[78-L] China Boy (Winfree-Boutelje)

Tue Mar 24 17:45:17 PDT 2020

Cleaning out newspapers from the last few weeks and noticed that the Chinese
Virus has changed names.  Googled to find out why, and - we won't discuss
that here to avoid any divisiveness.  (Private off-list only, if you'd like
to fill me in since I wasn't paying that much attention to the
nomenclature.)

But it set me to thinking about a great old jazz tune often found (though
not often enough) on 78s - China Boy by Winfree and Boutelje.

Couldn't find much on the internet.

Wiki says:

"China Boy" is a 1922 popular song written by Phil Boutelje and Dick Winfree

"It was introduced in vaudeville by Henry E. Murtagh and popularized by Paul
Whiteman's 1929 Columbia recording featuring Bix Beiderbecke."

Which, of course, ignores the McKenzie-Condon of 1927, among others.  The
DAHR says earliest recording in their files is November, 1922 Brunswick by
Arnold Johnson.  McKenzie-Condon 1927 came in second, and thus probably
really popularized it.

Interesting that a lullaby became a trad/Dixie jazz standard.

IMDb says of Phil Boutelje: 

"Pianist, songwriter ("China Boy", "Blue Dawn"), composer, author and
conductor, educated at Philadelphia Music Academy. He was a pianist and
arranger for the Paul Whiteman orchestra, and a military bandmaster during
World War I. Later, he was the music director for Paramount Pictures and
United Artists Studios, and composed for films, often on an uncredited
basis. Joining ASCAP in 1930, his chief musical collaborators included Ned
Washington, Dick Winfree, Harry Tobias, Rubey Cowan, Foster Carling, and Al
Dubin. His other song compositions include "Lonesome", "Little Doll", "The
Man With the Big Sombrero", "Teton Mountain Stomp", "Star of Hope", "I Loved
You Too Little", "I Love You, Believe Me I Love You", "Hippy Happy Henny",
and "Monna Vanna"."

The only one of any of those I've ever encountered was the Victor of Monna
Vanna by Whiteman.

First question - how is Boutelje pronounced?  It doesn't fit any of my old
phonics lessons, Ortho- or otherwise.

Second question - found the lyrics at www.sheetmusicsinger.com
<http://www.sheetmusicsinger.com>  and on the Gene Kardos of 1931 - if Wiki
says it was introduced in vaudeville by Henry E. Murtagh, what, if anything,
do we know about him?

Third question - is it "racist" to play these records today?

Rodger Holtin

78-L Member Since MCMXCVIII

For Best Results Use Victor Needles

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