Podcasts by Big Band Bash
The Sounds of the Great Big Bands from Yesterday and Today
Further podcasts by Frank Miller
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Black History Month Celebrarion Part 1 from 2022-02-21T13:55:13.267286
Hello everyone and welcome to Part one of my Black History Month Celebration. I apologize for missing last week as it could not be helped as I tested postive for Covid-19. I am much better now and ...
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100th Birthday Salute Ray Anthony Part 2 from 2022-02-05T09:00
January 20th, 1922 is the birthday of bandleader Ray Anthony. I am going to continue our birthday celebration on today's show. The first half of the program has some assorted cuts including the fir...
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Songs About the Cold from 2022-01-22T09:00
Hello everyone. This time of the year is usually cold in my neck of the woods. Well Mother Nature did not let us down here in the United States. The eastern states reported record low temperatures ...
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1938-1939 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2022-01-15T09:00
This is part two of the Time Life records set I started last week. These records were originally recorded in 1971 by Billy May and His Orchestra/Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Those were recreati...
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1938-1939 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2022-01-08T09:00
This is another volume in Time Life records ambitious project called "The Swing Era". It was a ten volume set with three records included in each volume. Today we turn to the years of 1938-1939. Th...
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Big Band Party from 2022-01-01T09:00
Happy New Year everyone. For this program, the first of 2022, I decided to see how many songs I could find that had the word Party in the title. The reason being is that many people go to parties o...
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Repeat - Christmas Eve 1941 from 2021-12-25T09:00
Merry Christmas everyone. I am sorry that I am a little late in getting this weeks show posted. This is a repeat of a show I produced in 2011. There are a couple of segments on Christmas Eve of 194...
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Repeat - A 1940s Christmas from 2021-12-18T09:00
For the next few weeks I am repeating a couple of shows that I produced almost ten years ago. This first one was called A 1940's Christmas. I tried to pick out as many songs from the Big Bands that...
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Rerun A Stan Kenton Centennial from 2021-12-11T09:00
This December 15th will be the 110th Anniversary of the birthday of the late bandleader Stan Kenton. In 2011 I put together a show celebrating the centennial anniversary of Stan's birth. I haven't ...
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Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary from 2021-12-04T09:00
This December 7th will be the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. To honor the men and women who lost their lives that day, I have put together some of the songs associated with World W...
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Rerun The Singers Part 2 from 2021-11-27T09:00
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. I am taking this week off as I present part two of a program I produced back in 2012. It is kind of a sampler of the many vocalists that were popula...
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Rerun The Singers Part 1 from 2021-11-20T09:00
Since I have produced twenty new shows, I am going to take a break for the next two weeks and turn to a rerun of a two part show I did way back in 2012. It was a show I did focusing on the vocalist...
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Part 10 - This is the Best of Duke Ellington from 2021-11-13T09:00
Well, with this last episode we come to the end of a series that I have really enjoyed presenting. Our local PBS station runs reruns of the Lawrence Welk show every Saturday at 6:00pm. I was watchi...
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Part 9 - This is the Best of Gene Krupa from 2021-11-06T09:00
I've been listening to Gene Krupa's band since 1973. That is the year he passed away and the local jazz show had a tribute to Gene. On this Part 9 of This Is The Best Of, I will be playing some of...
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Part 8 - This is the Best of Les Brown from 2021-10-30T09:00
In the movie, The Nutty Professor from 1963 there is a scene towards the end with Jerry Lewis dancing to the sound of Les Brown playing Leap Frog. It is a swinging song and that is the way I feel a...
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Part 7 - This is the Best of Jimmie Lunceford from 2021-10-23T09:00
Today we are going to look at the best of Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra on part 7 of This Is The Best Of. Jimmie Lunceford's band differed from other great bands of the time because it was bet...
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Part 6 - This is the Best of Harry James from 2021-10-16T09:00
This is The Best of continues this week with a focus on the music of Harry James. Harry had a great tone and an excellent technique that made him one of the leading trumpeters of the swing era. He ...
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Part 5 - This is the Best of Artie Shaw from 2021-10-09T09:00
This is one of my favorite Best of programs. Today on Part 5 we are going to be listening to some of the best of Artie Shaw's hits. Although they were two different players on the clarinet, I liked...
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Part 4 - This is the Best of Count Basie from 2021-10-02T09:00
Part Four of This is the Best Of features the great music of Count Basie. These are some of his popular recordings from the late 1930's plus a few from the 1950's. Some of the songs feature the voc...
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Part 3 - This is the Best of Tommy Dorsey from 2021-09-25T09:00
Part Three of This is the Best Of features the hits of Tommy Dorsey. He had more hits than I could fit in one hour but this is a good representation of many of his hit recordings. I started with h...
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Part 2 - This is the Best of Glenn Miller from 2021-09-18T09:00
This is Part Two of a ten part series highlighting the hits and best recordings of ten of the top bands of the swing era. I got the ides from watching the Lawrence Welk show on our local PBS statio...
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Part 1 - This is the Best of Benny Goodman from 2021-09-11T09:00
This is Part one of a ten part series highlighting the hits and best recordings of ten of the top bands of the swing era. I got the ides from watching the Lawrence Welk show on our local PBS statio...
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Revisited Part 10 - Charlie Spivak from 2021-09-04T09:00
Well with this tenth part we are bringing to a close my revisited series. Today's show features the band of the great trumpeter Charlie Spivak. He played with some of the top bands in the late 193...
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Revisited Part 9 - Randy Brooks-Ina Ray Hutton from 2021-08-28T09:00
In Part 9 of this ten part series, we are going back to a show that I did in 2019 on a very fine trumpet player by the name of Randy Brooks. He played with several big bands such as Claude Thornhil...
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Revisited Part 8 - Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy from 2021-08-21T09:00
This week's Revisited episode is on the band of Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy. Andy Kirk was an American jazz saxophonist and tubist who led the Twelve Clouds of Joy, a band popular during...
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Revisited Part 7 - Two Kays Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye from 2021-08-14T09:00
On Part 7 of my revisited series, I'm going back to a program I produced in 2012. I called it Two Kays because I highlighted Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye. They had two very good bands and played in wha...
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Revisited Part 6 - Claude Thornhill from 2021-08-07T09:00
This week's show is part 6 of my revisited series. We are going to revisit the music of the late pianist and composer Claude Thornhill. His band was not as driving or swinging as some of the others...
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Revisited Part 5 - Bob Crosby and the Bobcats from 2021-07-31T09:00
The Revisited series continues this week with part 5 featuring music from the band of Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Bob was the younger brother of Bing Crosby and a fine vocalist in his own right. Bu...
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Revisited Part 4 - Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra from 2021-07-24T09:00
The Revisited series continues this week with a look back at the music and career of Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra. He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1939...
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Revisited Part 3 - Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra from 2021-07-17T09:00
The Revisited series continues this week with a look back at the music and career of Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. As an orchestra they predated Benny Goodman and the start of the swing e...
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Revisited Part 2 - Larry Clinton from 2021-07-10T09:00
This week I am continuing with part two of a ten week series I call Revisited. I am going to revisit some bands from the 30's and 40's that I enjoy and that were not the Number One bands at that ti...
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American Celebration Repeat from 2021-07-03T09:00
This show is a repeat of the show I produced last year. Here is the copy from that show and I hope you enjoy the program as we celebrate Independance Day here in America. July the 4th is an importa...
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Revisited Part 1 - Will Bradley from 2021-06-26T10:00
In looking back over some of the programs I have done in the past, I decided to revisit about 10 of the lesser bands. Today I am going to revisit the Will Bradley-Ray Mckinley Orchestra. They had ...
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WW2 DDay Revisited - Part 2 from 2021-06-19T10:00
This week I am going to continue our observance on June 6th 1944 by playing the songs that were in the number one spot in the United States during the years of 1944 and 1945. These were the songs t...
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WW2 DDay Revisited - Part 1 from 2021-06-12T10:00
June 6, 1944 was an important day in the history of World War 2. It was called D-Day because it marked the invasion of Normandy, France. Since we just passed June 6th, I thought I would revisit s...
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Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 4 from 2021-06-05T10:00
May 25, 1917 is the birthday of another big band clarinetist. His name is Jimmy Hamilton. Jimmy achieved his greatest fame as clarinetist with Duke Ellington for 25 years. I have picked out about s...
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Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 3 from 2021-05-29T10:00
May 16, 1913 is the birthday of another big band clarinetist. His name is Woody Herman. I would like to celebrate Woody's birthday by presenting two radio remotes. One is from 1945 at the Steel Pie...
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Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 2 from 2021-05-22T10:00
On part-two of our May clarinetists birthday celebrations, we pay a birthday salute to Artie Shaw who was born on May 23, 1910. I have done birthday shows for Artie in the past and you can find the...
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Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 1 from 2021-05-15T10:00
In the month of May, several jazz and big band clarinetists were born. Here are some that I know of: Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Jimmy Hamilton, Edmond Hall, and Ken Peplowski, who is ...
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Rhythms by Raeburn - Boyd Raeburn from 2021-05-08T10:00
There were a couple of big bands in the 1940's there weren't satisfied with the typical big band sound. One was Stan Kenton and the other is the subject of our program today. Boyd Raeburn started w...
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The Essential Duke Ellington - Happy Birthday from 2021-05-01T10:00
Duke Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899. This week we celebrate Duke's birthday by playing some of his hits from a four disc set called The Essential Duke Ellington. Also, instead of telling h...
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A Salute to Doc Severinsen from 2021-04-24T10:00
I call this program A Salute to Doc Severinsen. It is my salute after viewing the PBS Special Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story. Doc is a first class trumpet player who has played in many b...
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Enoch Light Revistited from 2021-04-17T10:00
This is a show that I produced several years ago. It is on bandleader and record label owner Enoch Light. Enoch started a few record labels during his career as well as lead a sweet band in the 194...
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The Savory Collection from 2021-04-10T10:00
Bill Savory was a noted sound engineer who enjoyed jazz and swing. He recorded many bands off the air and kept them for his own enjoyment. After he passed, his son contacted The National Jazz Museu...
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The Music of Billie Holiday from 2021-04-03T10:00
There is a new movie out called The United States versus Billie Holiday. It is getting very good reviews so that prompted me to do a show on her life and music. In the 500 plus shows of Big band Ba...
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Tree Songs from 2021-03-27T10:00
To celebrate the beginning of Spring and to play some songs that might be associated with the Spring season, I have put together a show in which all the song titles have the word Tree in it. I wond...
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Glenn Miller - A Legendary Performer Part 3 from 2021-03-20T10:00
This is the final part of my Glenn Miller birthday salute. Today we'll be playing music from Glenn's Army Air Force Orchestra. There are some great selections on this show as they all came from RCA...
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Glenn Miller - A Legendary Performer Part 2 from 2021-03-13T10:00
I have been a fan of Glenn Miller's music ever since I went to hear the Glenn Miller Orchestra when they appeared in my home town of Cleveland Ohio when I was a senior in high school. We are celebr...
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Glenn Miller - A Legendary Performer Part 1 from 2021-03-06T10:00
Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904. To celebrate his birthday this year I would like to play songs from a three record set from RCA records called Glenn Miller A Legendary Performer. The first ...
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Repeat of Duke Ellington 1940 - 1941 from 2021-02-20T10:00
This past week in Texas saw some of the worst weather that we ever experienced. I was snowed in until Sunday and ths was unable to produce a new Big Band Bash. I have pulled out a show that I ran a...
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Black History Month Celebration Part 2 from 2021-02-13T10:00
Our Black History Month Celebration continues this month with eight different bandleaders, small groups, and vocalists. To recap my plan,this year I decided to do a potpourri of bands on each show....
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Black History Month Celebration Part 1 from 2021-02-06T10:00
The month of February begins the start of Black History Month. This year I decided to do a potpourri of bands on each show. I found that if I do eight bands per show with two songs by each band tha...
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Connie Haines - A 100th Birthday Salute from 2021-01-30T10:00
January 20, 1921 is the birthday of big band vocalist Connie Haines. Since this is the 100th anniversary of her birth I would like to pay her a birthday salute by playing some of those great big ba...
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Riding the Rails - Songs About Trains from 2021-01-23T10:00
During The 1930's and 40's, trains were a popular mode of transportation. There were many songs written about trains in many different styles. This week I have put together a show with the Big Band...
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Boogie On Down Part 2 from 2021-01-16T10:00
There is something catchy about the sound of a big band boogie woogie number. Maybe it's the driving left hand of the pianist, or the 12 bar blues pattern but what ever it is it is sure to get you...
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Boogie On Down Part 1 from 2021-01-09T10:00
Boogie Woogie has been a big part of the big bands. It seems that every ban d had a boogie number or two. Starting with Pinetop Smith's Boogie Woogie we'll be listening to a variety of numbers and ...
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Bunny Berigan Revisited from 2021-01-02T10:00
Bunny Berigan, his orchestra and trumpet, is the subject of this first program of the new year. It has been awhile since I last presented a program on Bunny. He was one of the most in demand trumpe...
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Repeat of New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946 from 2020-12-26T10:00
Happy New Year to everyone as we welcome in the New Year. On the show today is repeat of a program I produced in 2016 called New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946. The Armed Forces Radio Service g...
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Repeat of 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 2 from 2020-12-19T10:00
Continuing a repeat of a Holiday show from 2017, This is part 2 of a 1940's Christmas Traditions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone. Welcome to Part 2 of my 1940's Christmas Traditions s...
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Repeat of 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1 from 2020-12-12T10:00
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. For the holiday season I am rerunning some holiday shows I produced in 2017. This is part one of a program I call 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1. Ma...
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Pearl Harbor 79th Anniverary from 2020-12-05T09:00
For the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I have pulled out a radio remote from Glenn Miller. Broadcast on Nov 22, 1941 this show was part of Glenn's Sunset Serenade series. There are...
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1930's Jazz Standards Part 5 from 2020-11-28T09:00
Well we're are down to the last part of this series highlighting songs composed during the 1930's. We are highlighting the years of 1938 and 1939. There were some nice songs composed in these years...
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1930's Jazz Standards Part 4 from 2020-11-21T09:00
There were some fantastic songs composed in the years of 1936 and 1937. Composers Gershwin, Rogers, Kern and Duke wrote many hit songs that are still being played today. Benny Goodman's big hit Sin...
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1930's Jazz Standards Part 3 from 2020-11-14T09:00
The 1930's was a time in popular music that saw many changes. Jazz standards are musical compositions that are widely known, performed and recorded by jazz artists as part of the genre's musical re...
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1930's Jazz Standards Part 2 from 2020-11-07T09:00
The 1930's was a decade of great songs by great American composers. For the next five weeks we'll be listening to those great standards performed by different bands. This is part 2 in the series as...
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1930's Jazz Standards Part 1 from 2020-10-31T09:00
The 1930's was a decade of great songs by great American composers. For the next five weeks we'll be listening to those great standards performed by different bands. While putting this show togethe...
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Spotlight on Ralph Flanagan from 2020-10-24T09:00
In all the time I have been producing Big Band Bash, I have never produced one on the band of Ralph Flanagan. Ralph Flanagan led a very popular band in the early to mid 1950's. He led the Glenn Mil...
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500th Show Celebration Part 3 from 2020-10-17T09:00
This week wraps up my 500th show celebration. Today's bandleaders are Harry James, Les Brown, Jimmie Lunceford, and Stan Kenton. I think I have picked out some songs by each bandleader that you wil...
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500th Show Celebration Part 2 from 2020-10-10T09:00
Today's show is part 2 of my 500th Big Band Bash celebration. This is a three part series where I have picked twelve of my favorite bands and divided them up into four bands per show. Then I furthe...
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500th Show Celebration Part 1 from 2020-10-03T09:00
Big Band Bash is a show I created to replace another show that had ceased production. The first show went on the air in 2004. I was very rusty back then but I think I have gotten better. Today's sh...
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I Love Lucy: Lucy Ann Polk from 2020-09-26T09:00
Lucy Ann Polk was one of the most acclaimed jazz big band vocalists of the early 1950's having won the Downbeat girl singer poll two years in a row, in 1951 and 1952, when she sang for Les Brown's ...
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Accompanied by Count Basie from 2020-09-19T09:00
The Count Basie Orchestra of the 1950's and 1960's was the orchestra that backed many of the great singers from those decades. On the show today, we'll be listening to several of those vocalists ba...
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Bob Crosby and the Bobcats from 2020-09-12T09:00
The first song I ever heard by Bob Crosby and his Orchestra was The South Rampart Street Parade. I was hooked on the joyous sound of their music. I didn't know that one of my earliest jazz clarinet...
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The Uncollected Elliot Lawrence 1946 from 2020-09-05T09:00
If he had been born ten years earlier, Elliot Lawrence might have been one of the more significant bandleaders of the swing era. As it worked out, he was a bit of a prodigy, leading a strong dance ...
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The War Soundtrack Part 2 from 2020-08-29T09:00
This week we continue with part two of The War Sound Track. The War was a 2007 documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns. He used music from the 1930's and 1940's to underscore this film on World War 2. W...
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The War Soundtrack Part 1 from 2020-08-22T09:00
In 2007 Ken Burns, the noted documentary filmmaker, produced a series on World War 2 called The War. In it he used lots of songs from the big band era. Sony sent the soundtrack of the show to us at...
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The Uncollected Stan Kenton 1941 from 2020-08-15T09:00
From Hindsight Records comes another selection for this week's program. Today we'll be presenting The Uncollected Stan Kenton 1941. These are some early Kenton broadcasts from Balboa Beach in Calif...
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The Cotton Club from 2020-08-08T09:00
Today's show is a look at another famous venue for the big bands, The Cotton Club. Let's go back to the sounds of The Cotton Club as we hear from some of the bands that used to perform there. We'll...
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The Savoy Ballroom from 2020-08-01T09:00
Today's show is a look at a very famous venue for he big bands, The Savoy Ballroom. We'll learn about the place they called, The Home of Happy Feet. I've picked four bands that were considered the ...
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Mr. HiDeHo Man, Cab Calloway from 2020-07-25T09:00
Today we look at the music and career of the great bandleader, Cab Calloway. He was an American jazz singer, dancer, bandleader and actor. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York...
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A Tribute to Johnny Mandel from 2020-07-18T09:00
Johnny Mandel passed away on June 29th 2020. He was 94 years old. As a composer he wrote some endearing songs that are still being played today. He was also a very fine arranger. Staring in 1949, J...
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The Uncollected Raymond Scott-Skinnay Ennis from 2020-07-11T09:00
This week has more songs from the records of the series The Uncollected. Today I am featuring The Uncollected Raymond Scott 1944 and The Uncollected Skinnay Ennis 1946-1948. Raymond Scott's music i...
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American Celebration from 2020-07-04T09:00
July the 4th is an important day for us here in the United States. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America ...
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The Uncollected Les Brown 1944-1947 from 2020-06-27T09:00
The Uncollected series by Hindsight records has many recordings from the Big Bands. I started playing from this set a few weeks ago but I am going back to the series for the show today. There are t...
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A 100th Birthday Celebration for Miss Peggy Lee Part 2 from 2020-06-20T09:00
This is part two of our 100th birthday salute to Miss Peggy Lee. Last time, I played recordings from her early days in the 1940's. Today I'll be playing some assorted cuts off of her many albums fr...
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A 100th Birthday Celebration for Miss Peggy Lee Part 1 from 2020-06-13T09:00
May 26th 1920 was the birthday of Peggy Lee. She got her start singing with Benny Goodman's orchestra and went on to world wide fame. This is part one of a celebration of the music that Peggy reco...
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Happy Birthday Artie Shaw Part 2 from 2020-06-06T09:00
Our birthday salute continues this week with part two featuring Artie's performances on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands. In August 1942, Coca Cola entered into an agreement with the Blue Netw...
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Happy Birthday Artie Shaw Part 1 from 2020-05-30T09:00
May 23, 1910 is the birthday of the late Artie Shaw. To celebrate his birthday I have put together a show from a CD set that I have. In 1945, Artie appeared on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands...
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Louis Armstrong 1935-1946 from 2020-05-23T09:00
Greetings Everyone. Today's program is a show I recorded in 2013. I had to have some outpatient surgery this week and did not have time to produce a new show. So I have gone back into the Big Band ...
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The Uncollected Casa Loma Orchestra 1943-1946 from 2020-05-16T09:00
The Casa Loma Orchestra was an American dance band active from 1929 to 1963. Until the rapid multiplication in the number of swing bands from 1935 on, the Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top Nor...
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The Uncollected Ozzie Nelson 1940-1942 from 2020-05-09T09:00
Ozzie Nelson led a big band from 1930 until 1944. He had a good musicians in the band and toured extensively during the 1930's. Today I am playing music from a series of records called "The Uncolle...
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Happy Birthday Duke Ellington from 2020-05-02T09:00
You must feel sorry for some great musicians when their birthday rolls around, because some of them share April 29th the same anniversary as Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, America’s greatest comp...
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Ralph Marterie and Sy Zentner from 2020-04-25T09:00
On the show today I am presenting two exceptional bands from the 1950's and 60's. I have some of these recordings and I have to say they are really good. We will be learning about Ralph Marterie ...
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Chart Toppers Part 2 from 2020-04-18T09:00
Hello everyone. Today's program is part two of Chart Toppers of the 1930's and 40's. This was a show that I originally produced back in 2008. I kept all the music and redid some of the introduction...
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Chart Toppers Part 1 from 2020-04-11T09:00
Chart Toppers is a show I did back in 2008. I have updated it and added in the Puzzler. These were the songs that were leading the charts back in the thirties and forties. This is a two cd set that...
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Spotlight on Ted Heath from 2020-04-04T09:00
Ted Heath led an exceptional Big Band in England after World War Two into the 1960's. He always had top notch musicians in his bands. I wanted to put together a show about Ted for quite a while and...
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Tex Beneke 1946 from 2020-03-28T09:00
This week I am going to present two radio remotes from the Hollywood Palladium by Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1946. The Miller estate authorized an official Glenn Miller "ghost b...
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Spotlight On Jo Stafford from 2020-03-21T09:00
On today's show, I am going to shine the spotlight on vocalist Jo Stafford. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before followi...
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On Location Part 2 from 2020-03-14T09:00
We continue this week with part 2 of On Location. These were recordings of the bands as they were out on tour playing for the public. Today we will be hearing from three bands: Harry James. Woody ...
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On Location Part 1 from 2020-03-07T09:00
During the era of the big bands, a radio broadcast was a very important way of getting the public to hear your band. Many of these broadcasts were recorded by fans and then were passed down and som...
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Black History Month Part 4: Potpourri from 2020-02-29T09:00
For this last Saturday of February, I'll be winding up our Black History Month celebration with many assorted bands and bandleaders. I call this type of show a potpourri show in that there is no th...
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Black History Month Part 3: Nat King Cole from 2020-02-22T09:00
Black History Month Part 3 continues with a look at the music and career of the late Nat King Cole. A fantastic pianist, Nat found his biggest fame as a singer of popular songs. I picked Nat for ou...
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Black History Month Part 2: Billie Holiday from 2020-02-15T09:00
Black History Month continues this week with a look at the music and career of one of the most influential female vocalists in jazz Billie Holiday. Billie led a short and tragic life but the music...
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Black History Month Part 1: The Mills Brothers from 2020-02-08T09:00
This week I am going to begin our celebration of Black History Month with a look at the popular vocal group the Mills Brothers. They were a fascinating group from their beginnings until the 1980's...
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A Ray Anthony Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2020-02-01T09:00
This week is a continuation of our birthday salute to bandleader Ray Anthony. Ray turned 98 years of age on this past January 22nd. For the show today, I chose four different cds recorded by the An...
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A Ray Anthony Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2020-01-25T09:00
Ray Anthony was born on January 20th 1922 and he is celebrating his 98th birthday. That makes him the oldest surviving member of the original Glenn Miller orchestra. This week and next I'll be pla...
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All American Bandleaders Magazine Part 2 from 2020-01-18T09:00
This week I am continuing with part two of our look at the 1942 magazine All-American Bandleaders. My father brought several old magazines home for me when I was in high school. I had them packed a...
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All American Bandleaders Magazine Part 1 from 2020-01-11T09:00
All American Bandleaders was a celebrity / fan magazine about 1940's bands and vocalists. I found one of these magazines from April 1942 that I had packed away in a closet. Each page was a little f...
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The Disappearance of Glenn Miller Part 2 from 2020-01-04T09:00
The disappearance of Glenn Miller 75 years ago has been the subject of many theories over the years. We will take a look at some of the theories and listen to some more of those great sides recorde...
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The Disappearance of Glenn Miller Part 1 from 2019-12-28T09:00
On December 15, 1944 Glenn Miller got into an airplane with the pilot and another passenger. He was headed to Paris to make arrangements for a Christmas Day concert and also to see about moving his...
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Stan Kenton Early Capitol Recordings Part 2 from 2019-12-07T09:00
This week is a continuation of our look at the career of the late Stan Kenton. Stan's birthday is December 15th, 1911 so this seemed like a good time to go back and listen to some of the many excit...
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Stan Kenton Early Capitol Recordings Part 1 from 2019-11-30T09:00
This week on Big Band Bash I will be presenting a two part show on the music and career of the late Stan Kenton. Stan's birthday was on December 15th so I thought now would be a good time to listen...
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Big Band Thanksgiving from 2019-11-23T09:00
With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, I wanted to put together a show for that day as I have never produced a Thanksgiving show before. It turned out a little more difficult than I though...
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The Big Bands Play Jerome Kern from 2019-11-16T09:00
Song pluggers back in the 1920's used to promote songs from just about everyone trying to get their songs played whether they were good or bad. One composer who's songs were always good and made it...
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Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era Part 2 from 2019-11-09T09:00
Last week I started part 1 of a collection by Columbia Special Products called Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era. This is a six vinyl album set that I found in our station's record library. This ...
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Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era Part 1 from 2019-11-02T09:00
Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era is a 6 LP set that I found while combing through our record library. This set is no longer available but it has a lot a varied songs and artists in it so a few m...
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Spotlight on Hal McIntyre from 2019-10-26T09:00
Hal McIntyre was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Glenn Miller heard him play and drafted him as a founding member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, where he played from 1937 to 1...
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Tommy Dorsey from 2019-10-20T09:00
Hello everyone. This week is a continuation of the two part series I started last week on the Dorsey brothers. This was a show I produces several years ago and am rebroadcasting. There are many of ...
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Jimmy Dorsey from 2019-10-13T09:00
Hello everyone. I apologize for missing last week and for being a little late with this week's podcast. My mother fell ill two weeks ago and passed away earlier th
is week. Since I haven't had ...
Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions Part 2 from 2019-09-28T09:00
I am continuing this week with part two of Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions which has selected cuts from the Mosaic Record Company's eight disc set of the same name. The sound qualit...
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Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions Part 1 from 2019-09-21T09:00
In 2011 I bought two 8 disc sets from the Mosaic Record Company. The first was dedicated to the Columbia sides of Benny Goodman which I presented a show on a few weeks ago. The second is what our s...
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Songs of 1937 from 2019-09-14T09:00
From the Big Band Bash archives comes this show that I did back in 2012. It is a little rough as I was still learning how to produce BBB. There were many great songs that premiered in 1937 and I p...
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Happy Birthday Count Basie Part 2 from 2019-09-07T09:00
Last week I started a two part birthday salute to the late Count Basie. This week I am going to continue with more early recordings from 1936 - 1939. In addition, I discovered that singer Jimmy Rus...
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Happy Birthday Count Basie Part 1 from 2019-08-31T09:00
August 21st is the birthday of pianist and bandleader William Basie better know as the Count. I checked to see if I had done a birthday salute to him in the past and surprisingly I had not. So I ho...
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The Big Bands Play Irving Berlin from 2019-08-24T09:00
Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific composers in the history of American popular song. Starting with Alexander's Ragtime Band he composed hundreds of songs that performers are still singing ...
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Classic Columbia and Okeh Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 2 from 2019-08-17T09:00
This week I am going to continue with part two of the Mosaic box set, The Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Session 1939 -1957. These are many of the recordings that Benny made duri...
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Classic Columbia and Okeh Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 1 from 2019-08-10T09:00
The Mosaic Record Company was formed back in the early 1980's. They produced LP and CD limited edition sets of recordings by famous jazz artists. The sets came with a very extensive booklet in addi...
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June Christy Revisited from 2019-08-03T09:00
June Christy passed away on June 21, 1990. Since I didn't have a chance to remember her passing at that time I would like to do that on the today's program. I titled the program today, "June Christ...
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Big Band Alphabet from 2019-07-27T09:00
For a change of pace on this week's show, I'll be presenting a show I did about ten years ago called Big Band Alphabet. We'll be listening to song titles starting with the letter "A" and going to "...
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Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties Part 2 from 2019-07-20T09:00
Last week on Big Band Bash, I started a two part series from a set from Smithsonian Collections called Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties. This was a six vinyl album set or a 4 CD se...
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Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties Part 1 from 2019-07-13T09:00
Today we start a two part series that was put together from Smithsonian Collections. This set is no longer available but it is called Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties. It was origi...
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Trigger Alpert - A Tribute from 2019-07-06T09:00
This episode of Big Band Bash comes from the BBB vault. Originally produced and broadcast in 2014, this show was a tribute to the late Trigger Alpert who had passed away in Dec 2013. Trigger was an...
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July Fourth with Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra from 2019-06-29T09:00
This coming Thursday is the Fourth of July which for us in the United States is celebrated as a day of independence. I don't have a lot of patriotic songs in my collection that I haven't presented ...
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The Big Bands Play Cole Porter from 2019-06-22T09:00
I am a great fan of the songs and music that comprise the Great American Songbook and I hope you, the listeners, are too. Rodgers, Kern, Berlin, Mercer, Ellington and Porter wrote some of the most ...
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We Remember Duke from 2019-06-15T09:00
Duke Ellington is one of my favorite composers, bandleaders and jazz icons. I have been collecting Ellington music for a long while first on vinyl albums then on cd's and now mp3s. Since I have a p...
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We Remember Doris Part 2 from 2019-06-08T09:00
For part two of our Doris Day tribute, I am going to wind up with some of the great Les Brown recordings and then play a few of her own recordings and then wind up with a radio remote from 09-20-19...
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We Remember Doris Part 1 from 2019-06-01T09:00
Doris Day - whenever I hear her name I think of the many movies she starred in. But she was a very gifted vocalist whose first hits were made while she was a member of the Les Brown Orchestra. We l...
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Memorial Day with the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands from 2019-05-25T09:00
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. In 1941, the Mutual Radio Network had the idea of broadcastin...
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Remembering Patty Andrews and Paul Tanner from 2019-05-18T09:00
This is a show that I produced shortly after the passing of Patty Andrews and Paul Tanner. Paul was the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the time of his death. Patty was of th...
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The Music of World War II Part 2 from 2019-05-11T09:00
On Big Band Bash this week we will continue with part 2 of the "Music of World War 2". Some of the artists we'll be hearing from today are Bing Crosby, Tommy Dorsey, Kay Kyser, Nat King Cole, Fredd...
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The Music of World War II Part 1 from 2019-05-04T09:00
A few months ago I had a request to do a program on the music of World War II. I did a program on this several years ago so I went into the Big Band Bash vault and pulled out this two part program....
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The Music of Jimmy McHugh from 2019-04-27T09:00
Jimmy McHugh was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. One of the most important songwriting partners McHugh ha...
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They Passed Too Soon from 2019-04-20T09:00
The Bandleaders from the swing era led an exciting life or so I thought. Living their lives on the road was a perilous existence. Some died in car crashes while other developed illnesses while they...
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Freddie and Russ from 2019-04-13T09:00
Freddy Martin was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist. He led a band for many years in the 1930's but his real success came in 1941 with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovs...
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Randy and Ina Ray from 2019-04-06T09:00
Randy Brooks was a phenomenal musician. At the age of 12, he was the winner in a competition of 2000 young trumpet aspirants. Two years later, he was asked to join Rudy Vallee's popular radio show....
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A Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2019-03-30T09:00
This is part-two of a birthday salute to the late Glenn Miller. I have done other programs on the Miller band highlighting his hit recordings. On this edition of Big Band Bash I turned to a 2 CD se...
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A Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2019-03-23T09:00
March 1, 1904 is the birthday of the late bandleader Glenn Miller. I like to celebrate his birthday every year with some special music. This year I wanted to play some things that Glenn had not rec...
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A Look at Two Bandleaders Named Jan from 2019-03-16T09:00
Today's show is a look at two bandleaders from the sing era that were named Jan. Jan Garber was known as "The Idol of the Airwaves" in his heyday of the 1920s and 1930s, playing jazz in the vein of...
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Fran Warren - A Rememberance from 2019-03-09T09:00
This week I am going to pay a tribute to the late Fran Warren. She was born and passed away on the same day, March 4th. She was born as Frances Wolfe to a Jewish family in the borough of the Bron...
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Louise Tobin - A 100th Birthday Celebration from 2019-03-02T09:00
My thanks go out to listener Karl Wingruber for his suggestion to do a show on Louise Tobin since she turned 100 years old back in November. I tracked down as many of her recordings as I could find...
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Two Kays - Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye from 2019-02-23T09:00
For the show today I have brought out a show I produced several years ago. I ran out of time this week but will have a new show for next week. This week's show is a little different from the type ...
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We Celebrate Black History Month Part 3 from 2019-02-16T09:00
Black History Month was first proposed by black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent St...
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We Celebrate Black History Month Part 2 from 2019-02-09T09:00
For Part 2 of our celebration of Black History Month, I have gone back into the Big Band Bash archives and brought out a show I did on Ella Fitzgerald with Her Famous Orchestra. Ella rose to fame a...
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We Celebrate Black History Month Part 1 from 2019-02-02T09:00
Well, February has rolled around again and that means we start our celebration of Black History month. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of early jazz and big bands. So instead of featu...
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1938 Carnegie Hall Concert Part 2 from 2019-01-26T09:00
Every year at this time I like to play some of the recordings from the Benny Goodman 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert. This was an important concert because it was the first time a jazz or swing band app...
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Harry James 1971 from 2019-01-19T09:00
David Goldin established Radio Yesteryear in 1965 as a mail order company offering tapes of classic radio broadcasts to collectors. In 1970, after much success in packaging these materials for rele...
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Harry James Uncollected 1943-1946 from 2019-01-12T09:00
When Wally Heider the recording engineer, learned that the Big Bands had made recordings specifically for use on radio broadcast only-and that these recordings had never been commercially released-...
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Focus On The Small Groups from 2019-01-05T09:00
One aspect of the big bands that we are going to explore on this week's show is the small groups. They could be any size from a trio to a sextet. Each band seemed to have a featured small band and ...
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Gene Krupa Revistited from 2018-12-29T09:00
The year was 1973. I was starting my senior year of high school when I tuned into the nightly jazz program on a local AM radio station. The host had just anounced that jazz drummer Gene Krupa had p...
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A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 2 from 2018-12-22T09:00
Happy Holidays everyone as we continue this week with "A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 2." As in Part One, I tried to present holiday songs from the 1930's and 40's. There are many of your holid...
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A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 1 from 2018-12-15T09:00
This week on the show, I invite you to come in out of the cold and pull up a seat next to me over here by the fireplace as we enjoy some 1940's holiday favorites. This is part one of a show I call ...
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We Remember Pearl Harbor and Glenn Miller from 2018-12-08T09:00
On the show today we remember two important dates from the past, December 7th 1941 and December 15th 1944. The former was the day that Japan attacked the US Naval Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor an...
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The Vocal Groups from 2018-12-01T09:00
This week on Big Band Bash I'll be taking a look at many of the vocal groups that sang with the big bands and on their own. There were several popular groups back then and we'll be hearing from The...
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Sounds Of The Swinging Years from 2018-11-24T09:00
This week's show is a special program that I've had in my collection for many years. I played it on Big Band Bash a long time ago and I thought I would play it again this week. I don't have the exa...
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Part 5: The Trombone Playing Bandleaders from 2018-11-17T09:00
This is the last part of my series on bandleaders who played the same instrument. Today we wind up with the trombonists and these were some of the most popular bands. We'll be hearing from Tommy Do...
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Part 4: The Trumpet Playing Bandleaders from 2018-11-10T09:00
On Part Four of my series on band leaders who played the same instrument, I'll be looking at the trumpet playing band leaders. There were a lot of them so I'll be playing some recordings by some of...
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Part 3: The Piano Playing Bandleaders from 2018-11-03T09:00
This week's show is a continuation of the theme started two weeks ago. We are going to be listening to some of the Big Band Leaders who played the piano. There were many bandleader-musicians that w...
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Part 2: The Saxophone Playing Bandleaders from 2018-10-27T09:00
This week on our program I am revisiting a series I did way back in 2011. I got the idea from a fellow big band broadcaster from North Carolina whose show I happened hear. His series was about a gr...
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Part 1: The Clarinet Playing Bandleaders from 2018-10-20T09:00
On our show this week, I am going back to the Big Band Bash vault to pull out a series of shows I did way back in 2011. Back then I produced a 5 part series grouping each show by the bandleader's i...
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Final Glenn Miller AAF Orchestra Shows from 2018-10-13T09:00
When Major Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel in December of 1944, his Army-Air Force Orchestra continued to perform. On the show today, I will be presenting the last two performance...
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Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy from 2018-10-06T09:00
This week I would like to focus on a bandleader and orchestra that was not as well known as others but still produced some great music. Andy Kirk led a fantastic band and his band was almost a twin...
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The Vocalists Part 2 from 2018-09-29T09:00
This week we continue with more of the Big Band vocalists. This will be a potpourri of many different vocalists from many different bands. I tried to limit each singer to one song so we could hear ...
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The Vocalists Part 1 from 2018-09-22T09:00
Today's show is from the Big Band Bash archives and is one that I did on the popular vocalists who sang with the big bands. Most big bands had at least one singer and some had two. If you were a re...
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The Birth of Swing, Part 2 from 2018-09-15T09:00
On Part 2 of the Birth of Swing, I would like to play some recordings by some of the other big bands that were recording and playing between 1934 and 1936. Some of the bands that were together duri...
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The Birth of Swing, Part 1 from 2018-09-08T09:00
August 21, 1935 is sometimes referred to as the birthday of Swing. It was on this date that the Benny Goodman orchestra, after traveling across the country, opened their engagement at the Palomar B...
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My Man Benny, Benny Carter That Is from 2018-09-01T09:00
This week we celebrate the birthday of the multi-talented Benny Carter. He was a composer, arranger, saxophonist, and he played the trumpet too. He was also a great bandleader. He was born on Augus...
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Spotlight on Sonny Dunham from 2018-08-25T09:00
Every week on Big Band Bash I try to present a variety of bands and formats. Sometimes the leaders are well known and sometimes they are not but I always try to present good music from the bands of...
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Number Two in the Charts from 2018-08-18T09:00
During the swing era, many of the record companies and music publishers kept track of a song's weekly standings in the polls. Just as they do today, bandleaders hoped that their recordings would re...
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Lyrics by Johnny Mercer from 2018-08-11T09:00
On this week's show, instead of focusing on bandleaders or musicians, I would like to take a look at the career of one of the greatest of the American lyricists Johnny Mercer. John Herndon Mercer w...
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Tommy Dorsey 1942 Warbond Broadcasts from 2018-08-04T09:00
This week we are going to be listening to some live broadcasts from Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. These were recorded on a few different dates in July and October 1942. Vocals are by Frank Sinatr...
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Echoes of Harlem from 2018-07-28T09:00
On this week's show I am going to take a look at the area of New York City known as Harlem. There have been many songs written about that particular area so I thought it would be interesting to lea...
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"Into The 50's" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2018-07-21T09:00
This week I am going to continue with Part-two of "Into the 50's" from the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show focuses on songs from the the late 1940's and early 1950's. There are only ...
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"Into The 50's" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2018-07-14T09:00
This week I am going back to another set in the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show focuses on songs from the the late 1940's and early 1950's. There are only a couple more volumes in th...
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Famous Ballrooms from 2018-07-07T09:00
Because we celebrated our nation's birthday this week, I went back to the Big Band Bash archives to pull out a show I recorded back in 2011. I think it is an interesting show and doesn't feature an...
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Count Basie - 1939 from 2018-06-30T09:00
1939 was a great year for the Count Basie orchestra. This was the last year of their three year contract with Decca records where they would record many of their hits. He still had Lester Young, Bu...
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Ray Anthony - Two Remotes from 2018-06-23T09:00
Ray Anthony has led a big band for many years starting in the late 1940's. He played trumpet in the original Glenn Miller orchestra and after the war started his own band. He has had a lot of first...
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The Big Bands Play Richard Rodgers from 2018-06-16T09:00
Richard Rodgers was an American composer of music, with over 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant composers of 20th century American music. He is best...
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Chick and Ella from 2018-06-09T09:00
In 1934 the Chick Webb orchestra was looking for a new singer. They hired a very young girl who had no big band singing experience. She developed into one of the greatest jazz singers in the world....
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A Benny Goodman 109th Birthday Salute from 2018-05-26T09:00
May 30th, 1909 is the birthday of Benny Goodman and as I do every year I would like to pay a birthday salute to Benny. On the show today, I have picked out two radio remotes from when Benny and his...
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An Artie Shaw Birthday Salute from 2018-05-19T09:00
Artie Shaw was born on May 23, 1910. He was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and actor. Also an author, Shaw wrote both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's fine...
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Will Bradley and His Orchestra from 2018-05-12T09:00
Will Bradley along with drummer Ray McKinley led a very exciting band from 1939 to 1942. The Bradley band became well known for boogie-woogie, particularly its hit record, "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to ...
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They All Played Ellington from 2018-05-05T09:00
April 29, 1899 was the birthday of the pianist, composer and big band leader Duke Ellington. I've gone back into the Big Band Bash vault and pulled out a program featuring other bands playing Duke'...
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"The Postwar Years" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2018-04-28T09:00
This week's show is part two of the Time-Life Swing Era set, "The Postwar Years". We are winding down this great set as there are only a few more volumes in the series. On the show today we will b...
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"The Postwar Years" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2018-04-21T09:00
This week I am going back to another set in the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show is called "The Postwar Years" and features songs from the years after World War II. There are only a c...
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A Doris Day 96th Birthday Salute from 2018-04-14T09:00
One of the most popular songs from the 1940's was Sentimental Journey. The band that recorded it was Les Brown's and the vocalist was a young Doris Day. Doris recently celebrated her 96th birthday....
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A Salute to Peggy Lee from 2018-04-06T09:00
The first song I ever heard Miss Peggy Lee sing with a big band was "Why Don't You Do Right" when I was back in college. I have been trying to do right ever since by listening to as much of her mus...
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We Remember Erskine Hawkins from 2018-03-31T09:00
Our show this week is a look at bandleader Erskine Hawkins. He is mostly known as the composer of the hit Tuxedo Junction. But in addition to composing, he was a fine trumpet player and a well like...
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Big Bands Live - Part 2 from 2018-03-24T09:00
This week we are continuing with Big Bands Live Part 2. The music comes from a CD set called Big bands live. Each CD had 5 or 6 selections from different bands recorded live while they were appeari...
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Big Bands Live - Part 1 from 2018-03-17T09:00
This week I am going back to the first of a couple of programs I produced several years ago. The music comes from a CD set called Big bands live. Each CD had five or six selections from different b...
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The Arrangers: Eddie Sauter from 2018-03-10T09:00
This week I'm continuing a with listener's request from a few months ago. He wanted me to do a few shows on some of the Big Band arrangers. A few months ago I did a show on Sy Oliver and today we a...
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Remembering Vic Damone from 2018-03-03T09:00
On February 11, 2018 Vic Damone passed away. Vic was one of the great vocalists from the late 1940's on who sang songs from the great American Songbook. To remember Vic on the show today, I thought...
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Black History Month Sampler Part 2 from 2018-02-24T09:00
This week I am going to continue the series "Black History Month Sampler" with part 2 since this is the last weekend to celebrate Black History Month. On the show we'll be hear a couple of cuts fro...
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Mary Lou Williams - A Tribute from 2018-02-17T09:00
In all the time I have been producing Big Band Bash, I have never done a program on the late Mary Lou Williams. It is always a challenge coming up with ideas for new programs. I try not to repeat m...
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Black History Month Sampler from 2018-02-10T09:00
February is the start of Black History Month. I have put together a program of assorted African-American Big Bands to illustrate how varied they were. In the past I would dedicate a whole program t...
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1944-1945 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2018-02-03T09:00
This week I am following up with Part 2 of the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era", with the second half from the years of 1944-1945. I had so much fun tracking down the originals in this series. As...
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1944-1945 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2018-01-27T09:00
This week we return to the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era", with the volume from the years of 1944-1945. These were still the war years but there were still some great recordings made. As I have ...
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Benny Goodman - 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert Revisited from 2018-01-20T09:00
January 16th 1938 is the date of the Benny Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall. This was the first concert given in the respectable concert venue by a swing band. We are very fortunate that the concer...
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The Big Bands Play George Gershwin from 2018-01-13T09:00
George Gershwin has always been one of my favorite composers. I thought it would be fun to learn about his career as we listen to different bands playing his music. Some of the bands we'll be heari...
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The Arrangers: Sy Oliver from 2018-01-06T09:00
As we begin the new year, I would like to honor a listener's request. He asked me to do a couple of shows on the big band arrangers. So today we are going to be listening to some of those fantastic...
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A Hoagy Carmichael Celebration from 2017-12-30T09:00
Well, the New Year is upon us. Every year for the past several years I have usually played a special big band show called 1945 - 1946 New Year's Dancing Party. I ran this last year and it is still ...
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1940's Christmas Traditions Part 2 from 2017-12-23T09:00
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone. Welcome to Part 2 of my 1940's Christmas Traditions show. Last time in between the music I read some holiday traditions started in the 1940's. On the s...
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1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1 from 2017-12-16T10:00
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. This is part one of a program I call 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1. Many of the ways we celebrate Christmas were started in the 1940's so I thought...
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Stan Kenton Revisited from 2017-12-09T10:00
December 15th is the birthday of the late Stan Kenton and it has been awhile since I presented a program on Stan and his band so I wanted to go back and revisit his music again. As a musician it wa...
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1942-1944 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2017-12-02T10:30
We continue this week with the second part of the Time-Life Swing Era volume 1942-1944. I first discovered this series when I made a trip to the local library and found a couple volumes in the set....
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1942-1944 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2017-11-25T10:30
This week we return to the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era", with the volume from 1942-1944. These were the war years but there were still some great recordings made. As I have done in previous sh...
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Martha Tilton - A Birthday Salute from 2017-11-18T10:30
This week we pay a birthday salute to Martha Tilton who was born on November 14th, 1915. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman'...
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Bunny Berigan - A Birthday Salute from 2017-11-11T12:30
Born on November 2, 1908, this trumpeter, despite the brevity of his career and his all-too-short life, remains one of the most compelling trumpet players in the history of music. Do you know who i...
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Your Hit Parade - Part 5 from 2017-11-04T12:30
This week wraps up our look at the songs that were the hits from the 1940's as played on the radio show, Your Hit Parade. Today's show will feature songs from the years of 1948 and 1949. All the so...
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Your Hit Parade - Part 4 from 2017-10-28T13:30
Welcome to part four of my five part series on the radio program Your Hit Parade. I am back to my old self so this week's show is one that I have rerecorded. Back in 2009, I produced the original s...
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Your Hit Parade - Part 3 from 2017-10-21T14:30
This week we continue with more music that was featured on Your Hit Parade during the years of 1944 and 1945. I am still under the weather so I am going back to the vaults to pull out the original ...
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Your Hit Parade - Part 2 from 2017-10-14T14:30
We continue with our look at the songs that were being played on Your Hit Parade during the years of 1942 and 1943. I apologize for the way my voice sounds on the introduction. I had prerecorded a...
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Your Hit Parade - Part 1 from 2017-10-07T09:30
A few years ago I did a series of programs on the radio show Your Hit Parade. The songs came from a ten CD set that I have. Each CD features the songs from a certain year that were featured on Your...
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1941-1942 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2017-09-30T11:30
This is Part 2 of our look at the Time Life records project called "The Swing Era". It was a ten volume set with three records included in each volume. Today we turn to the years of 1941-1942. The ...
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1941-1942 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2017-09-23T11:30
This week I am going back to the past shows archive to play another program in the Time Life series. I am working on some new shows for the upcoming weeks and needed a little time to work on them. ...
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Helen Forrest - A 100th Birthday Salute from 2017-09-16T11:30
She was one of the greatest singers of the big band era. She sang with three of the most popular big bands. Her name is Helen Forrest and she was born on April 12, 1917. I missed her birthday back ...
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Larry Elgart - A Tribute from 2017-09-09T11:30
We lost another Big Band leader a few weeks ago. Larry Elgart was 95 when he passed away at his home in Florida. Larry, who led a big band with his brother, was a fine alto saxophonist and composer...
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Bob Eberly - A Birthday Salute from 2017-09-02T11:30
This week I'm going to step into the vault of past shows to pull out an encore presentation of Big Band Bash. This show was one I produced back in 2015 and was a birthday salute to the late Bob Ebe...
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Bea Wain - A Tribute from 2017-08-26T11:30
This week on the program, we will be paying a tribute to the late vocalist Bea Wain who passed away August 19th at 100 years of age. She spent most of her big band years with Larry Clinton and his ...
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Glenn Miller Ghost Bands from 2017-08-19T11:30
Today's show is kind of a nostalgic program for me. The first time I heard a live big band was when the Glenn Miller Orchestra played at a local high school. I was just a high school senior but I w...
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Record Labels Part 3 - RCA Bluebird from 2017-08-12T11:30
This week wraps up our look at the three album set called "The Big Bands". We are going to be listening to some of the hits for RCA Bluebird. Some of the artists we'll be hearing include Artie Sh...
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Record Labels Part 2 - Columbia from 2017-08-05T11:30
This week continues a three part show I produced a few years ago where I looked at three of the most popular record labels during the years of the big bands. This week on Part 2 we listen to some ...
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Record Labels Part 1 - Decca from 2017-07-29T11:30
When I was a youngster my dad bought a three record set called The Big Bands. In it were songs that went along with a book by George T. Simon. Each record was devoted to a particular record label....
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1940-1941 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2017-07-23T11:30
I am sorry to be late with the second part of 1940-1941 Time Life - The Swing Era. I am back from vacation and did not have much access to a computer. Well here is part two of a show I recorded a f...
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1940-1941 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2017-07-15T11:30
1940 - 1941 were good years for the big bands as they were full of great music. For the next two weeks I am going to be playing another program from the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era". This was ...
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Swing That Music Part 5 from 2017-07-08T11:30
Well, we have come to the end of our look at the music in the Smithsonian Institution's 4-CD set "Swing That Music". On the show today we will be listening to some of the music from the latter half...
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Swing That Music Part 4 from 2017-07-01T11:30
This week on Big Band Bash, I am continuing with music from the CD box set "Swing That Music." This is a great set which, unfortunately, is no longer available. I have to acknowledge a mistake that...
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Swing That Music Part 3 from 2017-06-24T11:30
Part three of Swing That Music has a lot of hits from the golden age of the big bands plus three songs that were unknown to me until I listened to this set. Billie Holliday was a member of the Coun...
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Swing That Music Part 2 from 2017-06-17T11:30
This week I am going to continue with part two of Swing That Music. This four disc set was produced by music crtitc and writer Martin Williams for the Smithsonian Institue. Released in 1994, this s...
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Swing That Music Part 1 from 2017-06-10T11:30
Throughout the years, The Smithsonian Institute has produce some great collections of Jazz and Big Band music. My first three sets were collections of Duke Ellington's music from the years of 1938,...
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A D-Day Anniversary Rememberance from 2017-06-02T11:30
This June 6th, 2017 is the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy better known as D-Day. It was a day that many American service men lost their lives. To pay tribute to those who served during tha...
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Artie Shaw - A Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2017-05-26T11:30
This week on Part Two of our birthday salute to Artie Shaw, we pick up with his band from the mid 1940's. On the tribute I tried to pick out many of his hits. These were also chosen for Artie himse...
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Artie Shaw - A Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2017-05-19T11:30
When I was in the high school band, I played the clarinet. I first discovered the great music of Benny Goodman then a year or two later I discovered Artie Shaw. Artie's band was different than Benn...
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1939-1940 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 from 2017-05-13T11:30
On this encore presentation of Big Band Bash we will be listening to part two of "1939-1940 Time Life - The Swing Era". Today's program was part two of a series I did on Time Life Record's ambitiou...
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1939-1940 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 from 2017-05-06T11:30
For the next two weeks, I am presenting an encore presentation of Big Band Bash. This two part show originally aired in 2014. Today's program was part of a series I did on Time Life Record's ambiti...
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Ella Fitzgerald - A 100th Birthday Celebration Part 2 from 2017-04-29T11:30
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25th, 1917 100 years ago. She is one of the greatest jazz vocalist in jazz history and she got her start singing with the big bands. In Part Two of our celebration...
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Ella Fitzgerald - A 100th Birthday Celebration Part 1 from 2017-04-22T11:30
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25th 1917 100 years ago. She is one of the greatest jazz vocalist in jazz history and she got her start singing with the big bands. It seems as if every jazz radio...
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Sinatra - The Dorsey Years from 2017-04-15T11:30
Frank Sinatra's second stint with a big band was with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Together, they recorded many of the classic songs of the big band era between the years of 1940 and 1942. Recently,...
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Charlie Spivak from 2017-04-08T11:30
This week's show is a belated birthday salute to a great trumpeter and bandleader, Charlie Spivak. Charlie was an exceptional trumpet player who, despite having been around jazz musicians all his ...
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Larry Clinton from 2017-04-01T11:30
On the show this week we will be learning about and listening to the music of the late Larry Clinton. Larry was a trumpet player who was also a gifted arranger and composer. Along with vocalist Be...
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Two Bands I've Missed: Bob Chester and Teddy Powell from 2017-03-25T11:30
This week we will be listening to and learning about two bands that I've never recently covered before: Bob Chester and Teddy Powell. This is a rebroadcast of a show I produced back in 2012. Bob h...
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Glenn Miller Live Part 2 from 2017-03-18T11:30
Welcome to Part Two of my Glenn Miller Birthday Salute. I finally recovered from my bad cold and my voice is now back to the way I used to sound. As you know, March 1, 1904 is the birthday of the l...
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Three Radio Remotes from 2017-03-12T11:30
I apologize this week as I had intended to present Part 2 of Glenn Miller live but I came down with a severe cold that affected my voice. I hope to have the second half of Glenn Miller Live for nex...
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Glenn Miller Live Part 1 from 2017-03-04T11:30
March 1, 1904 is the birthday of the late bandleader, Glenn Miller. In honor of his birthday I would like to present some live recordings by Glenn starting in May of 1939. That was when he started ...
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Black History Month Part 2 - Chick Webb from 2017-02-25T11:30
We wind up Black History month with a look at the career and music of one of the swingingest drummer during the 1930s, Chick Webb. His band was the house band at Harlem's Savoy ballroom. It was the...
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Black History Month Part 1 - Jimmie Lunceford from 2017-02-18T11:30
NOTE: I just discovered that I uploaded next week's show instead of the one on Jimmie Lunceford. I've have replaced the show for next week with the correct show. I apologize for the confusion and h...
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Big Band Theme Songs Part 2 from 2017-02-11T11:30
This week we wind up Part 2 of our series on the theme songs of the big bands. Just as today's television theme songs identify the show, a big band's theme song helped to identify the band that was...
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Big Band Theme Songs Part 1 from 2017-02-04T11:30
This week starts part one of a look at the Big Band Theme Songs. Just as today's television theme songs identify the show a big band's theme song helped to identify the band that was on the radio. ...
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Gene and Roy Part 2 from 2017-01-28T11:30
On the show today we continue with our birthday salutes this time it is to trumpeter Roy Eldridge. Roy was born on January 30th, 1911. Last time I featured music from Gene Krupa and since Roy was a...
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Gene and Roy Part 1 from 2017-01-21T11:30
This week I would like to celebrate two Big Band stars who have a birthday in the month of January, Gene Krupa and Roy Eldridge. Gene was born on January 15th and Roy was born on January 30th. Part...
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Les Brown Part 2 from 2017-01-14T11:30
This week I am continuing with a tribute to the late Les Brown who passed away January 4, 2001. There are some more interview segments with Les as well as some of those great recordings by the Band...
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Les Brown Part 1 from 2017-01-07T11:30
As we return from the holidays, I want to feature the big band of Les Brown. Les passed away January 4, 2001. Since we just passed the anniversary of his death I would like to play a program that I...
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New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946 from 2016-12-30T11:30
Happy New Year to everyone as we welcome in the New Year of 2017. On the show today is a program I produced a few years ago called New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946. The Armed Forces Radio Ser...
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1940's Christmas from 2016-12-24T11:30
Merry Christmas and Happy Hew Years to everyone. Welcome to my annual holiday edition of Big Band Bash. Today we are going to celebrate the season with a lot of songs from the 1940's. Interspersed ...
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Christmas Eve 1941 from 2016-12-17T11:30
Hello and welcome to another edition of Big Band Bash. Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to fans of the Big Bands. The show today is an encore presentation of Big Band Bash that I put together f...
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Benny Goodman - Two December Remotes from 2016-12-10T11:30
This week I've gone into my collection to pull out two radio remotes from Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. The first was recorded at the Congress Hotel in Chicago December 23, 1935 and the second w...
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Pearl Harbor - 75th Anniversary from 2016-12-03T11:30
This coming Wednesday, December 7th, is the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack and bombing of Pearl Harbor. We look back at this very important date in American history with some of the music ...
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June Christy - A Birthday Salute from 2016-11-26T11:30
I'm back this week with a new program celebrating the birthday of vocalist June Christy. June achieved her first fame with the Stan Kenton Orchestra of the 1940's. She went on to a very successful ...
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Anita O'Day - A Request from 2016-11-19T11:30
This week I am returning to a program I produced a few years ago. It was a program to honor a listener's request. It had been awhile since I featured the singing of Anita O'Day so I put together th...
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Kay Starr - A Tribute from 2016-11-12T11:30
This week we pay a tribute to Kay Starr who passed away on November 3rd at the age of 94. Ms. Starr, whose career began when she was a teenager and continued into her 80s, was a rarity: a singer wh...
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The Dorsey Brothers Part 4 from 2016-11-05T11:30
On Part Four of the Dorsey Brothers we conclude the series with a live broadcast of the reunited brothers. The late 1940's was a hard time for the big bands with Tommy disbanding his band in 1946. ...
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The Dorsey Brothers Part 3 from 2016-10-29T11:30
On Part Three of the Dorsey Brothers we will turn our focus to the band of Tommy. When Tommy split from his brother Jimmy he took over the Joe Haymes orchestra. Molding it into the kind of band he ...
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The Dorsey Brothers Part 2 from 2016-10-23T11:30
On this the second part of my four part series on the Dorsey Brothers we will be focusing on Jimmy's orchestra. Jimmy was the older of the two brothers and after Tommy walked out on their combined ...
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The Dorsey Brothers Part 1 from 2016-10-16T11:30
Today I am starting a four part series on the Dorsey Brothers, Tommy and Jimmy. Together and separately they recorded some of the biggest hits of the big band era. We will be starting with some of ...
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Artie Shaw Revisited Part 2 from 2016-10-08T11:30
We continue this week with a show I produced in the summer of 2015. This is Part 2 of Artie Shaw Revisted. There are a couple of more interview segments with Artie from the series "The Mystery of...
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Artie Shaw Revisited Part 1 from 2016-10-01T11:30
Welcome to an encore presentation of a show I did in the Summer of 2015 on Artie Shaw. Here are the notes from that show: Artie Shaw has always been one of my favorite clarinetists. Since it has be...
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V-Discs Part 2 from 2016-09-24T11:30
Welcome to the second part of my program on the V-Disc series. Last time I gave a history of the V-Disc program, what it was and why it was important. This week we'll be hearing more of the artists...
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V-Discs Part 1 from 2016-09-17T11:30
This week I am starting a two part series on the V-Disc program. V-Discs, which V standing for Victory, was a series of recordings during the WWII era for the morale of US Service Men and Women. Th...
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Bob Crosby - A Birthday Salute from 2016-09-10T11:30
This week we will be celebrating the birthday of bandleader Bob Crosby. He was born on August 23, 1913 and led one of the most popular big bands during the dance band era. He had some very excitin...
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The Arrangers - Part 2 from 2016-09-03T11:30
This week we continue our look at the arrangers. The arranger has a vast store of musical knowledge and uses it to take 15 to 20 musicians and create a musical masterpiece. They decide who plays wh...
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The Arrangers - Part 1 from 2016-08-27T11:30
This week we take a look at one of the most important members of the big bands - the arranger. The arranger has a vast store of musical knowledge and uses it to take 15 to 20 musicians and create a...
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Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands - 4 Remotes from 2016-08-20T11:30
This week's program is an encore presentation of a show I did a couple of years ago. The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands was the Coca-Cola Company’s big band legacy and its contribution to the wa...
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Claude Thornhill - A Birthday Salute from 2016-08-13T11:30
August 10th is the birthday of one of the most creative bandleaders in big band history, the late Claude Thornhill. He was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the j...
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Tony Bennett - a 90th Birthday Salute from 2016-08-06T11:30
This past August 3rd was the 90th birthday of the great vocalist Tony Bennett. This program is a celebration of his life with many of his recordings and a look back at his career. I hope you enjoy ...
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Songs From 1944 - A D-Day Remembrance from 2016-07-08T11:30
I'm a little late with this episode but I wanted to remember all the men and women who took place in the D-Day Invasion by playing some of the music that would have been in the jukeboxes and on the...
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Three by Three Part 3 Rosemary Clooney from 2016-07-01T11:30
This week we conclude the series Three by Three with a birthday salute to the late Rosemary Clooney. Rosemary was born on May 23 1928 and got her start singing with the band of Tony Pastor. She cam...
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Three by Three Part 2 Kitty Kallen from 2016-06-25T11:30
This week we continue our birthday celebarations with a salute to the great Kitty kallen. She was born on May 25, 1921 and her career spanned from the 1930's to the 1960's. She performed with some ...
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Three by Three Part 1 Helen O'Connell from 2016-06-18T11:30
This week starts a three week birthday celebration of three great Big Band female vocalists Helen O'Connell, Kitty Kallen, and Rosemary Clooney. They all have their birthdays around the same time s...
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Happy Birthday Glen Gray from 2016-06-10T11:30
Glen Gray, leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra, was born on June 7th 1906. The Casa Loma Orchestra was a popular American dance band active from 1927 to 1963. When the big bands went into decline aft...
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Benny Goodman - A Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2016-06-03T11:30
We continue our birthday celebration of Benny Goodman. On part 2 we are going to be listening to some of the original RCA Bluebird recordings. I have the complete set of Goodman RCA Bluebird record...
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Benny Goodman - A Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2016-05-29T11:30
Today we celebrate the birthday of Benny Goodman. On this show we are going to be listening to some of the Lets Dance broadcasts from 1935. This is a rebroadcast of a show I put together last year....
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Big Band Remotes from WW2 Part 2 from 2016-05-21T11:30
This week I am continuing with part two of Big Band Remotes from World War 2 with two remotes from the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands series. At the same time, however, I am having a birthday sa...
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Big Band Remotes from WW2 Part 1 from 2016-05-14T11:30
On this week's show I would like to honor a request. A listener asked for some big band remotes that took place during World War 2. Most of the remotes I have during that era are from the Victory P...
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Duke Ellington A Birthday Salute from 2016-05-07T11:30
April 29, 1899 is the birthday of one of Big Band's greatest composers Duke Ellington. I have been an Ellington fan for over 40 years and continue to discover new music by him that I have never hea...
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Doris Day - A Birthday Salute from 2016-04-16T11:30
April 3rd of this year marks the 92nd birthday of vocalist and actress Doris Day. Before she gained fame as an actress, Doris sang with a few big bands notably Les Browns. To celebrate her birthday...
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Harry James 100th Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2016-04-10T11:30
Welcome to part 2 of my Harry James 100th birthday salute. Harry was born on March 15th, 1916. If he were still alive he would be celebrating his 100th birthday. On the show today, I am presenting ...
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Harry James 100th Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2016-04-02T11:30
March 15th, 1916 is the birthday of the late trumpeter and bandleader Harry James. If he were still alive he would be celebrating his 100th birthday. On the show today we celebrate this milestone w...
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Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 4 from 2016-03-26T11:30
This past March 1st was the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. We are continuing our birthday celebration by rerunning a 4 part series on Glenn that I put together that originally aired during Octo...
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Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 3 from 2016-03-19T11:30
This past March 1st was the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. We are continuing our birthday celebration by rerunning a 4 part series on Glenn that I put together that originally aired during Octo...
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Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 2 from 2016-03-12T11:30
This past March 1st was the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. So to honor his birthday, I would like to rerun a 4 part series on Glenn that I put together that originally aired during October of 2...
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Glenn Miller Birthday Salute Part 1 from 2016-03-05T11:30
This past March 1st was the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. So to honor his birthday, I would like to rerun a 4 part series on Glenn that I put together that originally aired during October of 2...
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Four Different Male Vocalists from 2016-03-02T11:30
As we wind up Black Histoy Month on the program today, we are going highlight four African-American male vocalists who sang with the big bands. The four singers are Jimmy Rushing, Louis Jordan, Bil...
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Four Different Male Vocalists from 2016-03-02T11:30
As we wind up Black Histoy Month on the program today, we are going highlight four African-American male vocalists who sang with the big bands. The four singers are Jimmy Rushing, Louis Jordan, Bil...
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Four Different Male Vocalists from 2016-03-02T11:30
As we wind up Black Histoy Month on the program today, we are going highlight four African-American male vocalists who sang with the big bands. The four singers are Jimmy Rushing, Louis Jordan, Bil...
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