Yes folks, I'm writing about crooners again. It's a subject that has always fascinated me, and my interest has resulted in a number of articles that date all the way back to my Crooner Conundrum piece from four years ago. But today's subject -- Rudy Vallée -- was a different kind of crooner. For one … Continue reading The Reluctant Crooner – Rudy Vallée
Tag: Vocal Jazz
The Elegance Of Nancy Wilson
I've written several times about my radio experiences in the early 1960's so I won't repeat all that, but I did want to mention again how we had a large shelf of record albums that we slowly worked our way through, playing a cut from each. The result of doing that day after day, week … Continue reading The Elegance Of Nancy Wilson
Scandinavian Music Can Be Tasty Too
For some time now, the book publishing world has enjoyed the phenomenon created by the huge success of late Swedish author Stieg Larsson's trilogy: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest. I've read all three books and liked them a lot, but … Continue reading Scandinavian Music Can Be Tasty Too
The Complete Shirley Bassey
Although she has never quite conquered the American market in a consistent way, one of the biggest stars in Great Britain over the past half-century has been Shirley Bassey. Enormously popular in her home country, she remains mostly a mystery to American music fans who only know her as the brassy voice on the familiar … Continue reading The Complete Shirley Bassey
The Cooler Side Of Peggy Lee
Most successful singers are closely identified with a particular song, one that becomes known as their trademark or signature song. Of course, the best of them will have a number of good songs and best-selling records, but there will usually be one that stands out. For Peggy Lee, that song would have to be "Fever." … Continue reading The Cooler Side Of Peggy Lee
Jane Morgan Is Still Entertaining
I've written several times about 'songbirds', the female vocalists who worked their way up to pop music stardom after starting as band singers, but not everyone took that route. In at least one case, a gorgeous and talented American singer found success in her own country only after first becoming a hit in France. Florence … Continue reading Jane Morgan Is Still Entertaining
Remembering Matt Monro
When you've been blogging for almost four years and the post you're working on will be your 688th, I guess it's not surprising if you find yourself thinking; haven't I written about this guy before? That thought flitted through my mind as I began to put together a tribute to British singer Matt Monro. After … Continue reading Remembering Matt Monro
Vikki Carr – One Of Carson’s Cohorts
On the occasion of the recent dust-up over NBC's Tonight Show, including an eviction of Conan O'Brien and ascension by Jay Leno, my thoughts turned to the history of the show. Specifically, the years during which Johnny Carson made a regular practice of turning over the reins to a parade of 'guest hosts'. The occupants … Continue reading Vikki Carr – One Of Carson’s Cohorts
Johnny Desmond – The Forgotten Italian Crooner
I probably should start with an apology about the title of this piece, because implying that Johnny Desmond is forgotten is a little misleading. Even though his name might not be as familiar as some singers from the past, he is still fondly remembered by many fans. But that being said, I did forget to … Continue reading Johnny Desmond – The Forgotten Italian Crooner
REVIEW: Antoinette Montague – Behind The Smile
If you're like most of us you're starting to get extremely tired of Winter, and if you're located somewhere in the snow belt you might even be suffering from a touch of cabin fever and could use a liberal application of something warm and soothing. How about some mellow vocals from a singer at the … Continue reading REVIEW: Antoinette Montague – Behind The Smile
Geezer Music Club 