WEBVTT
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Tikets make Believe ball on time, But all your cares away,
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all the bands are here to bring.
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Good cheer your way.
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It's make me a falling time and free to everyone.
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It's no time to friend your dalis said by mine.
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Suppose your eyes and visu lie in your solitude. Your
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favorite bands are on the stand, and mister Miller, once
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you're in the mood, it's make believe falling Time. We
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are a sweet Roman. Is you make common to last?
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Dast list?
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Hello world, I'm Jeff Presler, 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 yet another program of the great big band
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hits of the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties. Whether you're
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listening today on the radio via great affiliates like Jazz
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ninety point one WGMC in Rochester, New York, or on
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a podcast, or perhaps on internet radio across the UK,
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anyway you have arrived. I am delighted that you are
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here and ready to bring you an hour of some
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wonderful big band jazz, swing, blues and boogie woogie classics. Folks,
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you're listening to the Make Believe Ballroom broadcasting almost continuously
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since nineteen thirty five, and hello friends today, I'm very
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excited because I have a special program for you. If well,
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if you've been following the Make Believe Ballroom for a
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number of years, you know that once a year, I
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look through the playlists of the last twelve months to
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find out which band leaders I haven't played in that time.
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So we're gonna hear a number of records today, not
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from Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw or Glenn Miller or
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Cab Callaway or Count Basie or Duke Ellington of the
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Dor season like, but we're gonna hear songs from musicians
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who were popular during the big band era but whose
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music is not so wildly popular today. And that perhaps
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is why I takes a year between tunes from some
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of these guys. But they're all very talented, and I
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think you're really going to enjoy the music. And hope
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that makes sense to you. Dylan, the snotty kid is here.
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He just walked into the studio. Dylan, what I just
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said that that makes sense to you? Dylan, half looking
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at his phone, half off in space, half nodding his head.
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So I guess even Dylan. That made some sense, So
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I guess we are on our way, and Dylan, thanks
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for coming into the studio once again. I mentioned this frequently.
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Dylan is twenty three years old, and here at the
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Crystal Studio. We have some auxiliary studios down the hallway
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where podcasts are made, and Dylan does a very nice
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podcast on gaming. But Dylan listening several months ago to
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one of our shows as I was broadcasting it in
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the hallway, we have like a little green room, so
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to speak, with some couches and a coffee maker and things.
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He actually enjoyed the music. So sometimes he comes in
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early to hear the whole show and sits here in
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the studio. So Dylan, welcome once again. But back to
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the business at hand. The first record I am going
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to play today is from Bobby Sherwood. Bobby was best
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known in the industry as Bing Crosby's favorite guitar player,
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but in actuality, Bobby was a very versatile, multi talented musician.
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Sherwood could sing, he could compose, he was an arranger,
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and he played multiple instruments, though he focused mainly during
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his professional career on the guitar, which I just mentioned.
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But when he started leading his own band, he leaned
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more towards the trumpet, and today Bobby Sherwood is best
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remembered for this song.
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Used to.
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From Capitol Records. We just heard the Elk's Parade Bobby
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Sherwood and his Orchestra, recorded on May the second, nineteen
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forty two, and that was our first selection of a
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show dedicated today to only play band leaders who we
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have not heard from in the past year. Here on
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the one the only, the original Make Believe Ballroom.
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The object of my affection can change my complexion, complied
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to Rosy Red. Oh, anytime she holds my hand and
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tells me that she's mine. There are many girls who
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can thrill me and some who can kill me. But
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I'll just hang around Oh and keep acting like a
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clown until she says she's mine now. I'm not afraid
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that she'll leave me now, because she's not that kind
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who takes a dare, But instead I trust her implicitly.
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She can go where she wants to go, do what
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she wants to do, and I Stow won't care, because
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the object of my affection can change my complexion from
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white to losy red. Oh, anytime she holds my hand
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and tells me that she's mine.
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Mine now I am.
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I'm not afraid that she'll leave me now because she's
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not that kind who takes it care. But instead I
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trust her implicitly. She can go where she wants to go,
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do what she wants to do, and I show won't
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care because the Object of my Affection can change my
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complexion from why to those events. Oh anytime that baby
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holds my hand and tells me.
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That she's.
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From Brunswick Records, We Just Listened to the Object of
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My Affection by Jimmy Greer and his Orchestra with a
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vocal by Pinky Tomlin, recorded in Los Angeles, October fifth,
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nineteen thirty four, and the band leader. Jimmy Greer was
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a clarinetist, a composer, and the band leader. Early on
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in his career, he worked with some of the greats,
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including Abe Lyman, Georgie Stall, and Gus Arnheim. Jimmy Greer
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was pretty popular as a band leader in the thirties,
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but Jimmy forever will be remembered for writing the song
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we Just Heard the Object of My Affection, which he
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co wrote along with Pinkey Tomlin. Now The version I
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just played was a popular tune back in nineteen thirty four,
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and it became even more popular one year later in
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thirty five, when Jimmy Greer went back into the studio
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for Brunswick and made an even better seller with the
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Boswell Sisters providing the vocals. Jimmy Greer the second band
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leader whose music we have not heard on the Make
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Believe Ballroom over the past year, And why don't we
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go now for a third recording? It's nothing, No, we
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just listened to Frankie Newton and his Cafe Society Orchestra
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with Frankie's Jump recorded on Parlophone Records in New York
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City in April of nineteen thirty and Frankie Newton was
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a highly regarded jazz trumpeter. He played with Chickwebb, Benny Carter,
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and Lucky Millinder. Between March nineteen thirty seven and August
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of nineteen thirty nine. Frankie Newton recorded eight sessions as
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a band leader, and Frankie's Jump came out of one
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of those studio dates. Frankie Newton, let's keep writing the
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wrong by continuing to honor band leaders whose music we
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have not played over the past year. Let's go to
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a record now, what about one from Dick sta Bile.
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Dick played the sax and he was also clarinetist, serving
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as a musician and bandleader for over forty years. So
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long and successful career for Dick Stabile, and I've picked
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the good one from Dick for your listening pleasure.
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My ambition to audition for a swell radio Yes, to
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tell you why I love you from Coast to coat.
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It's not the money in the honey that I keep
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thinking of, it's the chance to romance you from coast
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to coast. Sometimes I start to pour off my heart
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and writing, but through a micro word sound more exciting.
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So if I get work on the network, honey, I'll
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sing you a host when I broadcast I Love You
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from Coast to coo.
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An absolutely wonderful record from Sachs Great Dick Stabeel and
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his orchestra, I Love You from Coast to Coast on
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Bluebird Records, recorded in nineteen thirty six. Billy Trask was
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on the vocal for that one, and Dick actually did
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double duty on that record. We also get to hear
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him play the clarinet A little later on in the
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piece Dick Stabiel and his orchestra. Folks, thanks for joining
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me for all or part of today's edition of the
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Make Believe Ballroom. I could be reached at Jeff at
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make Believe Ballroom Radio dot com. That's Jeff at make
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Believe Ballroom Radio dot com. And I think I'll play
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one more. Then I'm going to read an email I
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received this week at that very same Jeff at make
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Believe Ballroom dot com. So for your listening pleasure, have
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it a little music by pianist, arranger and bandleader Bob Zerke.
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That was Bob Zerky and his Delta Rhythm Band. Everybody's
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Step was the name of the tune. It was recorded
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on Victor Records in nineteen thirty nine. Now Bob Zerky's
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big break came when he substituted for the popular pianist
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Joe Sullivan, who was featured in the Bob Crosby Orchestra.
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Now Joe. Unfortunately, Joe Sullivan had contracted tuberculosis and that
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kept him in a sanitarium for a couple of years.
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So Bob gained a lot of fame while holding the
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spot for Joe's return. Now, when he was healthy again,
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he once again, obviously I'm talking about Joe Sullivan took
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his piano seat back with the Crosby So Durky, with
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his positive exposure as a temporary member of the Bob
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Crosby Band, tried to start his own orchestra, but unfortunately,
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demons kept on popping up in Bob's life. A critical
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and public reception of Zerki's Delta Rhythm Band was extremely positive,
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but Zerk unfortunately ended up being well. He ended up
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being totally unreliable, unpredictable, and somewhat volatile as a band leader,
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not the tools you actually need to play well with others.
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But unfortunately this was partly due to his alcohol dependency
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and alleged drug use. So the band came to a
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halt not long after its final RCA victor session of
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May nineteen forty, which also proved Zerki's last visit to
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the Commercial rec According studio. Afterwards, Zurki served the jail
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sentence in Detroit for I think it was failing to
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pay alimony to a past wife. So Zerki blew by
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his own doing what should have been a shining career. Now,
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unlike Zerki and I'm going to go out a sequence
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here a little, as I always do on the show.
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Joe Sullivan was beloved by the public as well as
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Bob Crosby and his orchestra. He was so beloved Joe
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Sullivan was that when he was recovering from tuberculosis, Bob
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Crosby organized and appeared with the orchestra in a five
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hour benefit for him at the Pain Pacific Auditorium in
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Los Angeles in May of nineteen thirty seven in front
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of an audience of six thousand Joe Sullivan's supporters. Now,
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that show was broadcast over at two different radio stations,
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with fourteen bands attending to help raise money for Joe,
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including Woody Herman, Ray Noble, Jimmy Dorsey, Jimmy Greer who
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he just played, Louis Prima, Harry Owen, and Victor Young.
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Other performers included Connie Boswell, the Great, Johnny Mercer, and
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Red Norvo, and as a result, they all got together
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to help Joe Sullivan pay down his medical bills and
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several thousand dollars were raised to help ease the burden
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on Joe. Why don't I play one by Joe? And
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I didn't really intend on adding this today, so let
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me look through my Joe Sullivan playlist, and Joe actually
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fits the criteria of today's program, which is only play
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records by artists who have not played who we have
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not played excuse me over the last few years. And
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here's a nice one that I always liked by Joe Sullivan.
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About I think.
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That was Little Rock Getaway, a piano solo by Joe
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Sullivan from Decca Records, recorded in nineteen thirty five. And
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now my friends.
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Letters, good letters.
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So yes, we do indeed get correspondents, maybe not letters,
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but plenty o emails and recorded messages. A lot of
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music to cover today, and my attempt to play as
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many songs as I can by bandleaders who's music I
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haven't played it all over the past year. So let
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me now read one, and if there's time at the
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end of the show, I'll read another. This one comes
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from Jerry Cox, who listens on our flagship affiliate, The
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Great Jazz ninety point one in Rochester, New York, and
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Jerry rights high I perked up when you discussed big
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band mortals on Stamps in nineteen ninety three. For those
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who didn't hear that program on the Ballroom a few
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weeks back. I did indeed play music by big band
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artists who were memorialized as part of a United States
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Postal United States Postal Service series that was called Legends
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of American Music. Let me go on with this cemail
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all started again from the top. I perked up when
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you discussed big band of Mortals on stamps in nineteen
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ninety three. While not a big stamp collector, I have
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made a few purchases over the years, not as investments
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but for my own pleasure. One of my prized postal
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items is a nineteen ninety nine cell Celebrate the Century
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nineteen forties, the Big Band Sound stamp and first day
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issue the postcard with the op I just lost my
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place here. The postcard with the Big Band Sound is
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stamped Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, with postmark reading February nineteenth,
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nineteen ninety nine. It's a beautiful stamp on a beautiful
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postcard with a photograph of a big band on stage
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in a ballroom. I treasure it. Thanks for the show
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where you celebrated some music from musicians who appeared on
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postage stamps, and that is signed Jerry Cox and I
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thank you very much. Jerry, thanks for sharing. And you know,
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I looked up stamps from that series, The Legends of
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American Music, and I found that a lot of stamp
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dealers have sheets of stamps from that series that are
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literally on sale for only a few dollars. And if
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I don't forget next week, I'm going to make a
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note of this. I'm going to purchase and frame some