Episodes
Friday Feb 05, 2010
Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam - Pgm 108
Friday Feb 05, 2010
Friday Feb 05, 2010
Harry “Singin’ Sam” Frankel had a popular program in the thirties, singing "oldies" - songs that were popular hits of the day at the turn of the century and assembled a remarkable collection of original sheet music that he drew upon for obscure material for his program.
"Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam" was a syndicated series Frankel produced in the 1940s, just a few years before he passed away. Program 108 in the series kicks off with "When That Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam" and features other old songs with new arrangements provided by the Charles Magnante Trio and the Mullins Sisters. Our mp3 was transferred from an original Transcription Sales, Inc vinyl disc, matrix number L-19676-A1. This one's been through some click reduction since the original disc had been stored without a sleeve for many years.
Thursday Aug 27, 2009
Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam - Pgm 107
Thursday Aug 27, 2009
Thursday Aug 27, 2009
Singin' Sam returns this week with another quarter hour of "oldies" your great-grandparents might remember from the turn of the last century.
In program 107, the first song is an upbeat version of "I'll See You in My Dreams". Then Sam gives us the forgotten songs "When the Poppies Bloom Again" and "I've Got Rings on My Fingers (And Bells on My Toes)", and wraps up with the old standard, "My Wild Irish Rose". Our program was transferred from original Transcription Sales, Inc vinyl disc, matrix number L-19688-A1. The disc was in pretty rough shape and has been run through some de-clicking software to clean up the sound. Be sure to check out the comments for "Singin' Sam", program 104 in the blog. Listener Jim Widner offers up some corrections to my bio of Harry "Singin' Sam" Frankel in the post and some additional information on his life and career.
Sunday Jul 19, 2009
Reminiscin' With Singin' Sam - Pgm 104
Sunday Jul 19, 2009
Sunday Jul 19, 2009
Let's drop in and sit a spell with that other crooner, Singin' Sam, in his 1940s syndicated series of old songs familiar to that era's moms, dads, and grandparents.
In program 104 in the series, the first song is "Fancy Nancy Clancy". We also hear "Ramona" and "All About a Dream", a song that sounds like it's from the 19th century. The show was transferred from original Transcription Sales, Inc vinyl disc, matrix number L-19668-A1. Click reduction has been applied to the file since the original disc was in rough shape.
Wednesday Jul 01, 2009
Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam - Pgm 103
Wednesday Jul 01, 2009
Wednesday Jul 01, 2009
A few months ago, I picked up several discs of "Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam" that don't appear to be in circulation, so I'll be putting one up on the blog now and then. The July 4th weekend seems like a perfect time to dive into this little slice of Americana.
Harry Frankel, aka "Singin' Sam", was a native of Kentucky. Starting in minstrel shows and vaudeville, he got his big break on radio in 1930 on WLW in Chicago. He show was heard throughout the thirties and he became known as "Singin' Sam, the Barbasol Man" and he'd keep the "Singin' Sam" name for a series he did for Coca-Cola from 1937 to 1942. Sam passed away in 1948 and his sheet music collection and personal papers and records are housed in the Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana. The Library has an online digital collection of his 78 rpm recordings, photographs and memorabilia. "Reminiscin' with Singing' Sam" was a syndicated series he produced through his own company in the 1940s and preserves his unique singing style and radio presence. Frankel possessed one of the largest private collections of sheet music in the country and the focus of his show were long-forgotten popular songs that were "oldies", some reaching back to the late 19th century. With his warm, "down home" manner, he'd invite the parents and grandparents to pull up a chair in front of the radio and remember the good old times and songs of long ago. The fun for listeners today is rediscovering long-forgotten tunes. Program 3 in the series kicks off with what sounds like an old minstrel show tune, "When I'm Walkin' With My Sweetness", and we also hear "My Little Mule Wagon". Sam is backed by the Charles Magnante Trio and the Mullins Sisters. You might remember Charles Magnante from his work on the Jack Berch Show, heard previously on the blog. Our mp3 was transferred from original Transcription Sales, Inc vinyl disc, matrix number L-19667-A1. The original "Singin' Sam" discs I obtained were stored without sleeves for many years and were pretty scuffed up; I've run the file through some click reduction software to make it more listenable.