Lately, I’ve had this hankering to listen to some music from the Depression and WWII era. Specifically, I want to hear some good Big Band stuff like Glenn Miller, some Western Swing like Bob Wills, some Mambo like Cugat or Desi Arnaz, and some vintage Hawaiian music like they would have played in the ballroom of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki.
I don’t have a lot of knowledge of these genres, so I’m looking for stuff that would be a good introduction to them.
Any suggestions?
They didn’t have CDs in WWII. You could only get vinyl.
No thanks are necessary. Just glad to be able to help.
Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? Remember how she said that we would meet again, some sunny day?
If you want great movies of the thirties, get the Busby Berkeley Album (http://allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=A467222). It’s got some great Harry Warren tunes like “42nd Street,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” “Honeymoon Hotel,” “Dames,” and “Lullabye of Broadway.”
I’ve also got a good compilation album called "The Milleneum Anthology (http://allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=A281291). It’s got great songs by Gershwin, Berlin, and Porter, who, with Warren, make up a greatest of American popular composers. There’s also a Glenn Miller version.
Are you the little boy that Santa Claus forgot? Because, goodness knows, you didn’t want a lot?
There’s a pretty good collection out there that I found. There’s two sets of 5 CDs called Songs that Won the War. It’s about $20 a set, and not too shabby for what you get.
Smithsonian Recordings did up WWII set probably called something like, “'Til We Meet Again” might be able to find it under http://www.smithsonian.gov?
Hoo-hah! Some of my favorite music! I don’t have a CD player (still usin’ my Victor Talking Machine), but I can recommend some artists to look for in the 1930–50 period:
• The Andrews Sisters, for red-hot WWII three-part harmony (and The Boswell Sisters, for equally good vocals from the 1930s).
• Carmen Miranda—she MUST be out on CD by now.
• I too adore Glenn Miller; other good bands to look for from the '40s are Harry James, Artie Shaw and (though I’m not a huge fan) Benny Goodman.
• Cab Calloway and His Harlemaniacs, for incredible 1930s jazz. Look for his earlier stuff (early 1930s), it’s his best.
• Ray Noble had a great British band in the 1930s—try to find a collection with vocals by Ak Bowlly (the British Bing Crosby).