Hawaiian Hula Song, a classic. A seductive beauty does the hula while a duo play on guitar and slide. During the last third of the song, the rhythm picks up, becoming swingy. Where Hawaiian traditional and American Jazz meet, practically western swing.
MORE ...It’s clear that Martha Davis wears the pants in this relationship. Influenced by the great Fats Waller, she and her husband, bassist Calvin Ponder, who would later play with Earl Hines, performed in nightclubs across Chicago.
MORE ...Gordon Terry performs his hit song ‘It Ain’t Right’ live, backed by the great Billy Mize and the equally talented Cliff Crofford. Another clip documenting the birth of authentic rockabilly.
MORE ...Louis Jordan performs “How Long Must I Wait for You” with his Timpany Five. Considered by some to be no more than a long running novelty act, back in the day he battled Chick Webb and conceived lyrics with wit that rivals Dylan or any modern-day rapper.
MORE ...Lionel Hampton performs Bongo Interlude, a number that oozes with the exotica motifs prevalent in American pop culture at that time.
MORE ...Who doesn’t love a great yodeler? It’s Rosalie Allen, who taught herself to play music as a child in Pennsylvania on her brother’s guitar. Involving herself with radio, she scored her first hit covering Patsy Montana’s “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” In this piece, Rosalie sees her beau off to war, a scenario […]
MORE ...In this clip, western-swing act Jimmy Wakely & the Sunshine Girls perform “You Are My Sunshine.” Jimmy Wakely was a Hollywood B-Western personality. With his career zenith during the studio system, Wakely would star in cowboy matinees and be featured in a comic book series. “You are my Sunshine,” one of the most covered songs […]
MORE ...Take any home. Your home! Set it aglow with the magic of music. Then watch as it opens a new world of fun and enjoyment for you and your family. It’s RCA Victor’s brilliant new best of ’57 albums including the artistry of Frankie Carle … Lena Horne … Harry Belafonte … Free and easy […]
MORE ...Tica Ti Tica Ta, produced in 1942, stars “dynamite swing singer” Ginger Harmon and vaudeville dancing team the Mercer Brothers. On April 18, 1942 Billboard’s Movie Machine Reviews writes, “Ginger Harmon and the Mercer Brothers don South American garb for Tica Ti – Tica Ta. Ginger sings well and the nimble Mercer boys contribute a […]
MORE ...Ruth Brown performs Raining Teardrops from My Eyes live in 1955.
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