Episodes
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Light Up and Listen Club - Pgm 327
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
We go north of the border again for another episode of the popular “Light Up and Listen Club” program heard for several years on Canadian radio stations and sponsored by Sweet Caporal cigarettes.
Program 327 in the series features the novelty group, the Vass Family and the first song is “Louisiana Hayride”. They also do their own version of the “Little Red Riding Hood” story in song.
These kids are downright goofy, aren’t they?
Our program was transferred from an original RCA Orthacoustic vinyl transcription, matrix number MS 01307.
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Here’s to Romance - Pgm 45
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
And how a half-hour of light romantic music hosted by Jim Ameche with Ray Bloch and His Orchestra and Chorus and vocalist Larry Douglas.
Program 45 in the series as it was heard on the Armed Forces Radio Service kicks off with the romantic ballad “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (?!?).
Our show was dubbed directly from an original vinyl 16” Armed Forces Radio Service transcription. There’s an indication in the matrix that the disc is “dubbed”, so this is probably a show assembled from parts of various other episodes.
And deepest thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Raymond Scott - Pgm 146
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Here’s another fifteen minutes of big band music by Raymond Scott.
Our show was originally heard September 8, 1944 on CBS and distributed as program 146 in the series for the Armed Forces Radio Network. The first song is “Amore”. I think this is a previously uncirculated episode.
The program was transferred direct to digital from an original vinyl Armed Forces Radio Service transcription; the date is from the disc matrix.
Again, our thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Waltz Time - April 20, 1945
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
And now, another episode of “Waltz time”, the popular program of light music created by Frank and Anne Hummert.
The first song is “This Heart of Mine”. Abe Lyman and His Orchestra, vocalist Frank Munn, the Amsterdam Chorus. The announcer is Andre Baruch.
The show was originally heard on NBC on April 20, 1945 and was distributed as program 81 in the series for the Armed Forces Radio Service.
Our mp3 was transferred from an original Armed Forces Radio vinyl transcription. The date is from the matrix. It appears to be a previously uncirculated episode.
Many thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers - April 23, 1951
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Following up on our previous post, here's a complete network broadcast of "Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers" heard April 23, 1951.
The first song on the show is “Give the World a Song”. The program is sponsored by Quaker Corn Meal and Quaker Grits. The CBS network “pip” is heard at the beginning and a CBS ID from a network announcer at the end.
Grady Cole was a legend in North Carolina broadcasting. As a young newspaper reporter, he started doing a program on WBT in Charlotte in 1930. The following year, he accepted a job at the station and was on the air for 30 years, retiring in 1961. Cole was on the air in the mornings for a couple of hours for WBT, and did the farm report and other programming throughout the day. In the 1980s, a popular public venue was named after him.
By the way, you can hear Grady Cole's hilarious 1950s "manure spreader" blooper at the BT Memories site.
The Johnson Family Singers were a popular and gospel singing group from Randolph County, North Carolina. (The Southern Folklife Center at UNC has several of their recordings, scripts, and other materials.). They were on WBT with regular shows starting in the early 1940s. This program was broadcast just a few months before their contract with Quaker Oats ended, along with their regular series on WBT. You can read a tribute to Grady Cole by one of the Johnson Family Singers in a book about the group.
Our program was transferred direct to digital from an original line check 16” lacquer from WDNC in Durham, NC.
It's too bad more of these don't survive - they're fascinating examples of local and regional Southern radio during the classic Old Time Radio era.
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers - Dec 25, 1950 excerpt
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
In this holiday post, a (very) short glimpse into holiday programming as heard on local and regional radio.
This is an excerpt from a 15 minute transcribed program originating at WBT in Charlotte, NC on December 25, 1950 and carried on a regional segment of the CBS Radio Network.
The excerpt starts of with a brief introduction from announcer Grady Cole before the Johnson Family sings “Silent Night”. We have more remarks from Grady before the Johnson Family does the theme song of the show as Grady puts in a pitch for the sponsor, Quaker Corn Meal.
Grady Cole was a legend in North Carolina broadcasting. As a young newspaper reporter, he started doing a program on WBT in Charlotte in 1930. The following year, he accepted a job at the station and was on the air for 30 years, retiring in 1961. Cole was on the air in the mornings for a couple of hours for WBT, and did the farm report and other programming throughout the day. In the 1980s, a popular public venue was named after him.
By the way, you can hear Grady Cole's hilarious 1950s "manure spreader" blooper at the BT Memories site.
The Johnson Family Singers were a popular and gospel singing group from Randolph County, North Carolina. (The Southern Folklife Center at UNC has several of their recordings, scripts, and other materials.). They were on WBT with regular shows starting in the early 1940s. This program was broadcast just a few months before their contract with Quaker Oats ended, along with their regular series on WBT. You can read a tribute to Grady Cole by one of the Johnson Family Singers in a book about the group.
Our little bit of local Christmas radio was transferred from an original one-sided 12” lacquer. The other two parts of the broadcast don’t survive.
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
Guy Lombardo - Pgm 62
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
Guy Lombardo steps up to the microphone again this week with another program in his series “Guy Lombardo and His Musical Autographs”, originally heard on the NBC Blue Network. The show was originally broadcast April 9, 1945 and we hear the version distributed as program 62 in the series for the Armed Forces Radio Network. The first song on the show is “All of My Life”.
The show was transferred from an original 16” vinyl Armed Forces Radio Service transcription. The date is from the disc matrix.
My thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the blog!
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
The Hour of Charm - April 7, 1945
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
Saturday Dec 15, 2018
Kicking off the blog posts this week, light music from the popular All-Girl Orchestra of “The Hour of Charm”.
The episode of April 7, 1945, originally heard on NBC and rebroadcast on Armed Forces Radio as program 105 in the series, is “Pictures at an Exhibition”. The show kicks off with “In an Eighteenth Century Drawing Room”. Featured are Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra, Evelyn and Her Magic Violin.
Our show was dubbed direct to digital from an original Armed Forces Radio 16” vinyl transcription; the date is from the matrix. Our thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Raymond Scott - August 22, 1944
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Here’s another fifteen minutes of nice big band arrangements, courtesy of Raymond Scott and His Orchestra with vocalist Dorothy Collins as it was heard on Armed Forces Radio as program 141 in the series. The first tune on the program is “Sweet and Lovely”. Also heard is the new ballad, “I’ll Walk Alone”.
These arrangements do sound a lot like the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Our mp3 comes direct from an original 16” vinyl Armed Forces Radio Service Transcription. The date is from the disc matrix.
Thanks to blog listener William Harris for donating the disc to the collection!
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Supper Club - March 7, 1945
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Saturday Dec 08, 2018
Now a little Perry Como on “The Chesterfield Supper Club”, originally heard on NBC, but broadcast here as program 45 in the series “Supper Club” on the Armed Forces Radio Service.
Perry starts of the show with “I’m Beginning to See the Light”. Also heard in the show are Mary Ashworth and guest Victor Borge in a routine on composers writing hit songs.
The show was dubbed direct to digital from an original vinyl 16” Armed Forces Radio Service transcription disc.
Thanks again to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc for the collection!