July of 1951

The link, below, is to a post on this blog from ten years ago.

The post (to which I made a few changes, before including the link, here) concerned, in part, two recordings from July, 1951 (one by Louis Armstrong, and one by the George Siravo Orchestra); it also concerned a weekly television show from 1951 starring bandleader Freddy Martin, The Freddy Martin Show (also known as The Hazel Bishop Show, after its lipstick sponsor). The program--on which my mother was a regular guest--aired on NBC from July to November of 1951.  I wrote about the program in my book about early TV.

There are a couple of references, in the original post, to "sixty years ago":  "sixty years ago this month," and "sixty years ago this week."

The passage of time most certainly startles;  those references, if written today, would read "seventy years ago."  My mother's first appearance on Freddy Martin's program--a show which in addition to Martin and his orchestra starred singer Merv Griffin, pianist Murray Arnold, and the vocal group The Martin Men--took place seventy years ago today.

https://andrewleefielding.blogspot.com/2011/07/july-1951.html

Happy July 4th

A version of the following post--which includes links to two renditions of "America the Beautiful"--originally appeared in this space two years ago, on July 4th:

The first performance of the song, below, is by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by a chorus, though I don't know the year of the recording.  I enjoy this version of the song a lot.  

It was not uncommon for Mr. Sinatra to change certain lyrics, and there is one alteration, near the start of the song. The phrase "above the fruited plain" becomes, in Sinatra's hands, "above thy fruited plain."  I don't recall ever hearing another singer make this particular change--yet coming from Sinatra, it sounds interesting, and pleasantly distinctive.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0xC9xFuBvo

The second version of the song is by Ray Charles, from a 1972 telecast of The Dick Cavett Show.  Mr. Charles's performance--vocally, and on the piano--is beautiful.  There are unseen supporting musicians--including a lovely organ accompaniment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg