[78-L] Resonance

Wed Nov 25 08:13:24 PST 2015

Jolson was much more than "the blackface guy", Dustin.  He was one of many who used that common theatrical convention of the time.   He was however, known as "the world's greatest entertainer," a possibly well earned moniker.   He appeared in many musical productions and, especially if the story of the production was a little weak, stop the show and just sing and tell jokes for the audience.   He was so well liked/talented that audiences in NY would not let him stop even though they knew that they would miss the last rapid transit train runs in the city (even more important in the teens/early twenties when fewer cars were in private hands).  He was enormous. 

I'm a little surprised you don't know more about Vera Lynn who recently had a number one CD in Europe, a compilation of earlier material, since she is in her 90s and no longer recording.  It made national news.  What a beautiful voice she has.

Ron L

-----Original Message-----
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Dustin Wittmann
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 10:59 AM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] Resonance

I'm 30, and here is my view of how the names on the original list probably resonate with the average 20-something in middle America:

*Still very strong on the radar*:
The Beatles (strong for foreseeable future) Elvis (still out there but I suspect he'll decline pretty fast in the next
20 years as Baby Boomer influence wanes) Frank Sinatra (classy cocktail bar music everywhere) Ella Fitzgerald (niche but still strong) Bing Crosby (only because of Christmas songs and references in the animated TV show Family Guy) Nat “King” Cole (mostly Chrismas music) Louis Armstrong (dangerously close to irrelevant to most) Glenn Miller (seen as great-grandpa music but widely known, especially In the Mood)

*Some might have a passing knowledge of these ones but most are entirely
clueless*:
Al Jolson (is this the blackface guy?)
Fats Waller (I never heard of him until I took a music class in college) Doris Day (borderline fits below) Duke Ellington (many probably know his songs but I doubt many would know who he was) George Gershwin (borderline fits below) Vera Lynn (probably only from the reference in the Pink Floyd song)

*Almost nobody knows who these people are and might have heard their name once or twice in a music class:*

George Formby (I collect 78s and still don't really know who he is but now sort of do because I looked him up on Wikipedia) Al Bowlly (I only know who he is because I collect 78s) Hoagy Carmichael Johnny Mercer

My students, who are in their twenties, definitely know and like Sinatra, Ella, Billie Holiday, and Judy Garland.

Jeff Sultanof

On Wed, Nov 25, 2015 at 2:50 AM, Julian Vein < julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk.invalid> wrote:

>
> On 25/11/15 03:36, Mark Bardenwerper wrote:
> > On 11/24/2015 5:04 PM, Julian Vein wrote:
> >> On 24/11/15 17:38, David Lennick wrote:
> >>> I would disagree with a number of those "don't make it"
> names..Sinatra, Satch and Ella (and Dean Martin and Peggy Lee) can 
> still
be
> heard on PA systems and on soundtracks to many commercials. As for Al 
> Bowlly, he was always a cult figure on this side of the world. When I 
> took over programming a nostalgia radio show at CHFI in Toronto, my 
> first
orders
> were to "get Al Bowlly and Greta Keller the hell off the air" (they 
> had accounted for the previous programmer's nightly orgasms).
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The Beatles!?
> >>>
> >>> dl
> >>>
> >> ==========
> >> Another one who made it is Noel Coward.
> >>
> >>
> > How long they resonated...several early bands spawned another era of 
> > great musicians. Specht, Whiteman, Henderson...
> =================================
> This is not about how great they may have been, but does their music 
> mean anything to today's audiences.
>
>        Julian Vein
> >
>
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