Rapidly Rotating Records

Ann Ronell Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. I can guarantee that you’ve heard at least one of this lady’s songs. You can see from her necklace that her first name Ann, but do you know her last name?  She’s Ann Ronell, composer of “Who’s Afraid of the Bi...

Fletcher Henderson Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this fellow is? He’s pianist, arranger and bandleader Fletcher Henderson. He’s been heard on the show numerous times over the years, but has never had his own birthday segment. Until to...

Charles Harrison Do you know who this fellow is? He’s American tenor ballad singer Charles Harrison. You’ll hear him in the third segment of the show singing “Last Night Was The End Of The World” on a 4 minute Edison Amberol cylinder.  This week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records starts with a birthday salute to pianist and bandleader Ernest Borbee.  In other segments we’ll engage in some word...

Harry T. Burleigh Go Down Moses Broome Record Label Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. This week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records starts with a celebration of our return to the air with new shows after a several week break due to computer issues. The...

Jane Froman at NBC mic Do you know who this lovely lady is? She’s singer and actor Jane Froman.  (No relation to the fictitious “Sausage King of Chicago” Abe Froman from the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”)  She was born November 10, 1907, and you’ll hear a little bit about her and one of her records in the last segment of this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records, all about sharing. In oth...

Pucker Up and Whistle Sheet Music Cover The gentleman on the sheet music above is Nat Vincent, whose birthday we’ll be celebrating in the first segment of this week’s edition of the show. Nat Vincent co-wrote the lyrics to “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” a huge hit in 1920, but he wasn’t credited under that name. Find out why and who was credited in the first segment of this week’s edition of the s...

Clay Boland Do you know who this fellow is? He’s Klaypole Aloysius Boland, known to his family and friends as “Clay.” You’ll hear about his extremely busy life and hear three of his compositions in the first segment of this week’s edition of the show. In other segments we’ll play some “tantalizing” records, take a musical trip to the Onyx Club, get down and get into the spirit of Halloween.   Ther...

Spike Hughes Do you know who this fellow is? He’s Patrick Cairns Hughes, but you may know him better by his nickname “Spike” Hughes. In the first segment of this week’s show, you’ll find out how he got that moniker and hear three of Spike’s recordings. We’ll also be celebrating the birthdays of Billy Baskette, Roger Wolfe Kahn and Carl Kress. And we’ll have some songs about Mercenaria mercenaria....

Johnny Messner Family Portrait The portrait above is of Marcus and Catherine Messner and their five sons, Fred, Dick, Bill, Charlie and Johnny.  Johnny is the youngest, third from the right. For several years in the 1930s, the brothers all played together in the Messner Brothers Orchestra. When brother Dick retired from the band business, Johnny took over, renaming the group the Johnny Messner Orc...

Sidney Easton Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this fellow is? He’s Sidney Easton. This photograph was taken during his career as a film actor and playwright in the 1940s, but before that he was a pianist, composer and vocalist and you’l...

Emperor Norton Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this fellow is? His real name is Joshua Abraham Norton, but he’s better known to those interested in San Francisco history as Emperor Norton I.  You’ll find out more about him in the third...

Arthur Pryor Do you know who this fellow is? He’s trombonist, bandleader and composer Arthur Pryor who is getting his own birthday salute in the second segment of this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records. You’ll  hear Pryor’s most famous composition played by a Danish orchestra as well as two recordings by Pryor’s band. This photograph was taken between 1915 and 1920, years after the Pryor...

Operation Lifesaver Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. So what in the world is the Operation Lifesaver logo doing on a vintage music radio show? Well, September is National Rail Safety Month. In the second segment of this week’s edition of the show you’ll...

Vic Meyers Do you know who this fellow is?  He’s Victor Aloysius Meyers, shown here at the height of his political career, about 30 years past the height of his musical career.  You’ll hear all about both and three of his recordings in the first segment of this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records. We’ll also be celebrating the birthdays of Doc Cook, Eric Coates and Harry Geise. And as an ed...

 Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this fellow is?  He’s Eric Coates, British composer of light music and his tune “Calling All Workers” will end the Labor Day segment and this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records. In other segments...

 Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this fellow is?  He’s Wendell Hall, known as “The Red-Headed Music Maker” and his is one of four birthdays we’ll be celebrating on this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records. The others are Grace Ha...

 Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. We have just one birthday salute on this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records, that of Joe Garland, composer of “In The Mood.”  You’ll hear the premiere recording of the tune in the first segment of the show, alon...

 Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this dapper gentleman is?  He’s vocalist Harold Van Embergh ahe starts off the third segment of this week’s four segment edition of Rapidly Rotating Records, a birthday salute to composer Bernice Petkere...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Yet another playlist post not featuring a photograph of a composer, songwriter, performer or record label! This week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records starts off with a trio of records about mules. Mules have been us...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who the fellow playing the guitar is? He’s American folk singer, composer and radio entertainer Bradley Kincaid. I have no idea of the back story for this photograph but it was taken in the kitchen of the She...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this gentleman is? He’s pianist Cliff Jackson shown here at New York City’s Cafe Society in 1947. You’ll hear him earlier in his musical career as piano roll artist, classic blues accompanist and bandlead...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. You are probably familiar with the song “Orange Blossom Special,” the unofficial anthem of bluegrass.  You may be less familiar with the passenger train of the same name.  In the last segment of this week’s edition of th...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know who this lady is? She’s 1930s nightclub singer Adelaide Moffett and you’ll hear three of her recordings with three different orchestras in the fourth segment of this week’s edition of the show. You’ll also fi...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. In putting together the “wobbly” second segment of this week’s show, I included “The Wobbly Walk” by Charles W. Hamp, known as the “California Blue Boy.” When I realized his birthday was last week, I reworked the playlis...

Welcome to Glenn Robison’s Rapidly Rotating Records, bringing you vintage music to which you can’t *not* tap your toes, from rapidly rotating 78 RPM records of the 1920s and ’30s. Do you know what this venue is? Residents of a certain age in San Bernardino and the Inland Empire will recognize it as the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, seen here in its better days. You’ll find out all about the hotel and t...