Weston also conducted some Tommy Dorsey-style recordings for Reader's Digest, featuring Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers, and bandleader-trombonist Warren Covington. Stafford is shown above with producer Charles Gerhardt.
Incidentally, on one of my highest personal favorites from the Reader's Digest sessions, the arrangement of What the Worlds Needs Now Is Love, to my ears Covington sings a wrong word. Instead of " . . . There are oceans and rivers, enough to cross . . . ", he sings " . . . There and oceans and rivers, enough to cross . . . "
Paul Weston (arr) directing Warren Covington (tb/vo), Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers (vo), Glenn Osser, Billy Ver Planck, Sy Oliver, Marty Manning (arr) Hollywood, California, November 12, 1969
There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World) ( Les Reed-Geoff Stevens )
Warren Covington, Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal / Paul Weston, arranger
add strings
Hollywood, California, November 19, 1969
People ( Bob Merrill-Jule Styne ) Jo Stafford, vocal / Paul Weston, arranger
The Party's Over ( Betty Comden-Adolph Green-Jule Styne ) Jo Stafford, vocal /
Paul Weston, arranger
Hollywood, California, probably November 1969
I Believe in You ( Frank Loesser ) Warren Covington, Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal /
Glenn Osser, arranger
Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) ( Gene Lees-Antonio Carlos Jobim )
Jo Stafford, vocal / Paul Weston, arranger
What the World Needs Now Is Love ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach ) Warren Covington,
Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers / Billy VerPlanck, arranger
Try to Remember ( Harvey Schmidt ) Jo Stafford, vocal / Paul Weston, trombone
Theme From "Valley of the Dolls" ( Dory previn-Andre Previn ) Warren Covington,
trombone / Glenn Osser, arranger
Hey Jude ( John Lennon-Paul McCartney ) Warren Covington, trombone / Sy Oliver, arranger
The Shadow of Your Smile ( Paul Francis Webster-Johnny Mandel )
Warren Covington, trombone / Marty Manning, arranger
What Kind of Fool Am I? ( Leslie Bricusse-Anthony Newley ) Warren Covington,
trombone / Glenn Osser, arranger
This Is All I Ask ( Gordon Jenkins ) Warren Covington, vocal / Marty Manning, arranger
Hollywood, California, December 8, 1970
As Time Goes By ( Herman Hupfeld ) Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal
Stormy Weather ( Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen ) Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal
Blue Moon ( Lorenz Hart-Richard Rodgers ) Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal
Over the Rainbow ( E.Y. Harburg-Harold Arlen ) Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers, vocal
MARGARET WHITING
Margaret Whiting (vo), Dick Grove (cond)
probably Hollywood, California, 1969
A Tree in the Meadow ( Billy Reid ) Margaret Whiting, vocal
The Money Tree ( Cliff Ferre-Mark McIntyre ) Margaret Whiting, vocal
Margaret Whiting (vo), David Whitaker (cond)
from this period
Till We Meet Again ( Richard A. Whiting - Raymond B. Egan ) Margaret Whiting, vocal
I Only Have Eyes for You ( Al Dubin-Harry Warren ) Margaret Whiting, vocal
Margaret Whiting, Ed Ames (vo), Roland Shaw (cond)
Tea for Two ( Irving Caesar-Vincent Youmans) Ed Ames and Margaret Whiting, vocal
In conclusion, I hope that one day - soon - Reader's Digest will package all of these various big band recordings, along with any surviving unissued or alternate takes, into a comprehensive CD boxed set. The talents of everyone involved - the bandleaders, sidemen, vocalists, and songwriters - merits it!
sources:
D. Russell Connor. Benny Goodman: Listen to His Legacy (Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow
Press, Inc., 1988).
Joe Enroughty. E-mail to author, Aug. 7, 2004.
Helen Forrest with Bill Libby. I Had the Craziest Dream (New York City: Coward, McCann &
Geoghegan, Inc., 1982).
Jim Marshall. Jo Stafford: A Basic Discography (1995).
Dan Mather. Charlie Barnet: An Illustrated Biography and Discography (Jefferson, NC:
McFarland & Company, Inc., 2002).
Jack Mirtle. The Music of Billy May: A Discography (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998).
Popa Family Collection.
Nat Shapiro and Bruce Pollock, eds. Popular Music, 1920 - 1979: Volumes 1, 2, 3
(Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company, 1985).
send additions, corrections, or feedback about "The Readers Digest Sessions" via e-mail
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Research Topic:
"THE READER'S DIGEST SESSIONS"
compiled by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
the big bands are back
in a new and exciting way
Following the incredible success of their multi-disc, boxed sets of hits from the 1930s and '40s, "The Great Band Era" and "The Swing Years," Reader's Digest began inviting some of the legendary big bands to take part in new recording sessions, starting in 1967.
Les Brown, Bob Crosby, and Paul Weston with Jo Stafford were first, soon joined by Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Tex Beneke, Freddy Martin, Vaughn Monroe, Harry James, and others.
A peak was reached in 1969 with recordings for a blockbuster set, "The Big Bands Are Back Swinging Today's Hits" (RD4-112, 1970).
Until May 22, 1970, its title was to be "Swing Again." Perhaps it was felt that name wasn't distinctive or descriptive enough to go into the marketplace against Time-Life's "Swing Era" recreations. Was this the set that was "distributed only to artists involved in the production; never commercially issued," or did that occur after it was re-titled "The Big Bands Are Back Swinging Today's Hits"? A couple copies of the latter have recently been offered publicly for sale by private individuals. Whichever, promotion for this project in Reader's Digest product catalogs seems to have been non-existent.
There were additional, notable releases, such as "The Great Bands Swingin' the 60's" (RD4-115, 1975), "Great Stars! Great Bands! (RD4-169), and "Still Swingin: The Big Bands Play Songs of the 60's" (RD4-034, 1975), along with a whole list of LP and CD albums in which the performances were used in piecemeal fashion.
Starting around 2007, some of the same material was offered as MP3 downloads only (rather than CDs).
The listing below documents this relatively little-known (and, in most cases, quite enjoyable) Reader's Digest big band music.
"My record date for Reader's Digest in 1969 was not one of my favorite achievements," Charlie Barnet confessed in his memoir Those Swinging Years: The Autobiography of Charlie Barnet With Stanley Dance (Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1984). The magazine, which has quite a large catalog of records that are not available in stores, decided to make a big band series in which the bands played contemporary song hits. It was ill conceived and resulted in my recording material I would not normally have touched with a ten-foot pole."
CHARLIE BARNET
Conte Candoli, Larry McGuire, John Audino, Ray Triscari, Don Fagerquist (tp), Dick Hyde, Dick Nash, Philip Teele (tb), Charlie Barnet, Bud Shank, James Cook(as), Thomas Scott, Pete Christlieb (ts), Bob Jung (bar), Pete Jolly (p), Herb Ellis (g), Max Bennett (b), John Guerin (d), Larry Bunker (percussion)
RCA Studios, Hollywood, California, December 1, 1969
A Hard Day's Night ( John Lennon-Paul McCartney ) Billy May, arranger
Call Me ( Tony Hatch ) Billy May, arranger
Music to Watch Girls By ( Tony Velona-Sidney Ramin ) Billy May, arranger
The Beat Goes On ( Sonny Bono ) Billy May, arranger
RCA Studios, Hollywood, California, December 2, 1969
Charade ( Johnny Mercer - Henry Mancini ) Billy May, arranger
Come Together ( John Lennon-Paul McCartney ) Billy May, arranger
Little Green Apples (Bobby Russell ) Billy May, arranger
The Girl From Ipanema ( Norman Gimbel-Antonio Carlos Jobim ) Billy May, arranger
"We had our full complement of horns in the sections, but there were overtones of rock 'n' roll, and even the great Billy May's arrangements couldn't overcome the nature of the songs," Barnet remarked. "We recorded what Reader's Digest wanted, not what I would have chosen, but they were paying for it and that was that."
TEX BENEKE
including Jimmy Priddy, Paul Tanner (tb), Wilbur Schwartz (cl/as), Tex Beneke (ts/vo), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Rolly Bundock (b), Jack Sperling (d), The Modernaires [ Hal Dickinson, Paula Kelly, Tommy Traynor, Autie Goodman, Paula Kelly Jr. ] (vo)
RCA Studios, Hollywood, California, mid-December 1969
Hello Dolly ( Jerry Herman ) Tex Beneke and The Modernaires, vocal
Tonight (Stephen Sondheim-Leonard Bernstein )
Walk Right In ( Gus Cannon-H. Woods )
My Favorite Things ( Oscar Hammerstein II-Richard Rodgers)
Ray Eberle, Paula Kelly and The Modernaires, vocal
Lemon Tree (Will Holt ) Tex Beneke and The Modernaires, vocal
The More I See You (Mack Gordon-Harry Warren )
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face ( Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe)
Ray Eberle, vocal
On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) ( Alan Jay Lerner - Burton Lane )
Ray Eberle and The Modernaires, vocal
I Wish You Love ( Lee Wilson-Charles Trenet ) Ray Eberle, vocal / Alan Copeland, arranger
Stranger On the Shore ( Robert Mellin-Acker Bilk ) Tex Beneke, saxophone
I Left My Heart in San Francisco ( Douglas Cross-George Cory )
Ray Eberle and The Modernaires, vocal
The above I Left My Heart in San Francisco is a completely different arrangement than was recorded for Warner Brothers in 1963.
Alan Copeland, a former member of The Modernaires who arranged the music for the recordings, listed an additional title, Last Night When We Were Young, in the discography portion of his memoir, Jukebox Saturday Nights: Alan Copeland, Pop Music, Big Bands, in Radio, Movies and TV from 1920s thru 1960s (Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media, 2007).
Copeland also reported that the sessions were produced by Charles Gerhardt and George Korngold (son of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold).
Outside of the scope of my research are the 6:26 interview of Beneke, recorded September 18, 1989, and issued on "The Best of the Big Bands: In the Mood with Glenn Miller" (S203B, 1999) and Copeland's own recordings for Reader's Digest, including a very delightful Beneke and Mods-like Carolina in the Morning, made ca.1972 and featuring Copeland and a vocal group called The Lamplighters.
The initial Reader's Digest recordings by Les Brown and His Band of Renown were copies of famous arrangements played by other bands, namely Goodman, Miller, Shaw, Herman, James, Jimmy Dorsey, and Zentner, as well as Brown's own Mexican Hat Dance and Sentimental Journey (done here as an instrumental), for the set "Popular Music Hit Parade: 110 All-Time Favorites" (RD4-63, 1968).
Later, Brown also recorded some current pops and standards for Reader's Digest.
LES BROWN
Les Brown (cl/as) directing personnel not known but probably including Don Rader (tp), Stumpy Brown (tb), Butch Stone (bar), Jack Sperling (d)
Hollywood, California, 1967
Let's Dance ( Fanny Baldridge-Gergory Stone-Joseph Bonime )
Jersey Bounce ( Robert B. Wright-Bobby Plater-Tiny Bradhsaw-Edward Johnson )
Moonglow (Will Hudson-Eddie De Lange-Irving Mills )
Woodchopper's Ball (Woody Herman - Joe Bishop )
Sentimental Journey ( Bud Green-Les Brown-Ben Homer )
Strictly Instrumental ( Eddie Seiler-Sol Marcus-Bennie Benjamin-Edgar Battle )
You Made Me Love You ( James V. Monaco-Joseph McCarthy)
Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise ( Oscar Hammerstein II-Sigmund Romberg)
Blue Flame ( Jimmy Noble-Joe Bishop )
Mexican Hat Dance (Jarabe Tapatio) ( Mexican folk dance )
So Rare ( Jack Sharpe-Jerry Herst )
Up a Lazy River ( Hoagy Carmichael-Sidney Arodin )
Hollywood, California, unknown dates (ca.1967-1970)
Walk On By ( Had David-Burt Bacharach )
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' ( Lee Hazlewood )
Baby Elephant Walk (Henry Mancini )
Gentle On My Mind ( John Hartford )
The Summer Wind ( Johnny Mercer-Henry Mayer )
The Pink Panther Theme ( Henry Mancini )
Last Train to Clarksville ( Tommy Boyce-Bobby Hart ) Jim Hill, arranger
I Want to Hold Your Hand ( John Lennon-Paul McCartney ) Jim Hill, arranger
How High the Moon ( Nancy Hamilton-Morgan Lewis ) Les Brown, arranger
On the Sunny Side of the Street ( Dorothy Fields-Jimmy McHugh )
Ballin' the Jack ( Jim Burris-Chris Smith )
A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody ( Irving Berlin )
Frankie Carle recorded prolifically for RCA Victor in the '50s and '60s, and a number of those recordings were packaged together as a four-LP set, "Frankie Carle Plays Music for Dancing" (RD-85).
I am uncertain whether the titles listed below were done for Reader's Digest or were masters from RCA Victor.
FRANKIE CARLE
as "Frankie Carle, His Piano and Rhythm"
date?
I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) ( A.J. Neiburg-Doc Dougherty-Ellis Reynolds )
Yes Sir, That's My Baby ( Gus Kahn-Walter Donaldson )
Some of These Days ( Shelton Brooks )
Imagination ( Jimmy Van Heusen - Johnny Burke )
possibly ca.1976-77
Sunrise Serenade ( Frankie Carle )
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach )
Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme) ( Paul Francis Webster-Maurice Jarre )
The Days of Wine and Roses ( Johnny Mercer-Henry Mancini )
Carle Boogie ( Frankie Carle )
Singin' in the Rain Medley: You Were Meant for Me ( Arthur Freed-Nacio Herb
Brown ) / Should I? ( Arthur Freed-Nacio Herb Brown ) / September in the Rain
( Al Dubin - Harry Warren )
DeSylva, Brown and Henderson Medley: You're the Cream in My Coffee /
Sunny Side Up ( B.G. DeSylva-Lew Brown-Ray Henderson )
A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody ( Irving Berlin )
Always ( Irving Berlin )
I Left My Heart in San Francisco ( Douglass Cross-George Cory )
Arrivederci, Roma ( Carl Sigman-Renato Rascel )
Just in Time ( Betty Comden-Adolph Green-Jule Styne )
BOB CROSBY
Bob Crosby and His Orchestra, featuring the Bobcats
probably Hollywood, California, 1967
Ballin' the Jack ( Jim Burris-Chris Smith )
Washington and Lee Swing ( Mark W. Sheafe-Clarence A. Robbins-Thornton
W. Allen )
When the Saints Go Marchin' In ( Luther G. Presley-Virgil Oliver Stamps )
Ja-da ( Bob Carleton )
Tiger Rag ( D.J. La Rocca )
personnel including Johnny Best (tp), Johnny Guarnieri (p)
RCA Studios, Hollywood, Caifornia, 1969
Mame ( Jerry Herman ) featuring the Bobcats
Patricia ( Bob Marcus-Perez Prado )
Georgy Girl ( Jim Dale-Tom Springfield )
Thoroughly Modern Millie ( Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn ) featuring the Bobcats /
Deane Kincaide, arranger
Java ( Freddy Friday-Allen Toussaint-Alvin Tyler )
Winchester Cathedral ( Geoff Stevens )
Pennies From Heaven ( Johnny Burke - Arthur Johnston )
The latest Bob Crosby release from Reader's Digest, a CD titled "Dixieland Swing" (71138 62452, 2007), also includes other instrumentals from an uncertain source - there are no liner notes with the disc.
unknown period(s)
Muskrat Ramble ( Kid Ory )
March of the Bobcats ( Bob Haggart )
Clarinet Marmalade ( Larry Shields )
South Rampart Street Parade ( Bob Crosby-Ray Bauduc-Bob Haggart )
High Society ( Porter Steele )
Gin Mill Blues ( Joe Sullivan )
Tin Roof Blues ( Paul Mares-Ben Pollack-Mel Stitzel-George Brunies-Leon
Roppolo)
Big Noise From Winnetka ( Bob Haggart-Ray Bauduc-Bob Crosby-Gil Rodin )
DUKE ELLINGTON
[ collective personnel ] Cat Anderson (tp/flug), Willie Cook, Lloyd Michels, Cootie Williams (tp), Lawrence Brown, Julian Priester, Bennie Green (tb), Chuck Connors (bass tb), Johnny Hodges (as), Russell Procope (as/cl), Norris Turney (as/fl), Paul Gonsalves, Harold Ashby (ts), Harry Carney (bs/bass cl), Duke Ellington (p/ldr/v/arr), Luther Henderson (p/arr), Wild Bill Davis (organ/arr), Paul Kondziela (b), Victor Gaskin (elec bass), Rufus Jones (d), Steve Little (bongo)
RCA Studio C, New York City, New York, September 2, 1969
La Dolce Vita ( Les Vandyke-Nino Rota ) Luther Henderson, arranger [ 3:56 ]La Dolce Vita ( Les Vandyke-Nino Rota ) Luther Henderson, arranger [ 5:30 ]Spanish Flea ( Julius Wechter ) Luther Henderson, arranger [ 2:25 ]RCA Studio C, New York City, New York, September 3, 1969
Manha de Carnaval (A Day in the Life of a Fool) ( Antonio Maria-Luis Bonfa) Ron Collier, arranger
A Taste of Honey ( Ric Marlow-Bobby Scott ) Ron Collier, arrangerSummer Samba (So Nice) ( Norman Gimbel-Marcos Valle-Paulo Sergio Valle ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger
Misty ( Johnny Burke-Erroll Garner )One Note Samba ( Jon Hendricks-N. Mendonca-Antonio Carlos Jobim ) [ 3:51 ]One Note Samba ( Jon Hendricks-N. Mendonca-Antonio Carlos Jobim ) [ 3:47 ]Alfie ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:08 ]Soon It's Gonna Rain ( Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:36 ]Soon It's Gonna Rain ( Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:46 ]Soon It's Gonna Rain ( Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:36 alt. ]Soon It's Gonna Rain ( Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:31 ]RCA Studio C, New York City, New York, September 4, 1969
Alfie ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:27 ]Mr. Lucky ( Jay Livingston-Ray Evans-Henry Mancini ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 2:11 ]Walking Happy ( Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:07 ]Moon Maiden ( Duke Ellington ) instrumental / Duke Ellington, arranger [ 3:05 ]Moon Maiden ( Duke Ellington ) Duke Ellington, vocal and arranger [ 3:04 ]Walking Happy ( Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen ) Wild Bill Davis, arranger [ 3:43 ] Charlie Barnet, a fervent admirer of Ellington, once commented, "On the tunes allotted Duke Ellington, I thought even his band was ineffective-and terribly out of tune. You might have thought he wasn't in the studio, because nowhere did I detect his piano."
SHEP FIELDS
as "Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm"; personnel not known 1969
Goin' Out of My Head ( Teddy Randazzo-Bobby Weinstein )
Can't Take My Eyes Off You ( Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio )
Michelle ( John Lennon-Paul McCartney )
Tiny Bubbles ( Leon Pober )
Those Were the Days ( Gene Raskin )
Everybody Loves Somebody ( Irving Taylor-Ken Lane )
I Will Wait for You ( Michel Legrand )
Honey ( Bobby Russell )
Diana Lee, Gene Merlino (vo)
ca. 1977
Scatterbrain ( Johnny Burke-Frankie Masters-Kahn Keene-Carl Bean )
Fred Noble, arranger
Wishing (Will Make It So) ( B.G. De Sylva ) Diana Lee, vocal / Fred Noble, arranger
Ti-Pi-Tin ( Raymond Leveen-Maria Grever ) Diana Lee and Gene Merlino, vocal /
Fred Noble, arranger
Auf Wiedersehn, My Dear ( Al Hoffman-Ed. G. Nelson-Al Goodhart-Milton Ager )
Gene Merlino, vocal / Fred Noble, arranger
Lovely to Look At ( Dorothy Fields-Jimmy McHugh-Jerome Kern ) Gene Merlino, vocal /
Fred Noble, arranger
A Little Bit Independent ( Edgar Leslie-Joe Burke ) Gene Merlino and Diana Lee, vocal /
Fred Noble, arranger
Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? ( Mack Gordon-Harry Revel )
Gene Merlino and Diana Lee, vocal / Fred Noble, arranger
(When Your Heart's On Fire) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes ( Otto Harbach-
Jerome Kern) Gene Merlino, vocal / Fred Noble, arranger
What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You)? ( Coy Poe-Jimmie Grier-Pinky
Tomlin-Earl Hatch ) Diana Lee, vocal / Fred Noble, arranger
For Reader's Digest, big band vocalist Helen Forrest sang old and new songs with Harry James (those are listed under his name), but she also worked with two other ensembles.
HELEN FORREST
Helen Forrest (vo), Alan Copeland (arr/cond)
1970
I Concentrate On You ( Cole Porter ) Helen Forrest, vocal
My Funny Valentine ( Lorenz Hart-Richard Rodgers ) Helen Forrest, vocal
I'm in the Mood for Love ( Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Fields ) Helen Forrest, vocal
Thanks for the Memory ( Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger ) Helen Forrest, vocal
Helen Forrest, The Serenaders (vo), Wally Stott (cond)
London, England, 1971
I Cried for You ( Arthur Freed-Gus Arnheim-Abe Lyman ) Helen Forrest, vocal
It Had to Be You ( Gus Kahn-Isham Jones ) Helen Forrest, vocal
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ( Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen )
Helen Forrest, vocal
I'll Never Smile Again ( Ruth Lowe ) Helen Forrest and The Serenaders, vocal
A Foggy Day ( Ira Gershwin-George Gershwin ) Helen Forrest, vocal
Once in a While ( Bud Green-Michael Edwards ) Helen Forrest and The Serenaders, vocal
Speak Low ( Ogden Nash-Kurt Weill ) Helen Forrest and The Serenaders, vocal
My Foolish Heart ( Ned Washington-Victor Young ) Helen Forrest and The Serenaders, vocal
Benny Goodman bio-discographer D. Russell Connor attended two of B.G.'s recording sessions for Reader's Digest, held in the newly-opened RCA studios at 1133 Avenue of the Americas in New York City.
"Enthusiasm was high, everyone was pleased with the results, so much so that the sidemen stayed on to listen to the playbacks, despite committments elsewhere," Connor said. "And on the third date, the author witnessed a remarkable example of professional musicianship."
"The last tune recorded that day was 'Spinning Wheel,' arranged by Frank Foster, who was in the control room watching and listening," Connor recalled. "The band ran through it once; and then there was silence. Finally Benny said, nodding toward Foster, 'I'm sorry, but that's not for us,' meaning, that's not the Goodman style. More silence. Then Hymie said, 'Look, Benny, if we do this, here . . . ,' taking a pencil and making some changes on the arragement before him, and fingering them on his horn. Then someone else, believe it was Buddy Morrow, said, 'That's right, then if we do this . . . ' And so it went, for no more than 10 minutes certainly, and possibly not longer than five, with others contributing suggestions. In that brief time the arrangement was rewritten, Benny said OK, and the band put it on the 16-track tape. Remarkable."
BENNY GOODMAN
as "Benny Goodman and His Orchestra": Benny Goodman (cl) directing Bernie Glow, Joe Newman, Snooky Young, John Frost (tp), Buddy Morrow, Lou McGarity, Chauncey Welsch, Paul Faulise (tb), Hymie Schertzer (as), Walt Levinsky (as/arr), Frank Wess, Al Klink (ts), Sol Schlinger (bar), Derek Smith (p), Bucky Pizzarelli (g), Milt Hinton (b), Grady Tate (d), Claus Ogerman (arr)
RCA Studios, New York City, New York, October 7, 1969
Windy ( Ruthann Friedman ) Walt Levinsky, arranger
Good Morning Starshine ( Gerome Ragni-James Radu-Galt McDermot )
Claus Ogerman, arranger
Aquarius ( Gerome Ragni-James Radu-Galt McDermot) Walt Levinsky, arranger
add Sammy Lowe (arr)
RCA Studios, New York City, New York, October 8, 1969
Love Theme From "Romeo and Juliet" ( Larry Kusik-Eddie Snyder-Nino
Rota ) Claus Ogerman, arranger
I'll Never Fall in Love Again ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach ) Claus Ogerman, arranger
Up-Up and Away ( Jim Webb ) Sammy Lowe, arranger [ UNISSUED ]
add Frank Foster (arr)
RCA Studios, New York City, New York, October 9, 1969
Watch What Happens ( Norman Gimbel-Michel Legrand ) Walt Levinsky, arranger
Both Sides Now ( Joni Mitchell ) Claus Ogerman, arranger
You've Made Me So Very Happy ( Berry Gordy Jr.-Patrice Holloway-Frank
Wilson-Brenda Holloway ) Frank Foster, arranger
Up-Up and Away ( Jim Webb ) Sammy Lowe, arranger
Spinning Wheel ( David Clayton Thomas ) Frank Foster, arranger
as "The Benny Goodman Sextet": Benny Goodman (cl) directing Urbie Green (tb), Derek Smith (p), Toots Theilmanns (harmonica + g), Milt Hinton (b), Grady Tate (d)
RCA Studios, New York City, New York, October 10, 1969
Bluesette ( Norman Gimbel-Jean Thielemans )
Monday, Monday ( John E.A. Phillips )
"Given Reader's Digest's mammoth marketing facilities, its several albums that issued these Goodman sides were commercial successes. However . . . these recordings have not been especially popular with Goodman collectors," Connor observed. "The playbacks on the Studio C monitors sounded great; as noted, the performers delayed moving on to listen to them, they were so good. Somehow, that sound just doesn't come through on the LP's."
BOB GRABEAU
Bob Grabeau (voc) with unknown accompaniment
Hollywood, California, ca.1968-1969
The Yankee Doodle Boy; Mary's a Grand Old Name ( George M. Cohan )
The above is believed to be Grabeau's only contribution to the Reader's Digest album "Gaslight Varieties: The Happy Music of the Gay Nineties" (RD4-71, 1969), unless he was part of the singing group The Gaslight Singers heard throughout it.
HARRY JAMES
Harry James (tp/ldr), Skip Stein, Jack Poster, Al Patacca, Gino Bazzaco (tp), Ray Sims, Bill Paynter (tb), Dave Mayten (btb), Joe Riggs, Don Mohr (cl/as), Corky Corcoran, Jack Watson (ts), Jack O'Keefe (bar), Jack Perciful (p), Chuck Lawson (b), Sonny Payne (d), Helen Forrest (vo)
RCA Studios, Hollywood, California, June 2, 1969
I've Heard That Song Before ( Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn ) Helen Forrest, vocal
I Had the Craziest Dream ( Mack Gordon-Harry Warren ) Helen Forrest, vocal
I Don't Want to Walk Without You ( Frank Loesser-Jule Styne ) Helen Forrest, vocal
I'm Beginning to See the Light ( Harry James-Duke Ellington-Johnny Hodges-
Don George ) Helen Forrest, vocal
show Thad Jones, Bob Florence (arr)
RCA Studios, Hollywood, California, June 3, 1969
Music Makers ( Don Raye-Harry James ) Thad Jones, arranger
Back Beat Boogie ( Jelly Roll Morton )
Opus One ( Sy Oliver ) Bob Florence, arranger
Harry James (tp) and possibly Thomas Holden, Jack Poster, Walter Pfyl, Clarence Stine (tp), Dave Robbins, Gail Martin, Bill Paynter (tb), Bill Byrne, Don Mohr (cl/as), Corky Corcoran, Gary Herbig (ts), Jack Watson (bar), Jack Perciful (p), John Smith (b), Sonny Payne (d)
Hollywood, California, November 12, 1970
Fly Me to the Moon ( Bart Howard )
You Go to My Head ( Haven Gillespie-J. Fred Coots )
Poor Butterfly ( John Golden-Raymond Hubbell )
Hollywood, California, November 13, 1970
My Melancholy Baby ( George A. Norton-Maybell E. Watson-Ernie Burnett )
I'll Be Seeing You ( Irving Kahal-Sammy Fain )
Pennies From Heaven ( Johnny Burke-Arthur Johnston )
Rob Turk (arr)
Hollywood, California, November 24, 1970
By the Time I Get to Phoenix ( Jim Webb )
A Taste of Honey ( Ric Marlow-Bobby Scott )
Traces ( Buddy Buie-James B. Cobb Jr.-Emory Gordy Jr. ) Rob Turk, arranger
This Guy's in Love with You ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach )
add Gene Merlino (vo)
Hollywood, California, November 25, 1970
Gigi ( Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe )
A Man and a Woman ( Jerry Keller-Francis Lai )
If Ever I Would Leave You ( Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe ) Gene Merlino, vocal
Helen Forrest (vo)
Hollywood, California, November 26, 1970
Call Me Irresponsible ( Sammy Cahn-James Van Heusen ) Helen Forrest, vocal
As Long As He Needs Me ( Lionel Bart ) Helen Forrest, vocal
More ( Norman Newell-Riz Ortolani-N. Oliviero ) Helen Forrest, vocal
It Must Be Him ( Mack David-Gilbert Becaud ) Helen Forrest, vocal
Hollywood, California, 1971
Red Wing ( Thurland Chattaway-Kerry Mills )
Blue Skies ( Irving Berlin )
One O'Clock Jump ( Count Basie )
You'll Never Know ( Mack Gordon-Harry Warren ) Bob Friedlander, arranger
Time After Time ( Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne )
My Heart Cries for You (Carl Sigman-Percy Faith )
Any Time (Herbert Happy Lawson )
Three Coins in the Fountain ( Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne )
Around the World ( Harold Adamson-Victor Young )
Penny Serenade ( Hal Halifax-Melle Weersma )
Three O'Clock in the Morning ( Dorothy Terriss-Julian Robledo )
The famed King Sisters reunited with fellow Alvino Rey alumnus Frank DeVol for some Reader's Digest recordings. DeVol's other work for the label is outside of the scope of this listing.
THE KING SISTERS
The King Sisters (vo) with orchestra conducted by Frank DeVol (arr)
probably Hollywood, California, ca.1968-1969
medley: The Gang That Sang 'Heart of My Heart' ( Ben Ryan ) / Hello! Ma Baby
( Joseph E. Howard-Ida Emerson )
probably Hollywood, California, possibly the same session
Frankie and Johnny ( Fred Karger-Alex Gottlieb-Ben Weisman ) The King Sisters, vocal
Bidin' My Time ( Ira Gershwin-George Gershwin ) The King Sisters, vocal
Button Up Your Overcoat! ( B.G. De Sylva-Lew Brown-Ray Henderson )
The King Sisers, vocal
probably Hollywood, California, ca.1970
Swanee ( Irving Caesar-George Gershwin ) The King Sisters, vocal
Zing Went the Strings of My Heart ( James Hanley ) The King Sisters, vocal
Great Day ( Billy Rose-Edward Eliscu-Vincent Youmans ) The King Sisters, vocal
It's Love, Love, Love! ( Mack David-Joan Whitney-Alex Kramer )
The King Sisters with chorus, vocal
One of the King Sisters, Marilyn, also did some solo recordings.
MARILYN KING
Marilyn King, The Miller Sisters, The Lamplighters (vo), Dick Grove (cond)
probably Los Angeles, California, ca.1971
A-Tisket, A-Tasket ( Ella Fitzgerald-Al Feldman ) Marilyn King and The Miller Sisters, vocal
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree ( Lew Brown-Charles Tobias-Sam H. Stept )
Marilyn King and The Miller Sisters, vocal
Cow-Cow Boogie ( Don Raye-Gene dePaul-Benny Carter ) Marilyn King, vocal
I Don't Know Enough About You ( Peggy Lee-Dave Barbour ) Marilyn King, vocal
Manana ( Peggy Lee-Dave Barbour ) Marilyn King and The Lamplighters, vocal
Till There Was You ( Meredith Willson ) Marilyn King, vocal
There is conflicting information about Reader's Digest recordings by Guy Lombardo and / or his band which appeared on the set "Thanks for the Memories" (RD4A-028, 1978).
According to Joe Enroughty, President of The Guy Lombardo Society, "Guy was alive when those recordings were made, and he was present. Reader's Digest planned to have that whole set be nothing but Guy Lombardo playing all those tunes. Guy became very ill before they could get back into the studios and so [ recording ] was halted. He then died. I was told that more recordings were made, and that Reader's Digest took what they felt was the best from all of them and issued them on that set with the other artists."
GUY LOMBARDO
possibly Guy Lombardo (dir): Lebert Lombardo (1st tp), Bob Madearos (2nd tp), Don Cooper (tb), Joe Cipriano (1st alto sax / fl), Bruce Swanson (2nd alto sax / cl), Al Block (ts / cl), Ronnie Ruthaller (bari / cl), Stan Keeler (piano #1), Charlie Sauss (piano #2), Bill Troiano (tuba), Ty Lemley (g / voc), Joe Van Blerk (d)
ca.1977 (or February 1978?)
Deep Purple ( Mitchell Parish-Peter De Rose )
Change Partners ( Irving Berlin ) Ty Lemley, vocal
I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five and Ten Cent Store) ( Billy Rose-
Mort Dixon-Harry Warren ) Ty Lemley, vocal
When I'm with You ( Mack Gordon-Harry Revel ) Ty Lemley, vocal
possibly other titles
Enroughty adds, "As to why they billed the band as 'Lebert Lombardo And Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians', I can only suggest that perhaps the people writing the notes and song lists for that album took note of the fact that Guy had just recently died in November of the previous year. They probably assumed that he was ill or had died by the time these recordings were made and were putting a title on those recordings based on how the band was being billed at the time of that record set's release."
FREDDY MARTIN
including Freddy Martin (tenor sax/cond), Irwin Webb (p)
Hollywood, California, 1969
Exodus ( Ernest Gold )
A Walk in the Black Forest ( Horst Jankowski )
Dominique ( Noel Regney-Soeur Sourire, O.P. )
add strings
For Once in My Life ( Ronald Miller - Orlando Murden )
The Windmills of Your Mind ( Marilyn Bergman-Alan Bergman-Michel Legrand )
A Lover's Concerto ( Sandy Linzer-Denny Randell )
BILLY MAY
Billy May (arr), personnel not known
Hollywood, California, September 1, 1968
It's Getting Better ( Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil )
Baby, I Need Your Lovin' ( Eddie Holland-Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier )
Walk On By ( Hal David-Burt Bacharach )
Cherry, Cherry ( Neil Diamond )
Spanish Harlem ( Jerry Leiber-Phil Spector )
The 11 selections below were part of the nine-LP set "Happiness Is... " (RDA-106, 1970). May wrote and forwarded the arrangements to conductor Charles Gerhardt through Charles Korngold; curiously, the recordings were billed as "Billy May and His Orchestra."
Billy May (arr), large orchestra with strings, Charles Gerhardt (cond)
London, England, March 16-17, 1970
Come Back to Me ( Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe )
Hold Me ( Little Jack Little-Dave Oppenheim-Ira Schuster )
Theme From "A Summer Place" ( Max Steiner )
Marrakesh Express ( Graham Nash )
Jackie (La Chanson de Jacky) ( Jacques Brel )
Soulful Strut ( Eugene Record-Sonny Sanders )
Pepito ( Art Truscott-Carmen Taylor )
Pass Me By ( Carolyn Leigh-Cy Coleman )
Soul Coaxing ( Sunny Skylar-Michael Polnareff )
The Stripper ( David Rose )
Little Games ( Harold Spiro-Paul Wainman )
The 3 selections below were part of the nine-LP set "Stardust" (RD4-107, 1971). Again, May did write the arrangements and Gerhardt conducted, and the recordings were billed as "Billy May and His Orchestra."
London, England, November 1, 1970
Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) ( Johnny Mercer-Harold Arlen )
Some of These Days ( Shelton Brooks )
Come Rain Or Come Shine ( Johnny Mercer-Harold Arlen )
reportedly Billy May (arr), other details not known
from this period
Sometimes I'm Happy ( Leo Robin-Clifford Grey-Vincent Youmans )
St. Louis Blues ( W.C. Handy )
What Is This Thing Called Love? ( Cole Porter )
Lover ( Lorenz Hart-Richard Rodgers )
How Deep Is the Ocean ( Irving Berlin )
VAUGHN MONROE
Vaughn Monroe, The Moon Maids (vo)
1969
Danke Schoen ( Kurt Schwabach-Milt Gabler-Bert Kaempfert ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
Till There Was You ( Meredith Willson ) Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Maids, vocal
Red Roses for a Blue Lady ( Sid Tepper-Roy Brodsky ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
My Cup Runneth Over ( Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
What Now, My Love ( Carl Sigman-Gilbert Becaud ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
Who Can I Turn To ( Leslie Bricusse-Anthony Newley ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal /
Charlie Grean, arranger
Softly, As I Leave You ( Hal Shaper-A. Devita ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
This Is My Song ( Charles Chaplin ) Vaughn Monroe, vocal
HELEN O'CONNELL
Helen O'Connell (vo), Joe Reisman (cond)
1969?
Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy) ( Joseph M. Lacalle ) Helen O'Connell, vocal
Green Eyes ( E. Rivera-Eddie Woods-Nilo Menendez ) Helen O'Connell, vocal
PAUL WESTON
Paul Weston (arr) directing Jo Stafford (vo), instrumentalists not known
Hollywood, California, October 7, 1967
I'll Be Seeing You ( Irving Kahal-Sammy Fain ) Jo Stafford, vocal
September in the Rain ( Al Dubin-Harry Warren ) Jo Stafford, vocal
Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme) ( Paul Francis Webster-Maurice
Jarre ) Jo Stafford, vocal
Hollywood, California, from this period
You Belong to Me ( Pee Wee King-Redd Stwaer-Chilton Price ) Jo Stafford, vocal
(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (with You ) ( Bing Crosby-Ned
Washington-Victor Young ) Jo Stafford, vocal
I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me ( Clarence Gaskill-Jimmy
McHugh )
Back in Your Own Backyard ( Al Jolson-Billy Rose-Dave Dreyer )
If I Had You ( Ted Shapiro-Jimmy Campbell-Reg Connelly )
add Gene Merlino, chorus (vo)
Hollywood, California, from this period
(I'd Like to Spend) One Hour with You (Leo Robin-Richard A. Whiting )
chorus, vocal
Lucky Day ( B.G. De Sylva-Lew Brown-Ray Henderson )
Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day) ( Roy Turk-
Bing Crosby-Fred E. Ahlert ) Gene Merlino, vocal
Wing to Wing
When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain ( Kate Smith-Harry Woods-
Harold Johnson ) Jo Stafford, vocal
Bell Waltz
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round ( Gustave Haenschen-Pinky Herman )
Hollywood, California, May 21, 1968
In My Merry Oldsmobile ( Vincent Bryan - Gus Edwards ) Jo Stafford and chorus, vocal
Red Wing ( Kerry Mills-Thurland Chattaway ) Jo Stafford, vocal
Hollywood, California, January 1969
Silver Threads Among the Gold ( Eben E. Rexford-Hart Pease Danks )
Jo Stafford and The Gaslight Singers, vocal
Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie ( Andrew B. Sterling-Harry von Tilzer )
Jo Stafford and The Gaslight Singers, vocal
Hollywood, California, possibly from this period
Dear World ( Jerry Herman )
That's All ( Alan Brandt-Bob Haymes )
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World ( Lorenz Hart-Richard Rodgers )
Dominique ( Noel Regney-Soeur Sourire, O.P.)
