Written by Thomas Dorsey
Performed by Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys
Recorded 1951
2:08
Read John Rumble’s essay on this selection at the NationalRecording Registry, here!
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Pictures at an Exhibition.
Music by Morgan Lewis; lyrics by Nancy Hamilton
Performed by Les Paul and Mary Ford
Recorded Jan. 4, 1951
2:08
Read Dave Hunter’s essay at the National Recording Registry here.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Peace in the Valley.
NRR Project: “Dust My Broom”
Written by Robert Johnson
Performed by Elmore James
Recorded Aug. 5, 1951
2:42
Read Jas Obrecht’s essay at the National Recording Registryhere!
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: How High the Moon.
NRR Project: Leon Metcalf Collection of recordings of the First People of Western Washington State
Recorded 1950-1954
Well, here’s one I have no idea about. Fortunately, Jay Miller has written all about it; you can find his excellent notes on this selection here.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Dust My Broom.
NRR Project: “Tennessee Waltz”
Music by Pee Wee King; lyrics by Redd Stewart
Performed by Patti Page
Recorded November, 1950
3:01
This song has an interesting history.
First, read Ryan Dooley’s excellent essay on this piece at the National Recording Registry.
It was conceived by two country-music practitioners, Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart. On tour with their Golden West Cowboys in 1946, they heard Bill Monroe’s classic, the “Kentucky Waltz,” over the radio. King had written a waltz with no name; King and Stewart scratched out the lyrics that Monroe’s song inspired in the truck they were driving.
The Golden West Cowboys version sold well, and was covered shortly afterwards by Cowboy Copas. In 1950 Erskine Hawkins produced an R & B- flavored rendition. It was this iteration of the tune that caught the attention of reviewer Jerry Wexler, who brought it to manager Jack Rael. Rael, who was developing the career of singer Patti Page, though it would be an excellent idea to set the tune in a lush orchestral arrangement.
And, for the first time ever, a singer was overdubbed. Page had an excellent idea for a harmony vocal, but the money for a backup singer was not forthcoming. So, Page herself recorded both tracks – recording directly onto the acetate recording surface (multiple-track recorders not being utilized yet). The result is a haunting, wistful song that laments the loss of a lover while dancing with the singer’s friend during the song of the title.
The song was wildly popular and spurred a multitude of covers. Page’s career was made, and this became her signature song.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Leon Metcalf Collection of recordings of the First People of Western Washington State.
NRR Project: “Teardrops from My Eyes”
Written by Rudy Toombs
Performed by Ruth Brown
Recorded 1950
2:55
Everything you need to know about this cut is present in Steve Bergsman’s excellent essay on the piece at the National Recording Registry.
It’s interesting that this song should be considered a precursor to rock ‘n’ roll. This song, if sung slowly and with expressiveness, plays out like any ballad; the difference here is that Ruth Brown, the “Queen of R & B,” takes the song at a jaunty, blistering pace, making it a song you can move to, that lifts you up out a state of neutrality. If that’s one definition of rock, so be it.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Patti Page sings Tennessee Waltz.
NRR Project: “Mambo No. 5”
Written by Perez Prado
Performed by Perez Prado and His Orchestra
Recorded 1949; released 1950
2:10
First, read Gustavo Perez Firmat’s expert essay on this selection at the National Recording Registry.
Few can understand the enormity of the mambo craze. EVERYBODY made a mambo recording. If you have ever gone through your great-grandparents’ LP collection, the odds are good that you will find some old mambo albums there. This dance for two is relatively simple, and it swept the country like proverbial wildfire. It was exuberant, flashy. It matched the mood of the times, when America ruled the free world and nightclubs proliferated across the landscape.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Teardrops from My Eyes.
NRR Project: “Peace in the Valley” Written by Thomas Dorsey Performed by Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys Recorded 1951 2:08 Read...
