Jan. 2, 2026

Make Believe Ballroom - 1/2/26 Edition

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Show Notes
Transcript

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom hosted by Jeff Bressler - a series of first-time ever recorded songs, an obsolete music industry profession, three great clarinetists overshadowed by Goodman and Shaw - all this and more great records and memories for your listening pleasure.

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Time.

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It's make believe ballroom time.

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Put all your cares away. All the bands are here

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to bring good cheer your way. It's make Believe ballroom

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time and free to everyone. It's no time to friend

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your Dalis said bombs. Close your eyes and visualize in

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your solitude.

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Your favorite bands are on the stands and mister Miller,

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but you're in the mood.

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It's make believe ballroom time. We are a sweet romance

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as you make the bottom.

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Come on jo the last dass last.

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Hello world, I'm Jeff Bresler, turning on the lights of

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the Make Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my Crystal

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studio for another program of classic big band jazz from

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the nineteen thirties and forties. Please get ready as I

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play for you some amazing jazz, swing, blues, and boogie

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woogie favorites. Folks, you're listening to the Make Believe Ballroom,

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broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen thirty five. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

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one and all into the Crystal studio, and thanks for

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joining me today. Time to get a little music muscle

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warm up exercise with this.

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If you like a gump, grab that one. We got

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brought it up on the bottom of the truck, black Bottom.

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There's been an about a floor.

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Fas we just heard black Bottom from a live radio

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performance by Bunny Berrigan and his orchestra at the Trianon

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Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, April seventh, nineteen thirty nine. One

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more record, then we will go to a listener's email.

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Shadows, but things.

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Ah me close in old me fasts the magic's bell.

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You kiss, this is lovely.

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And rows when you kiss me a front sides.

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And though I close my eyes, I see love and

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rose when you press me to your heart. And in

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a world apart, our world where roses.

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And when you.

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Speak, angels sing from above every day void scenes to

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tiny into love sound.

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Give yo heart and.

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Soul, Jimmy and life will always bleave.

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Love be un roll?

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How was Louis Armstrong's render of Lavvnrose recorded for Decca

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in New York City along with cy Oliver and his

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orchestra on June the twenty sixth, nineteen fifty And that

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song came from a request I had a few weeks

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back but never got to So thanks to Timothy Crawford

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for requesting that song for your emails with requests such

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as Timothy Crawford's request of Lavvnrose for dedications, remembrances, et cetera,

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et cetera. I can be reached at Jeff at make

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Believe Ballroom Radio dot com. That's Jeff at make Believe

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Ballroomradio dot com. And an email I received just last

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week comes from let me pull this up here, Wayne

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John Anderson, who listens in New Orleans, Louisiana, probably via WXDE.

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Although he doesn't specify, but one thing he did specify, though,

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was his request that I do a segment on first

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time ever recorded songs. Thanks Wayne, I can certainly do that.

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I haven't.

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I don't think done first time ever recorded songs a

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segment in several months, so now is as good a

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time as any.

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I don't want to set this whirl on fire you.

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I just want to start a flame in your heart,

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in my heart. I have but one days, and that

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won't you.

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Know what they will be.

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I've lost all ambition for wordly acclaim. Just want to

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be the one you love, and with your admission that

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you've done the same, I've read the gold I'm dreaming now.

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I don't set this former I I Just Want to Start.

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A play in your Bar.

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From Bluebird Records. I Don't Want to Set the World

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on Fire by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets, vocal by

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Myra Taylor, arranged by Eddie Durham and recorded in New

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York City, March the eleventh, nineteen forty. The first recording

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of this popular tune that we just heard was a

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real swinger for Harlan Leonard, not the ballad type love

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song that I think most of us are more familiar with.

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The Ballard tempo of I Don't Want to Set the

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World on Fire caught on probably about a year and

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a half later after the release of Harlan's record. It

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was covered by several musicians and groups, most successfully by

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Horace height on Columbia. His version reached number one on

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the US Pop charts. Also, The Inkspots recorded the song

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for Decca in nineteen forty one. That's my favorite version

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of the song, and that reached number four on the

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same list. Other early versions included those by Tommy Tucker, Mitchell.

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Ayres and in.

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Trying to Think Yeah and in Great Britain. Vira Lynn

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also recorded a Ballard version of I Don't Want to

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Set the world on fire. I'm Jeff Wrestler, and you're

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listening to the one, the only, the original Make Believe

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Ballroom broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen thirty five. And now

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how about another first time ever recorded song.

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You've got to.

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Give little, take little, Let your poor heartbreak the little.

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That's the story of. That's the glory of love. Oh,

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then you've got laugh little, quiet, little before the clouds

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drove by a little. That's the story of that's the

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glory of love.

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Oo.

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As long as there's the two of us, we've got

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the world and all its charms. And when the world

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is you with us, we've got each other arm. You've

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got to win little, lose little, and always have to

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lose the little. That's the story of. That's the glory

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of love.

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I think that.

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The thing in.

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From Bluebird Records, The Glory of Love by Willie Bryant

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and his Orchestra vocal by Willie, recorded in New York

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City on April to ninth, nineteen thirty six. And when

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you know it, but that recording, the first ever of

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the Glory of Love gave Willie Bryant glory, but for

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a very brief amount of time, because just a few

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weeks later, on April twenty third, nineteen thirty six, Benny

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Goodman went on to record his version of the song,

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and that immediately vaulted to number one on Your Hit Parade.

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But you know, I think Benny's number one recording actually

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became overlooked when in nineteen fifty one, the rhythm and

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blues vocal group The Five Keys had their biggest R

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and B hit with their version of the song, and

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that hit number one in the R and B Billboard

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charts for four weeks. And I think that version is

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the one that's most remembered by music. Love the Glory

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of Love. Here on the Make Believe Ballroom is a

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fulfiller request by Wayne John Anderson in Louisiana to do

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a segment on first time ever recorded songs. Here is

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one now by a female vocalist, most popularly attributed to

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a male crooner.

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You make me feel so young, You make me feel

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so spring has sprung and every time I see you grin,

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I I'm such a happy in individual. With the moment

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that you speak, I want to go play hide and see.

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I want to go and bounce the moon just like

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a toybol.

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You and I are.

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Just like a couple of times running across a metal

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picking up blots of forget me nots.

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You make me feel so young. You make me feel

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there are songs to be sung, bells to be wrong,

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and a wonderful flying to be flying. And even when

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I'm all and gray, I'm gonna feel the way I

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do today, cause you make me feel so young.

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You and I are just like a couple of times

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running across a meadal picking up lots of forget me nuts.

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You make me feel so young.

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You make me feel there are songs to be sung,

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theils to be wrong, and a wonderful flying to be flos.

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And even when I'm old and gray, I'm gonna feel

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the way I.

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Do today, cause you make me feel so young.

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From Capitol Records, You make Me Feel So Young, sung

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by Martha Tilton Orchestra conducted by Paul Weston and recorded

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March the twenty first, nineteen forty six, and that tune

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first appeared in the nineteen forty six film musical Three

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Little Girls in Blue. It was also recorded that year

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by Dick Haymes. But of course the song is probably

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most familiar to you from the Frank Sinatra Nelson Riddle

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arrangement that was included in Frank's really classic nineteen fifty

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six LP song for Swingin' Lovers, and you can hear

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in the Martha Tilton version from nineteen forty six that

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recorded music was changing from the band being the star

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with a short vocal refrain given to the singers. But

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here you heard Martha beginning to take center stage as

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she was featured on the record as the lead with

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the Paul Weston Orchestra providing the backup. You make me

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feel so young, and thank you to Wayne John Anderson

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from New Orleans for requesting this past segment on first

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time ever recorded songs to reach me with your requests.

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I'm Jeff at Make Believe Ballroom Radio dot Com. That's

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Jeff at Make Believe Ballroom Radio dot Com. Now, how

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about one from Old Blue Eyes himself when he was

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with Tommy Dorsey.

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It did.

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Shake down the stars, pulled on the cloths, turn off

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the moon. Do it soon. I can't enjoy this night

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without you. Shake down the stars, dry up, the streams,

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stop all my dreams, cut off the breeze. Do it please.

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I never thought I had dry about you. Shake Down

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the Stars.

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I gave you my arms, my lips, my heart, my love,

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my life, my life. But the best that I had

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to offer you I found was all too small.

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Crush every rose, hush, every prayer, break every bold do it.

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Now I know I shulnot live without you.

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Shakedown the Stars.

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On Victor Records. Shake Down the Stars written by Eddie

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DeLange and Jimmy Van Houston, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra,

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vocal by Frank Sinatra, recorded in New York City, February

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the twenty sixth, nineteen forty, and Boy Sinatra, nineteen forty.

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His voice was indeed in fine fettle. Why don't I

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play one more? Then an email? It's an interesting email

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about a long forgotten musical profession.

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Then things.

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We played La Vnrose earlier in the program, performed by

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Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver and his orchestra. I just

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played one written by Louis Enci on Brunswick Records. Dippermouth

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Blues Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, recorded in New York City,

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made the twenty third, nineteen thirty eight. I'm Jeff Bresler.

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This is the Make Believe Ballroom Weekly Edition coming to

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you today from the Crystal Studio and to reach me

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Jeff at MakeBelieve Ballroom Radio dot com. Jeff at MakeBelieve

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Ballroomradio dot com. And I promised you before Glenn Miller

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to read an email I received about a long forgotten

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musical profession, an obsolete profession in today's world, but a

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vital one for music lovers, especially in the nineteen thirties.

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To well, I guess probably the late nineteen eighties is

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really about when it started winding down. Let me read

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you the email. It says, Hello, Jeff Avid, listener of

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your fine program. For many years I used to listen

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on the radio in New York, retired to Florida, and

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now with no local station playing the Make Believe Ballroom

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where I live, I listen on the internet. I have

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a kernel of information that you might find interesting. My grandfather,

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Lou worked for the MGF Amusement Company for most of

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his work life as a route driver. In his job,

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he traveled to bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, and diners to

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change jukebox records, do basic maintenance, and most importantly for MGF,

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empty the coin boxes with a big exclamation point. I

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don't think you will find any more jukebox routemen around

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today or routemen, can you play on your show jukebox

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Saturday Night in memory of my beloved grandfather Lou. I'll

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keep on listening. And that is signed Herb Allen. Well, Herb,

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thanks for your interesting email concerning your grandfather and a

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job that is indeed now obsolete. But considering there were

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in the nineteen forty some close to half a million

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jukeboxes in the US, is root must have been hopping.

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Let me play the Glenn Miller song you requested, then

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I'll give you a little more info on the jukebox

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root man or routeman, come to think of it, Back

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to back Glenn Miller tunes here on the make Belie Ballroom,

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and no one can argue with.

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That mobbing up so to bob rickeys to our hearts daylight.

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That's to swing a real quickies jukebox Saturday night.

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Thanks ry Ma, juke.

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Box Saturday Night. But nothing.

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Megan one, Oh bleasd ustill, it's time.

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To scratch money. We really don't need bad.

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We may out all right, letting me out forgot feed

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luke box Saturday night.

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After seven US, so that we got a scheme.

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Somebody else plays the record machine.

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It's so we see to say pet names.

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When you listen to the trumpet of Harry James.

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We love to hear that tenor cruse whenever the inkspot.

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Sing it to.

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If I didn't know.

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Why the roses grow, then I would why the roses growl.

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Oh, listen, many child. I didn't know all them little things.

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I'm supposed alone, and I sure would be.

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A sad man.

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If I didn't no money.

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We recorded in Chicago, Illinois, on July the fifteenth, nineteen

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forty two Jukebox Saturday Night, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra

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featuring Tex Bennikey, Marion Hutton and the Modernaiirs on Victor Records.

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So for you, Herb Allen, some info on your grandpa

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lose job as a juke box routeman for MGF Amusements.

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In researching this, you know, it's kind of interesting because

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in many ways the Rootman, which was for the most

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part a blue collar job, was also in many ways

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the root Man was the first live DJ, although they

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for the most part weren't present in the venue and

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didn't physically spin records for the patrons who listened to

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the music and put their nickels and dimes into the machines.

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A jukebox play in the thirties and forties was a nickel.

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By the mid forties was two songs for ten cents,

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which might not sound like a discount, it certainly wasn't.

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It sort of just made you play two records at

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a time. The rootman, well, he was part technician, he

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was part salesman, he was part as I just mentioned,

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music DJ. The routeman came into contact with the jukeboxes,

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as Herb mentioned in his email, and restaurants, diners, lounges,

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bowling alleys, bars, and taverns, and he usually served these

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service these jukeboxes weekly or bi weekly, depending on how

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busy the jukebox actually was, and that of course meant

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driving from location to location, collecting coins, repairing jams, replacing

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worn needles, and most importantly, choosing the records. I think

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I mentioned before Jukebox Saturday Night that by the early

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nineteen forties there were roughly four hundred to a half

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a million jukeboxes in the United States, and they accounted

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for a huge share of record plays. In some years,

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jukeboxes were accounted for as well over half of all

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record listening revenue. So here is where the root man

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quietly shaped music history by becoming basically the DJ. So

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each jukebox held only a limited number of records, and

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this space was indeed precious. Routemen learned fast which song's

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patrons replayed and which ones got skipped. And if the

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A side of a record wasn't pulling nickels in but

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the B side was, the root man didn't care what

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the label intended. He just flipped the record card and

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the B side became the hit. And that's how many

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swing and big band surprise klass quote on, not because

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a record company pushed them, but because working people kept

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choosing them, literally five cents at a time. And we

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have discussed so many times here on the Make Believe

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Ballroom how B sides are one out to become hits

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over the A side, And I never realized that much

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of this might have been attributed to jukebox plays. A

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routeman also tailored selections to the rooms. A neighborhood tavern,

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for example, well they might get bluesier swing, whereas a

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diner near a factory might favor hot instrumentals. A dance

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hall might need steady rhythm over sweet vocals, And over

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time the routman became an expert listener, reading crowds before

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anyone called it more at research. So when you hear

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a big band tune that came out of nowhere, remember

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it may not have been a radio announcer like Martin

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Block on the Make Believe Ballroom, or a label executive

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who made a specific record a hit. Might have been

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a guy with a toolkit stack of seventy eight and

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the route to run the jukebox root man like Grandpa Lou,

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deciding on hits one nickel at a time. So thanks

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herb Allen for your email, and let me play one

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more tune about jukeboxes. This little played song about jukeboxes

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from the Andrews Sisters.

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He was dumble Ray. They met in the rattle of Spook,

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in the babble of the Nickel Severnee. On that song

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the record plate Nicol Sadi paid and the guest to rendezvous.

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The rest listen to the Nichol Severne. They danced and

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sang their cares away till.

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The break of don He told her he.

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Would always say, but he was gone, So he's back.

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In his freakame.

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So the lonely little Maid, he is left all alone.

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A blue cries while she listened to the Nickel Seonee

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saronnee Maronnicle Sarnae me.

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The break of John, Oh, that Lord.

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The sona.

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I had a head, a head.

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For my lord.

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Once the soldier met a made.

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Ride after he was un the raised.

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In the rattle of the hooking, the balble of.

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The Nickels Serenade.

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I'm not long a reconplators of the Nickels Lady Page

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and lost keptin Ronde, who.

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Recently listened to the Nickel.

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Serenade.

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Now he's back in his brigade.

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So the Lonely Little Maid, he is left all Alona.

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Group watch the Nickla.

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On Decca Records, The Nickel Serenade the Andrews Sisters with

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the Orchestra under the direction of Vic Shoen, recorded July

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the thirtieth, nineteen forty one, in New York City. I'm

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Jeff Pressler, and this is the Make Believe Ballroom coming

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to you today from the Crystal Studio. Let's play one

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more record. Then you know there was a life beyond

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Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman, at least where the clarinet

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is concerned.

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Damn man.

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Is damn man says to knock you off your bet.

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He's a killer.

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Damn man.

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Praise the reps.

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Man prays you.

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Plaise the cat something to kill you. It makes no difference.

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If you like your music had a mellow, he sure

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to knock.

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You off your music. Very for you your forgeller, Damn man.

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This n't you find a fringing going off?

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Your heads around?

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Better get the street to silas.

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Seem any feeble.

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Where you see.

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It's damn man. Now if you mind bringing now John

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00:48:52.519 --> 00:48:54.199
isn't here, Miss Simmer.

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Better get street in silence, gets the appell a bill

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of Deli.

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It's Miller us adla Mister Miller.

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Recorded in Los Angeles in nineteen forty six on Parlophone Records.

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We heard Bill Early on the piano, Slim Gaillard the

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guitar and lead vocal, Bam Brown string bass and backup vocal,

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and the great scat Man Cruthers playing the drums and

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also offering backup vocal. The Slim Gaillard quartet with jam

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Mann and talking about jamming in many ways. Some of

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the great clarinetists of the thirties and forties were well,

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they were so overshadowed by Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman

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that they were in many ways overlooked as legends of

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the instrument. So let's right or wrong here the great guitarist,

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banjo player and bandleader Eddie Condon. He did a series

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of jazz radio broadcasts called Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts that

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took place in New York City's Town Hall from nineteen

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forty four to forty five, and on the August twenty sixth,

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nineteen forty four broadcast, Eddie had on stage three clarinet

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legends Ernie Cassaris, Joe Marsala and Pee Wee Russell playing

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a number titled Clarinet Chase. And Eddie Condon does all

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the work here for me, because on the broadcast you

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will hear him mention which of the three of these

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legends were playing the clarinet. Speaking of legends, this was

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a legendary radio remote.

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I'm still on this all request thing, meaning this the

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three clanet sensation here that we're going to do was

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done several weeks ago, and it looks like it's ready

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to go again. And there spent a number of requests

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come in for it. We're gonna start this with two beats?

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Make Believe Ballroom - 1/2/26 Edition

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