on-topic: cowboy stamps
>>>>>
>>>>> I bought stamps yesterday, and discovered a new issue of cowboy 
>>>>> stamps.
>>>>> Rogers, Hart, Mix, Autry. Hart is the only one I don't know, but all
>>>>> the
>>>>> others recorded on 78s or other pre-LP formats. Probably all have been
>>>>> on the radio & in the movies, and were distributed or saved on
>>>>> transcriptions. Maybe even wires and films (for the audio portion
>>>>> even).
>>>>>
>>>>> So have we ever made a list of all the 78-rpm performers that have 
>>>>> been
>>>>> featured on postage stamps? I imagine it would be a rather long list.
>>>>>
>>>>> Classical performers not so long.
>>>>>
>>>>> joe salerno
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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