Rapidly Rotating Records

Freddy Johnson 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 piano in the photo above is? He’s pianist and singer Freddy Johnson and he starts off this week’s show with his first birthday salute. Freddy isn’t the only one getting a...

Rose Tree Strut Mickey Guy’s Rose-Tree Orchestra 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. On this week’s show, we’ll be making merry!  In the third segment of this week’s edition of Rapidly Rotating Records, you’ll hear two records by Mickey Guy and His Rose-Tr...

It’s Tulip Time in Holland 78 RPM Record Label Signor Grinderino 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’re no doubt familiar with the tune “Chinatown, My Chinatown,” but perhaps not with “It’s Tulip Time in Holland,” written by Richard Whiting. This is a...

E. T. Paull 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 composer E. T. Paull. known as “the other march king” for the great number of patriotic and military marches he authored. But he was also a music publisher and in the fir...

Jimmy Durante at Piano c 1925 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 had his first and only birthday segment back in 2002, so it’s high time he was honored again. He’s pianist, composer, comedian and singer (?) Jimmy Durant...

Amou Haji – World’s Dirtiest Man 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 was known as “Amou Haji” and died last October at the age of 94.  You’ll find out all about him in the final segment of this week’s show, all about bat...

Herman Waldman 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 Herman Waldman, leader of the Dallas, Texas based territory band, Herman Waldman and His Orchestra. He’s getting his own birthday segment for the first time on this we...

Oceana Roll Sheet Music 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. The Oceana Roll is one of my favorite songs. It was written in 1911 by Lucien Denny and  Roger Lewis. There are a number of recordings made at the time and I was all set to play one by Arthur Coll...

Edward Llewellyn and 425 Lb. Sea Bass on Catalina Island August, 1903 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 trumpeter, cornetist and composer Edward Llewellyn and he is getting a birthday segment for the first time on thi...

Frankie Newton 1939 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 trumpeter Frankie Newton and he gets a birthday salute for the first time on this week’s show. He was brought to my attention through an excellent article in the J...

Chop Suey 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. Welcome to the first Rapidly Rotating Records show of 2023!  So why is there a photograph of Chop Suey in this week’s playlist? Well, because the first segment of the show is all about Chop Suey!  My friend, Ho...

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...