The Shellac Stack

Shellac Stack No. 324 chirps with the birds! We dance with Bob Deikman, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Sam Lanin, Nat Shilkret, the Savoy Havana Band, and others; laugh with Homer and Jethro; and relax with the National Cavaliers and the Victor Orchestra.

Shellac Stack No. 323 teases the frets with banjoist Michele Ortuso and swings by the waters of Minnetonka with Bob Haggart. We dance along with Nathan Glantz, Kenn Sisson, Glenn Miller, Art Landry, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, and others — and relax a bit with the Revelers and Freddie Rose. More too!

Shellac Stack No. 322 stomps up a storm with the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Lucky Millinder, Boyd Senter, Fletcher Henderson, Don Ewell, Georgie Auld, Jelly Roll Morton, and many others. Hot weather calls for hot music, and we’ve got it on this installment of the Shellac Stack!

Shellac Stack No. 321 salutes the ladies! From Keely Smith and Eartha Kitt to Ethel Waters, Annette Hanshaw, Helen Forrest, Dolly Dawn, and more, we spend this hour swingin’, swayin’, jumpin’, and relaxin’ with 16 female vocalists of the 1920s-1950s.

Shellac Stack No. 320 stampedes with Spike Hughes and His Dance Orchestra! We spend this tuneful hour in London with the likes of Jay Whidden, Jack Payne, Billy Cotton, Ray Noble, Billy Merrin, Harry Hudson, and other British dance bands of the 1920s and ’30s. Join us!

Shellac Stack No. 319 hikes with Ray Noble and the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra! We travel to recording studios around the world to hear Hawaiian guitars, Parisian swing, British dance bands, Central American marimbas, “Bohemian” waltzes — and we spice it all up with some American ragtime. Mutt Carey, Jan Garber, Lou Gold, Oscar Aleman, … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 318 walks, struts, and dances with Ed Kirkeby, Brother Bones, Paul Ash, Harry Raderman, Earl Burtnett, the Original Memphis Five, and others! We swing out with Count Basie, relax with Bob Stanley’s Orchestra, and visit Cuba with Don Azpiazu’s Havana Casino Orchestra. More too — including a novelty “party” record of the … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 317 vo-do-de-os with Irving Aaronson! We hear some “June” songs from Allen McQuhae and Bennie Krueger, dance with Jack Hylton, Harry Hudson, and Roger Wolfe Kahn, and reflect on maritime disasters with Vernon Dalhart and F. J. Hawtrey.

Shellac Stack No. 316 stumbles with Yank Lawson and sings in the rain with Lud Gluskin. We hear from Isabella Patricola and Peggy Lee, and dance along with George Olsen, Fletcher Henderson, Charles Dornberger, and Jimmie Lunceford. More too — including a trip to Buenos Aires for a delightful disc by Raul Sanchez Reynoso with … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 315 practices with Eddy Duchin and swings with Vincent Lopez. We enjoy the “lightning fingers” of pianist Ben Light, relax with crooners Singin’ Sam, Kate Smith, and Morton Downey, and take a country detour with Hank Locklin, Hank Williams, Flatt and Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys, and a mystery vocalist on the “Dixie” … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 314 hawks peanuts with Jack Payne, Gene Rodemich, and Nathan Glantz. We sample some ragtime piano from Wally Rose, Barrie Vye, and Armand Hug. We’ve also got dance records by Coon-Sanders, Jack Pettis, Charley Straight, and lots more too. Try it — you’ll like it!

Shellac Stack No. 313 visits again with an old friend, JiHoon Suk, as we explore rarities and oddities from his collection of classical and operatic vinyl pressings made from original metal parts. From Edvard Grieg (himself!) to Joseph Joachim, Pablo de Sarasate, Enrico Caruso, Louise Homer, and Nellie Melba, it’s a fascinating and entertaining glimpse … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 312 visits Paris in the spring with Elmer Feldkamp, Lucienne Boyer, and Yves Montand. We reminisce with Carroll Gibbons, dance along with the High Hatters, Jan Garber, and Jack Hylton, and mourn a lost azalea plant with Dr. Clarence Penney. More too!

Shellac Stack No. 311 oogel oogel oos with the Yacht Club Boys, doodle doos with Busse’s Buzzards, and aba dabas with Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan. We dance along with Fats Waller, Jack Hylton, Al Lynn’s Music Masters, Earl Oliver’s Jazz Babies, and Fletcher Henderson, and enjoy some stomping ragtime piano from Charles Thompson too!

Shellac Stack No. 310 “does that thing” with Earl Burtnett’s Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel Orchestra. We do some waiting with Lou Gold’s Orchestra, trotting with pianist Sid Reinherz, and enjoy some “toodles” and “thrills” with Hazay Natzy and Nathan Glantz, respectively. More from Billy Cotton, George Olsen, Horace Heidt, and even Steve Allen. Join us!

Shellac Stack No. 309 heads south of the border with Morton Gould and to the Baby Parade with Smiling Jerry Baker. We dance along to Paul Whiteman, Harry Reser, Sam Lanin, Jay Wilbur, and others, and pause to enjoy some vocal harmonizing by the Capitol City Four, the Harrison Quartette, and the Dana Harmonizers. Good … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 308 eats an olive with Irving Aaronson and His Commanders. We dance to selections by Ted Weems, Ambrose, Lou Gold, Eddie Elkins, and Nathan Glantz and enjoy vocal selections by Rosa Henderson, Ed Smalle, Vaughn De Leath, and Gene Austin. A few Neapolitan songs from Tito Gobbi too!

Shellac Stack No. 307 jams with Jerry Jerome, runs with the Benny Goodman Quartet, and swings with Dick Robertson. Fine jazz from Len Beadle, Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Red Nichols. Hot dance from Bernie Cummins, Fred Rich, Ben Selvin and more. Charming vocals from Kate Smith and Karole Singer too!

Shellac Stack No. 306 rides tall in the saddle with Wild Bill Hiccup (courtesy of Spike Jones). We enjoy dance records by Sam Lanin, Edwin J. McEnelly, Fletcher Henderson, Phil Romano, and others, and share a few smiles with the Happiness Boys, Red Ingle, Homer and Jethro, and Monte Hunter. Plenty more too, including a … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 305 forgets how to cry with Henry Burr and savors a cheerful little earful with Sid Phillips and His Melodians. We hear from Milt Herth, Jan August, and Elsie Baker — and dance along with the Arden-Ohman Orchestra, Vincent Lopez, Jacques Renard, Ben Selvin, and more. Hot jazz from Ray Bauduc too!

Shellac Stack No. 304 gets out of the way with Dalhart’s Texas Panhandlers! We dance to the music of Al Handler’s Alamo Hotel Cafe Orchestra and the bands of Sam Lanin, Fred Hall, and Billy Banks. We enjoy some crooning from Dick Mine and Bing Crosby… and the “not quite” crooning of Ethel Merman. More … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 303 cakewalks with Burt Bales and flippity flops with Meyer Davis! Lots of good jazz and dance music this time from the likes of Charlie Barnet, Sam Lanin, Jack Hylton, Bob Mielke, Jack Sheedy, and Ambrose. We also hear from crooners Annette Hanshaw and Dick Powell and enjoy some dazzling piano pyrotechnics … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 302 crawls, drags, and jitterbugs with the music of Fats Waller! We hear from Lu Watters, the Halfway House Dance Orchestra, Carroll Gibbons, Billy Butterfield, Errol Garner, Isham Jones, and — of course — the great Fats Waller himself. Join us!

Shellac Stack No. 301 asks: What’s the name of that song? Put your knowledge to the test as we sample records by Bunk Johnson, Wayne King, Teddy Wilson, Morton Gould, Lu Watters, Freddy Ellis and His Orchestra, and others.

Shellac Stack No. 300 gives three cheers with Buddy Clark! We sample some Western Swing with Leon McAuliffe and Tex Williams, enjoy a humorous monologue with Tom McNaughton, dance with Sam Lanin, Frankie Trumbauer, Leo Erdody, and Ted Lewis, and enjoy more fine records by the Hylton Sisters, the Ink Spots, Vincent Lopez, and more.