Some Of The Best Recordings

Pearl Bailey
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Duke Ellington
Benny Goodman
Al Hirt
Harry James
Glenn Miller
Frank Sinatra
Lawrence Welk

Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters

Heard On Screen

Hit The Deck

For sheet music contact: www.halleonard.com

The Story Behind The Song

Harry James and my friendship started when first he recorded "All Or Nothing At All." He was not only a great trumpet player but also a well-schooled musician. Harry had started his musical career as a kid playing in various circus bands led by his father. While still in his teens, his dad would allow Harry to conduct the band.

This was a fabulous training ground for an ambitious youngster. After short stints in various big bands of the time, it was inevitable that Harry would wind up fronting his own dance band. He was on the road quite a lot but whenever he hit New York we managed to meet. I would give him whatever my latest new song was and usually he would oblige me with a recording.

Harry had started using this old Italian street song as his signature because he was able to display his trumpet virtuosity with it. He suggested that I write an English lyric for that melody and of course, our first record was James with his new vocalist, Frank Sinatra. Through my Decca friends I was able to land a blockbuster that teamed the Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby for the first time.

When you listen to the Sisters and Bing you can't help sharing the fun they obviously had making this record. Note the little flub Bing makes on his vocal. I was in the studio when they recorded and everyone was charmed with his little tongue-twisting error and they never corrected it.