[Dixielandjazz] Who wrote Sing, Sing, Sing

[Stan Brager]

Prima also sang it on SSS' initial recording for Brunswick on February 28,
1936. Pee Wee Russell was in the band on clarinet.

 

Stan

Stan Brager 

 

From: Harry Callaghan [mailto:meetmrcallaghan at gmail.com] 
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 5:02 PM
To: Stan Brager
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Who wrote Sing, Sing, Sing

 

If I'm not mistaken, when Louis Prima re-recorded "SSS" for Capitol in the
late 50s, he sang the lyrics to it as well, but right now I'm just too lazy
to go check

 

Funny you should make mention of Chu Berry, On my program that is airing
right now on Radio OKOM, I made mention after playing a selection by Cab
Calloway, how I received a jazz catalog years ago where someone, probably
thinking that they were correcting a typographical error, changed it to
Chuck Berry. who we know never played with Cab's orchestra..

 

HC

On Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 6:35 PM, Stan Brager <sbrager at verizon.net> wrote:

When you look at the label of the 12" 78 recording of "Sing, Sing, Sing",
you'll see words "interpolating Christopher Columbus" in parentheses.
"Christopher Columbus" was the expansion of a riff first recorded by Chu
Berry and Roy Eldridge towards the end of a Billie Holiday recording. Berry
took it with him when he and Roy Eldridge joined Fletcher Henderson's band
in 1936. Fletch's brother Horace was the one who expanded the riff added a
couple of others and came up with "Christopher Columbus". Andy Razaf added
the lyrics. It was a big hit for Fletcher. Fletcher also sold the
arrangement to Benny Goodman. But the interpolation with Louis Prima's
"Sing, Sing, Sing" was the result of a head arrangement. My guess is that
they were both in the same key.

There's an 1936 aircheck (Sun label) of the Goodman band playing "Sing,
Sing, Sing" which included a vocal by Helen Ward who really let Benny know
that she didn't like to sing it. This aircheck preceded the Henderson band's
recording of "... Columbus" by 9 days.

By the time Benny was in Victor's studios on July 6, 1937, the first
recordings of "Sing, Sing, Sing" as we know it today were made. The band
made 3 takes. Of those, only the second was issued at that time. The other
takes were commercially issued later in the LP days and it's fascinating to
listen to and compare the 3 takes. It's a revelation of how jazz is created.

Stan
Stan Brager


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Waltjen [mailto:kwaltjen at bendbroadband.com]
> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 8:52 AM
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List

> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Who wrote Sing, Sing, Sing
>
> I always thought Sing, Sing, Sing was an expansion of Chu Berry's
> Christopher Columbus as recorded by Fletcher Henderson.
>
> On 3/19/2011 8:33 AM, Robert Ringwald wrote:
> > Bill Sharp wrote:
> >
> >> All of you genuine jazzers already know this, but I was surprised to
> find that Louis Prima wrote "Sing,Sing, Sing".  I wonder how often he
> gets mentioned when this song is played.  I would bet that most people
> introduce this song as "Sing, Sing,Sing"  by Benny Goodman.
> >
> > Dear Bill,
> >
> > Most of the time when we play Sing Sing Sing, I mention that Louis
> Prima wrote it but BG made it famous.
> >
> > You can see us, the Fulton Street Jazz Band, playing it in Hungary in
> 2007 at:
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP0wknBipTw
> >
> > --Bob Ringwald
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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>
> --
>
> A woman is standing nude looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not
> happy with what she sees and says to her husband, 'I feel horrible; I
> look old, fat and ugly... I really need you to pay me a compliment.'
> The husband replies, 'Your eyesight's damn near perfect.
>
>



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