M ARCH • 1954 THE CO VER Lovely Connie Russell is one Music Views of the most talented and versa­ Mar., 1954 Vol. XII, No. 3 tile girls in show business. In addition to carving out hit disks ROBERT E. JOHNSON .... Ed ito r like "The Sky Is Extra Blue," Associate Editors: Merrilyn Hammond, she dances, acts, and is a fine Bill Olofson, Lucy Meyer. comedienne. She appears regu­ larly in these capacities on Ed- die Cantor's NBC-TV "Comedy GORDON R. FRASER . Publisher Hour" show, in addition to guest appearances on other top Published Monthly By LOVE SONGS ITALIANE shows. These are the primary Tony Romano sings favorite CAPITOL PUBLICATIONS, INC. reasons why she adorns our sentimental melodies from Sunset and Vine, Hollywood 28, Calif. cover this month, but obviously there is another important rea­ the land of song . .. Printed in U.S.A. to the delightful son: She's so good looking! accompaniment of Subscription $1.00 per year. strumming mandolins. Long Play Album No. H-478 Extended Play Albums Nos. EAP 1-478 and EAP 2-478 on the sta n d NAT "KING” COLE FOUR FRESHMEN Las Vegas, Nevada 16 Feb. Miami, Fla. 17 Feb. - 2 Mar. Columbus, Ohio 1-13 Mar. Lima, Ohio 19 - 27 Mar. RAY ANTHONY Akron, Ohio 29 Mar. • 25 April Knoxville, Tenn. 19 20 Feb. Foley, Alabama 25 Feb. PEE-WEE HUNT Dayton, Ohio 26 Feb. Starkville, Miss. 27 Feb. Columbus, Ohio 15-21 Feb. Washington, D. C. 28 Feb. FOUR KNIGHTS AND BOBBY HACKETT Pensaco.a, Florida 1 Mar. Daytona Beach, Florida 2 Mar. Waikiki, Hawaii 15 Feb.-4 Mar. The mellowest horn there is Cocoa, Florida 5 Mar. Reno, Nevada 10-24 Mar. — Bobby Hackett’s —plays Las Vegas, Nevada 25 Mar. - 8 April beautiful ballads in the lovely BILLY MAY BAND YMA SUMAC lyrical style that has won Dayton, Ohio 18 Feb. Washington, D. C. 20 Feb. Knoxville, Tenn. 19 Feb. Atlanta, Ga. 22 Feb. him the nation’s acclaim. Cincinnati, Ohio 20 Feb. Gainesville, Florida 23 Feb. Long Play Album No. H-458 Dayton, Ohio 21 Feb. West Palm Beach, Fla. 24 Feb. Extended Play Albums Nos. Ypsilanti, Mich. 26 Feb. Daytona Beach, Fla. 25 Feb. EBF-458, EAP 1 -458 & EAP 2-458 Albion, Mich. 27 Feb. Tampa, Florida 26 Feb. Youngstown, Ohio 28 Feb Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 27 Feb. Miama, Fla. 28 Feb. FRANCES FAYE Jacksonville, Fla. 2 Mar. Miami, Florida 12 - 18 Feb. Valparaiso, Fla. 3 Mar. 3 across thecountry Doris Day autographs for small visi­ Felicia Sanders, that curly-head NBC singing star' Jane Pickens will Hollywood Models Joyce Cheney tor on "Lucky Me" set. "What Every singer, is current on Columbia with play Las Vegas in May and during an d C a th ie Righter (I to r) take the Girl Should Know," new Colum­ "Ma Curly Headed Baby","For Sale." stay will confer' with Hollywood hint on Tommy Leonetti's first Cap­ bia disk, was released Feb. 1. She's Please note that's two titles. Back­ producers on film of her life story. itol release — "I'm Available." in "Lucky" with Bob Cummings. ground by curly-head Paul Weston. Movie is to be produced in 1954. And, we ask, who wouldn't be? Nat Cole tells Lena Horne about his Oh, for the life of a chorus girl Old spiritual, "Do, Lord," cut on Jane Froman receives key to the new Capitol disk, "Answer Me, My on the NBC-TV Comedy Hour! The Coral by Beryl Davis, Jane Russell, city from Commissioner Sam Spen­ Love," at El Rancho Vegas, Las Ve­ singing is okay, says Rexene Stev­ Connie Haines, Della Russell, is cer, Washington, D.C. Her current gas. Lena was starring at The Sands ens, but the dance routines make making quite a stir. All four girls key to ¡uke boxes is new Capitol while Nat played at Rancho Vegas. you want to sit down and rub. are active in Youth for Christ. record: "It's All in your Heart." 4 5 CREEPY SONG IDEAS CLOSE AT HAND According to Mr. Webster, T ) OPULAR songs not only are phone Will You Come Back to the word "creep” means: "to played on every kind of musi­ Me?,” "When You Hear Jackson move or advance slowly.” cal instrument, but just about any Moan on His Saxophone,” "Sax­ However, until a few months instrument you can name has ophone Sobs” and "Saxophone ago any high school kid could been the subject of one. A card­ Sam?” tell you that the real defini­ inal rule of song writing seems to As for the harp, there is the tion was: "a goon, a schmoe, be: "When possible, write about old-timer, "The Harp That Once a nowhere square.” Now the some instrument.” Thro’ Tara’s Halls” and the later word has undergone another As a young composer Irving "When Paddy McGinty Plays the change of definition, more Berlin followed this theory and Harp.” The piccolo inspired "Pic­ closely allied to Mr. Webster’s produced "I Love a Piano,” "The colo Pete” and there have been at findings: the "creep” is now Ragtime Violin” and "Pick, Pick, least two operas about its big a dance. Pick on the Mandolin, Antonio.” brother, the flute—"The Magic The step, a sort of reverse For the guitar, there is "An Flute” and "Hans, the Flute tango with the boy always Old Guitar and an Old Refrain,” Player.” moving backward, seems to not to mention "Two Guitars.” Writers also have had a fondness have started in London. There For the banjo—"When Uncle Joe for weird songs about the echoes are several stories as to how it Plays a Rag on His Old Banjo” of instruments. Examples are began, but no one is very sure and "In Banjo Land.” titles beginning with "The Ghost of its origin. One thing is How about the violincello? of the— ” and followed by "Ban­ certain— it has taken England That sounds like a tough one, jo,” "Violin” (Mr. Berlin again), by storm and is creeping up but there’s a song called "When "Ukelele” and "Saxophone.” on the U. S. Antelo Plays the ’Cello” (written The music to which the by Elsie Janis, "The Sweetheart "OUT WHAT, you may ask, about creep is crept is a simple 12- of the AEF” during the first the bagpipe? Surely no one World War) and another old one outside the highlands of Scotland bar blues riff. Although the — "That Fellow with the 'Cello has written a song about the rau­ first recordings were made in cous pipes? England, U.S. labels quickly Rag.” Nor should "The Big Bass climbed on the creepwagon. Viol,” beloved of minstrel bassos, Well, youre wrong. After the Versions by Stan Kenton, the be overlooked. success of "Alexander’s Ragtime Three Sons and others have C ” ARSON Robison celebrated the Band” in 1911, its composer— been released. achievements of a rustic horn once more we meet Irving Berlin! Monica Lewis poses for photogra­ tootler in "His Old Cornet.” And —teamed up with his brother-in- It now remains to be seen phers backstage at the New York the saxophone has inspired doz­ law, E. Ray Goetz, and A. Bald­ whether the creep will go at Paramount theater where she re­ a gallop. cently performed. Newest Capitol ens of comedy numbers. Ever win Sloane to produce "Alexan­ waxing: "Don't Make Me Love You." heard "If I Give Up the Saxo­ der’s Bagpipe Band.” —Jim Walsh. 7 6 Anthony Buys May; HANDY Signs New Cap Pact Tired? Bored? Crazy? Try a gag currently making Ray Anthony, not content with the rounds among the younger having the country’s Number One teen-agers in Southern Califor­ dance band, now owns two. In nia: a recent deal, Anthony bought Have a friend extend his The Billy May Orchestra, lock, palm. Take a ball-point pen stock and baton. and ink four dots on it. Then The purchase included the or­ have him cup his palm and chestra’s name; its style, legally hold it to his ear. defined in the purchase agree­ Ask him what he hears. ment as "unique . distinctive He’ll say nothing. Then you . popular”; its library of 150 say: arrangements and such "accoutre­ "Well, what did you expect Margaret Whiting accepts a gold ments” as uniforms, stand fronts —the Four Ink Spots?” plated "mike" from Capitol prexy and library trunks. Glenn E. Wallichs on completion of her 10th year with the label. The May band, which continues • '3 COINS' FOR LUCK New disk: "I Speak to the Stars." to record for Capitol, is currently The past year has seen movies out on the road again, batoned produce several hit songs, but by saxist Sam Donahue. Donahue 2()th-Fox is now hoping that a has been a sideman with Artie song will produce a hit movie. Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and other The studio is so sold on the Jule name orchestras, in addition to Styne-Sammy Cahn effort, "Three fronting a band of his own. Coins in a Fountain,” that they Although Anthony’s own Cap­ are renaming the CinemaScope itol contract still had two years picture, "We Believe In Love,” to run, a new 5-year pact was after the tune. After hearing recently drawn up between the Frank Sinatra’s soundtrack of bandleader and diskery. The new' "Coins,” the studio execs decided contract w'as motivated by the they would release the song first, tremendous success of Anthony’s in an effort to publicize the pic­ recent recordings.