The Bob Bain Archives

“Music in a style just a little bit different”: that’s a nice summarization of today’s episode, which starts with Bob playing his paraphrased “Lady Be Good” as intro. Ray Sherman eschews his standard piano to play primarily organ for the date. Ralph Collier and Jud De Naut hold forth on drums and bass. The quartet plays a great version of the standard “Fine and Dandy”, then song star Margo Powers...

Here we have another slightly abridged show, clocking in at ten minutes instead of fifteen, but Bob manages to cast a wide musical net nevertheless. After the "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, the quartet (Bob, Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Ralph Collier on drums and percussion) romps through a very picante "Coca Roca". Check out Ralph Collier's hot bongo work! Our song star Margo Powe...

Lost to time is the reason why Bob's show went on hiatus for a month, and why it had been cut down to ten minutes instead of fifteen. But here for all time is yet one more example of young Bob and his quartet making great music, live, for broadcast. Despite the vagaries of the industry, Bob, Ray Sherman (piano), Jud De Naut (bass) and Ralph Collier (drums and percussion) held the bar high yet agai...

Ah yes, there must've been something special happening on the network on this Monday the 21st, because the show was reduced from the usual fifteen minutes down to ten. Nevertheless, our trusty quartet (Bob, Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Ralph Collier on drums and percussion) manages to pack a full show of entertainment. Our "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro is followed by "I've Got My L...

Valentine's Day of 1949 brings us yet another confection, as Bob, Ray Sherman (piano), Jud De Naut (bass), and Ralph Collier (drums) perform both old standards and contemporary hits. After the "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro (and a Frank Barton lecture), the quartet launches into a song Tex Beneke would have success with, "Look Up". Then, song star Margo Powers steps to the mic for her rendition of "F...

February of 1949 gets underway with our regular cast of characters: Bob on guitar, Ray Sherman at the piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Ralph Collier on drums and percussion. "Sweet Georgia Brown" gets the Frank Barton voice over, and leads us into "Cumana". Bob summons a genie from a lamp (at what a cost!), and Margo Powers appears to sing "But Not For Me". The quartet then performs the Ellington c...

It's already the end of January, 1949. Frank Barton is back with some more shtick, and our steady foursome too: Bob, Ralph Collier on drums, Jud De Naut on bass, and Ray Sherman at the piano. The guys feel particularly in sync on tonight's show, right from the start of "Sweet Georgia Brown". Back on January 10, Los Angeles got a half inch of snow (the valley almost a foot!) in what remains an epic...

Harry Truman's second term inauguration took place on January 20, and was the first televised presidential inauguration. Bob and the guys (Ralph Collier, Ray Sherman, and Jud De Naut) missed out on the gala this time around, but here they are with Margo Powers once again in tow. After the "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, Frank Barton makes with the goofy copy and intros "Quanto Le Gusta". Bob gets in...

The new year is already a few weeks old, and the guys are into a good groove: Bob, Ralph Collier on drums, Jud De Naut playing bass and Ray Sherman on piano. After our "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, we hear all four guy's voices at one point or another, Bob's scripted reminiscence about Margo singing in his living room leads into "My Darling", then the quartet romps through "Brazil". Cole Porter's "...

"Just a little bit different." A different announcer, with a different introduction to the show... but our regular four plus one are on hand: Bob, Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass and Ralph Collier on drums. Our "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro leads into a really hot version of "'S Wonderful", then Margo Powers tenderly croons "I'll Be Seeing You". Another difference as we again hear Bob expl...

Happy New Year! Truman hasn't even been inaugurated for his full term yet, but here to make the new year a success are Bob, Ralph Collier, Ray Sherman, and Jud De Naut. After our traditional "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, the guys ring in the new with a very tight version of "Jack Jack Jack". We get to hear young Bob banter back and forth with announcer Eddie to introduce Margo Powers, who torches u...

Here is another possible pilot episode of the Bob Bain Quartet radio show-this one without the K-F sponsorship, and a different drummer (Nick Fatool) from the other bonus. Intriguingly, there are overlaps in song selection-this too has "Brazil" as the quartet opener, and both close with "Hooray For Love" with Margo Powers the featured vocalist. Even some of the announcer dialogue is used from the...

Presented here without much validation is a possible template/pilot episode: this is the Bob Bain quartet (with Roy Harte on the drums, Jud De Naut playing bass and Ray Sherman on piano) with our song star Margo Powers. But, there's no date on the label and though the format is familiar, the sponsorship makes this unusual to be sure. Kaiser-Frazer was a post WWII auto manufacturing venture which w...

The final broadcast for 1948, just a few days before Christmas, brings the quartet back in top form. Bob, Jud De Naut, Ralph Collier, and Ray Sherman breeze through the Sweet Georgia Brown intro, and then play one of Bob's favorites, "Crazy Rhythm". Song star Margo Powers comes in to schmooze with announcer Eddie King before crooning "My Darling, My Darling". This is yet another instance of Bob se...

Ray Sherman returns for good, with Ralph Collier covering drums and percussion, and Jud De Naut the steady man on the bass. After our "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, the guys salsa their way through "Brazil", then song star Margo Powers gives us our first holiday tune, the classic "The Christmas Song" (note Ray's alternating between celeste and piano). Bob and the guys then serve up an inventive, apt...

From the opening bars of the “Sweet Georgia Brown” intro, we can hear there’s a new kid in town on piano: twenty-three year old Hal Schaefer logs his one and only appearance on The Bob Bain Show, holding his own alongside Bob, Jud DeNaut on bass and Ralph Collier playing drums. Schaefer would later go on to fame as arranger and vocal coach for (among others) Marilyn Monroe (and his liaison with he...

Our last episode for November of 1948 is also the last of four broadcasts with the estimable Tommy Todd (joined by Jud De Naut on bass and Ralph Collier on drums). Whether Tommy and Bob knew this was Tommy’s last date is a detail lost to history, but the session heard here clearly shows why Bob held him in such high regard. His adventurous nature is evident right off the bat in the “Sweet Georgia...

November 22, 1948 brings another session with Bob, Tommy Todd on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Ralph Collier on drums. After the “Sweet Georgia Brown” intro, the quartet revisits “Cuanto Le Gusta” (heard in Episode 15), this time at a slightly brighter tempo. Margo Powers takes a pass at “Ah But It Happens” (perhaps her entrance is why Bob noted on the sleeve “No”), with Tommy alternating on cel...

Halfway through November we find Bob teamed up again with Tommy Todd on piano, Ralph Collier on drums, and Jud DeNaut anchoring on bass. Tommy’s singular, adroit approach is evident throughout, right from the beginning “Sweet Georgia Brown” and on into “Brazil”, where Ralph plays both drums and maracas. Unctuous announcer Eddie brings in song star Margo Powers to sing “Everybody Loves Somebody”, w...

This bonus episode showcases highlights from one of Bob’s most treasured recordings: Murray McEachern’s Music For Sleepwalkers Only. The complete album is available at CDBaby.com as either a digital download or compact disc. No Bob Bain collection is complete without it, and remember, it makes a great gift for Mom, Dad, grad, and anyone who loves good music! https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/murraymceac...

We skip along to November 1, 1948-the day before Dewey defeated Truman, and the day that Bob, Jud De Naut (bass), Ralph Collier (drums), and Tommy Todd (piano) first got together on the air. We can hear Todd’s unique approach right away on the Sweet Georgia Brown intro. It may be that Tommy could have used one more rehearsal on “Cuanto Le Gusta”, a tune recorded by Carmen Miranda, Bing Crosby, and...

The October 18, 1948 broadcast features the familiar lineup of Bob, Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums. They kick things off with a tight version of “Brazil”, then song star Margo Powers comes in for “The Man I Love”, enlivened by Bob’s solo. The quartet swings through the Ellington tune “Bojangles”. Margo returns for a paean to shiftlessness written by Joe Venuti...

Our new announcer, Eddie, cues up the quartet (Bob, Nick Fatool, Ray Sherman, and Jud De Naut) who play a brighter tempo version of “Lady Be Good” as intro. “Blue Room” was written by Rodgers & Hart back in the 1920’s, and many versions (the Dorsey Brothers and Benny Goodman, as well as in The Big Sleep) had already been heard. Song star Margo Powers lilts through “Ghost Of A Chance” before the qu...

The show switches to Mondays, and the announcer changes the format slightly as well: "You like music? Then stick around, we have some for you" will be the new line to kick off the show. Bob leads Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums and they start off with "Hair Of Gold, Eyes Of Blue" with a distinctive bop flavor. Our new announcer, "Eddie" gags it up with our old f...

The quartet closes out the month of September with Nick Fatool on the drum set, Jud De Naut playing bass and Ray Sherman at the piano again. The show had originally aired Saturday nights, but this would be the last weekend broadcast and the next show NBC decided to move to Monday. After our Lady Be Good intro, the quartet dances through a version of "The Continental" that Astaire must have loved....