"Blue Champagne" is a song written by
Grady Watts
Grady Watts (June 30, 1908 – January 1986)"Grady Watts". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, 2004. was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.
Early life and education
Watts was born in Texarkana, Texas. He attended the Allen A ...
, Jimmy Eaton and
Frank L. Ryerson Frank Layton Ryerson (3 July 1905 in Paterson, New Jersey – 15 May 1995 in Clearwater, Florida) was an American trumpeter, composer, arranger and educator. ''ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, Third edition,'' compiled for the American Society of Comp ...
and recorded by American bandleader
Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People ...
, featuring vocals by singer
Bob Eberly
Robert Eberly (born Robert Eberle; July 24, 1916 – November 17, 1981) was an American big band vocalist best known for his association with Jimmy Dorsey and his duets with Helen O'Connell. His younger brother Ray was also a big-band singer, m ...
.
Background
It was first released by Jimmy Dorsey on
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
in 1941, backed with "All Alone and Lonely". It topped ''
The Billboard
The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Secon ...
''
's National Best Selling Retail Records chart on the week of September 27, 1941, becoming Dorsey's fifth number-one single of that year.
Other recordings
Other recordings included those by
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...
,
Ray Eberle
Raymond Eberle (January 19, 1919 – August 25, 1979) was a vocalist during the Big Band Era, making his name with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. His elder brother, Bob Eberly, sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
Career
Eberle was born in Mech ...
,
Freddy Martin
Frederick Alfred Martin (December 9, 1906 – September 30, 1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist.
Early life
Freddy Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Raised largely in an orphanage and by various relatives, ...
,
Anita O'Day
Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...
, and
Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke ( ; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. H ...
.
Glenn Miller
Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...
also performed the song with his orchestra and released a version on
V-Disc
V-Disc ( "V" for Victory) was a record label that was formed in 1943 to provide records for U.S. military personnel. Captain Robert Vincent supervised the label from the Special Services division.
Many popular singers, big bands, and orches ...
as 144B with the Army Air Force Training Command Orchestra.
References
Sources
*Stockdale, Robert L. ''Jimmy Dorsey: A Study in Contrasts. (Studies in Jazz Series).'' Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999.
External links
Blue Champagne by Jimmy Dorsey. Discogs.
1941 songs
1941 singles
Jimmy Dorsey songs
Number-one singles in the United States
Decca Records singles
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