[Dixielandjazz] Re: Stardust (was Verses)

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Hal,
Looks like you've nailed it, with the quotes from Will Friedwald's
"Stardust Melodies".
The prior-composition claim I was trying to recall earlier is included on
the Amazon site as part of its publicity for Richard Sudhalter's book
'Stardust Melody' (2002).   (The similarity for the book titles is a bit
confusing, unfortunately. Both were published, independently, in April 2002.
I do not have either of them yet.)
Here is the Amazon site quote:
"  'Who really wrote Star Dust?', August 19, 2002
Hoagy Carmichael's college roommate, Hank Wells, claimed all his life that
Hoagy, consciously or subconsciously, stole Star Dust from him. People in
his home- town of Lake Bluff, Ill., said that this "broke his heart." Wells
visited back and forth with the parents of a friend of mine, and she
personally heard him tell this story. He played piano at her wedding..
I have read Hoagy's own words about Star Dust quoted in a book and they are
cryptic. He does indeed imply that the song came out of nowhere into his
mind.
Two facts: (a) What if a man wrote one great song that was unusual and never
wrote another? Why is that?
(b) Why could one man write such a great song and then
never equal or exceed it in his long writing career. Why?
Only one set of facts fits that scenario. Hank Wells, heartbroken, never
wrote again. Hoagy couldn't write anything so good on his own.
Ccarf. "
This appears to be the basis of the article I had recalled, but which I have
yet to locate in my files.
This afternoon. I have also been looking at other books, including the
following, and find that the 'story' of who was involved, and when, has
become a mess.
1.  'American Popular Song'. Alec Wilder. 1972. Who mentions a 1929
composition date and claims that the verse was added when Parish wrote the
lyrics.
2.  'You Must Remember This...' by Mark White. 1983. Rehash of other known
information plus a story involving Harry Hostetter.
3.  'Tin Pan Alley' by David A Jason. 1988. Mentions that Mills Music
published [and presumably copyrighted] "Stardust" as an instrumental number
in Jan 1929. Parish added the lyrics in May 1929, but it did not become
popular until Isham Jones recorded it, as a 'dreamy ballad', in May 1930.
4.  'Poets of Tin Pan Alley' by Philip Furia. 1990. Who states that it was
composed in 1927 and that Hoagy's University of Indiana classmate Stu
Gorrell named it "Star Dust" (two words). However he perpetuates the story
that Carmichael added the verse when Irving Mills called Mitchell Parish in
to write the words. [Not true as we know that the verse is contained in the
first Carmichael & His Pals recording on 31 Oct 1927.] Mr Furia claims that
it became a hit when Cab Calloway introduced it at the Cotton Club in 1929.
[Calloway's recording of the song was not made until 12 Oct 1931.]
5.  'Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy.' by Rick Kennedy. 1994. A long and
interesting account of the tune on pages 129-132, including some quotes from
Carmichael's 1965 book 'Sometimes I Wonder' implying that Hoagy did not
really know where the tune came from!

>From the above it can be seen that the 1931 copyright date (initially quoted
by me) and given by 'Kinkle' is obviously in error.

Mention has been made of the Frank Sinatra versions of "Stardust", including
a verse-only one (where did I read that, and is this the one Fred Spencer
referred to in the email which started this long thread?).
To save me time, can someone please provide details of when they were
recorded by Sinatra and with which record company?
Kind regards,
Bill. 



"Stardust"
Verse:
And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we¹re apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust
Of yesterday
The music
Of the years
Gone by

Chorus:
Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song.
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you.
When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago, and now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.
Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
Of paradise where roses grew.
Though I dream in vain, in my heart you will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love¹s refrain.