"On the First Warm Day" (also known as "The First Warm Day in May"). is an American

pop standard Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

with music and lyrics by

Bart Howard Bart Howard (born Howard Joseph Gustafson, June 1, 1915 – February 21, 2004) was an American composer and songwriter, most notably of the jazz standard "Fly Me to the Moon", which has been performed by Kaye Ballard, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, ...

. It was originally recorded by

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

on April 18, 1952. Other performers with renditions of the tune over the succeeding decades include

Mabel Mercer Mabel Mercer (3 February 1900 – 20 April 1984) was an English-born cabaret singer who performed in the United States, Britain, and Europe with the greats in jazz and cabaret. She was a featured performer at Chez Bricktop in Paris, owned b ...

(1952),

Alma Cogan Alma Angela Cohen Cogan (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. C ...

(1953),

Portia Nelson Portia Nelson (born Betty Mae Nelson; May 27, 1920 – March 6, 2001) was an American popular singer, songwriter, actress, and author. She was best known for her appearances in 1950s cabarets, where she sang soprano. In 1965, she portrayed ...

(1956),

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...

(1958),

Eydie Gormé Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who had hits on the pop and Latin pop charts. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and telev ...

(1958),

Betty Johnson Betty Johnson (March 16, 1929 – November 6, 2022) was an American traditional pop and cabaret singer who reached her career peak in the 1950s. Biography Johnson was born in Guilford County, North Carolina on March 16, 1929. Johnson's professio ...

(1995),

KT Sullivan KT Sullivan is an American singer and actress known for her performances in cabaret and musical theatre. Early years Born Kathleen Sullivan in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma to Elizabeth, a poet and composer, and James A. Sullivan, a director of the Agricu ...

(1997) and Joyce Breach (2003).

Early recordings: Rosemary Clooney, Mabel Mercer and Alma Cogan

Rosemary Clooney's April 18 recording session, with harpsichordist

Stan Freeman Stanley Freeman (April 3, 1920 – January 13, 2001) was an American composer, pianist, lyricist, musical arranger, conductor, and studio musician. Biography Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Freeman studied classical piano in college and earne ...

, bassist Frank Carroll, drummer Terry Snyder and guitarists

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...

and

Sal Salvador Sal Salvador (November 21, 1925 – September 22, 1999) was an American bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator. He was born in Monson, Massachusetts, United States, and began his professional career in New York City. He eventually mo ...

, produced three songs, with the first, "

Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina) "Botch-a-Me" is a popular song, written in 1940. The original Italian version ("Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina") by Alberto Rabagliati was written by Riccardo Morbelli (words) and Luigi Astore (music). English lyrics were written by Eddie Stanley. ''Baciami ...

" (catalog number 4–39767 CL 1230), turning out to be a major hit upon its release, which enhanced public acceptance of its flipside, "On the First Warm Day" (catalog number 4–39767 HL 7123). The third song was a duet with

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" (catalog number 4–39812 B 1699). The first reviews and advertisements for the "Botch-a-Me"/"First Warm Day"

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

(priced at 89 cents) appeared in newspapers at the end of June 1952 and continued into September, with some outlets discounting the discs to 19 cents by early August. Rosemary Clooney recorded "First Warm Day" one month before her 24th birthday. At about the same time, the veteran performer from the previous generation for whom the song was written, 52-year-old

(who first sang one of Bart Howard's compositions in 1938 and employed him as her piano accompanist during the late 1940s), recorded the song for issue on an

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

EP. It was also included on her first 10" Atlantic LP album, ''Songs by Mabel Mercer, Vol. 1'' (1953), and subsequently reappeared on Atlantic's double 12" LP album, ''The Art of Mabel Mercer'' (1965), which collected all her 1953 EP and 10" LP recordings. It is currently available in the 6-CD set ''Only the Best of Mabel Mercer'' on the Collectables label. In 1953, less than a year after its American debut, "First Warm Day" made its initial appearance in Britain, with 21-year-old Alma Cogan, England's most successful female pop singer of the 1950s, recording it as a duet alongside fellow pop vocalist Les Howard, whose solo rendition of another tune was on side B.

Later renditions: Portia Nelson, Chris Connor and Eydie Gormé

Cabaret singer Portia Nelson, who was described as Bart Howard's

muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

of the 1950s, was 36 in 1956, when she recorded an entire album of his songs, ''Let Me Love You: Portia Nelson Sings the Songs of Bart Howard'', with musical arrangements by

Ralph Burns Ralph Joseph P. Burns (June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, where he began playing the piano as a child. In 1938, he attend ...

and liner notes by Liz Smith. Among the twelve songs comprising the album, "First Warm Day" was track 2. In 1958, two of Rosemary Clooney's contemporaries, Chris Connor and Eydie Gormé, incorporated the tune into their respective albums. Chris Connor's

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

, like Mabel Mercer's five years earlier, was on the Atlantic label, and the April 8 recording session, which included Connor's renditions of two additional Bart Howard songs, "Be My All" and "One Love Affair" (both are also on Portia Nelson's album), featured one of the musicians from Rosemary Clooney's 1952 session, guitarist Mundell Lowe. The LP, ''Chris Craft'' (catalog number 1290/SD-1290), had a November release solely in monaural form, with a stereo version issued two years later, in 1960. Eydie Gormé's LP, ''Love Is a Season'', which has "First Warm Day" as track 4, was released by

ABC-Paramount Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

(catalog number Abcs-273) and, in her notes regarding the album, she reminisces that Bart Howard "was a great friend" whose "

Fly Me to the Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions ...

" she recorded under its original title, "In Other Words", for her other 1958 album, ''Eydie in Love''. Upon being informed by her and the album's producer

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including ''Sinatra and Strings'' and ''My Way''. C ...

that the theme of this album revolved around love being always in season, he returned within three days bringing "a wonderful song called Love Is a Season", which ultimately became the album's title tune.

Into the CD era: Betty Johnson, KT Sullivan and Joyce Breach

Through the passing years, "First Warm Day" continued to be occasionally heard on radio and television, including the April 8, 1962 episode of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' in which

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

Dennis Day Dennis Day (born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty; May 21, 1916 – June 22, 1988) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He was of Irish descent. Early life Day was born and raised in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, New York City, the ...

, a show regular, gave a rendition of the song. Decades later, in the CD era, Betty Johnson, a contemporary of Rosemary Clooney, Chris Connor and Eydie Gormé, who started as a child singer with her family in the 1930s, released, on her own label, Bliss Tavern Music, the album ''A Family Affair'' (the other singers on the album are her daughters Elisabeth Gray and Lydia Gray), with "First Warm Day" featured as track 8. The album, recorded at New York City's Nola Studios on September 10, 1993, was released on March 23, 1995 and featured Frank Tate on guitar, Tony Monte on piano and

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

on bass. Among the next generation of singers, cabaret performers KT Sullivan and Joyce Breach made their own respective recordings of old standards. Described as "a close personal friend of Bart Howard", KT Sullivan made a decision to highlight "First Warm Day" as a medley with "My Love Is a Wanderer" on her album ''KT Sullivan - In Other Words: The Songs of Bart Howard'' (

DRG Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

catalog number DRGCD 91449), recorded October 13, 1996 and released July 15, 1997. Pop/jazz performer Joyce Breach chose "First Warm Day" as the opening number in ''Joyce Breach: Remembering Mabel Mercer'' (Audiophile ACD-322, released April 8, 2003), the first of her three album tributes to the iconic singer who died in 1984 and, since Mabel Mercer was the first to popularize Bart Howard's compositions, this album and its successors also became, by extension, a small tribute to the songwriter. In addition to its star, the album's cover credits the Keith Ingham Trio (

Keith Ingham Keith Christopher Ingham (born 5 February 1942) is an English jazz pianist, mainly active in swing and Dixieland revival. Early life and education Ingham was born in London on 5 February 1942. His father played the organ in churches. Ingham was ...

: arrangements and piano,

James Chirillo James Louis Chirillo (born May 2, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist, banjoist, composer, arranger, and band leader. Career From 1977 to 1979, Chirillo performed regularly with singers Marilyn Maye, Vic Damone, Joey Heatherton, Lorna Luft, an ...

: guitar,

Greg Cohen Greg Cohen (born July 13, 1953) is an American jazz bassist who has been a member of John Zorn's Masada quartet and worked with numerous other noted musicians for over four decades. Career Cohen plays traditional jazz and other styles, includi ...

: bass). Writing liner notes for ''Remembering Mabel Mercer-Volume Three'',

John Gavin John A. Gavin (born Juan Vincent Apablasa; April 8, 1931 – February 9, 2018) was an American actor who was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (1971–73), and the United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981–86). Among the films he appeared ...

observes that " 1995, Joyce gave herself a life-changing fiftieth birthday present when she moved to Manhattan. The cabaret scene of her dreams was long past its heyday, but Joyce became a highly respected part of it..." Eight months after Rosemary Clooney's death in June 2002, an Audio CD and

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

album on the British Sepia label, ''You're Just in Love (with Rosemary Clooney) The Early Hits'', a compilation of 25 songs she recorded in the early 1950s, featured "On the First Warm Day" as one of the selections. Sixty years after its initial appearance, the song was rediscovered in May 2012 when the words in the opening lines indicating the month, "on the first warm day in May", were utilized in the service of one of department store J. C. Penney's series of television advertisements emphasizing seasonal apparel, with Rosemary Clooney's original recording becoming the soundtrack for a 30-second spot highlighting brief glimpses of warm-weather activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:On The First Warm Day 1952 songs 1952 singles Rosemary Clooney songs Eydie Gormé songs Songs written by Bart Howard

Early recordings: Rosemary Clooney, Mabel Mercer and Alma Cogan

Later renditions: Portia Nelson, Chris Connor and Eydie Gormé

Into the CD era: Betty Johnson, KT Sullivan and Joyce Breach

See also

References