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From The Civil War
Julia Ward Howe (author of "Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Read about her song at
BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC:
Origins of a Civil War Song
to
The Cold War
Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires
Read more at
Early Elvis
- Name Those Tunes! NEW!
- Lotsa Lanza!
-
Song Hits Series NEW!
-
Remembering Radio NEW!
Help support the mission of this website
Use this handy Search Box for your purchases...
Without a song, the day would never end...
These opening lyrics are by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu from the 1929 song, recorded by various singers, including a memorable recording by Frank Sinatra in 1961, and they describe how important a song can be in someone's life. Many singers have admired this song. For example, Elvis Presley quoted some of the lyrics at a press conference. He knew the value of a song to his audience and to himself.
Today much of what we get on radio, TV and movies are badly sung songs, with mumbling off-key voices and unmemorable melodies.
Do we really need this type of music ruling our lives?
Is "American Idol" really what we want as the criteria for the best of our music culture?
If you feel differently, you don't have to take it anymore!!
You can replace it with better music.
For example, classic pop songs sung by fine stylists, like Linda Eder or Tony Bennett.
Or sung by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald --
to name just a few of the many great pop singers from the past.All these singers deserve to be remembered.
There have been thousands of worthwhile American popular songs
written in the past century or so. Why not listen to them? You can find a list of some of these songs here.Most new songs today are gushed over by celebrity-crazed critics and journalists.
Many of these songs are here today and forgotten tomorrow, sung by those with limited vocal ability or musical style.
Meanwhile extremely talented songwriters and singers from earlier decades are being forgotten or ignored.
They were part of the "Great American Songbook."
We need to preserve these great songs for future generations of listeners and musicians.
If you really care about preserving popular songs from the past,
you can help support the efforts of this web site by ordering music at theAre you interested in supporting popular songs from the past?
Then go to:
The Sammy Movie Music Awards
This year marks the 70th anniversary of this milestone music event
now available on a 4 CD box set titled:
Carousel of American Music:
The Fabled 24 September 1940 San Francisco Concerts
A Centennial Birthday Tribute
Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive:
Johnny Mercer in Hollywood
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Christmas Hits by Gene, Bing, and Elvis
Also the Top 25 Christmas Hits from the past at
Play Ball!
2008 marked the 100th anniversary of the most popular baseball song:
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"
A Beautiful Singing Legend
The beautiful lustrous voice of Jo Stafford was a fixture on radio, records and later television during the 1940s and 1950s.
She was born in Coalinga, California on November 12,1917. She first sang with her two sisters but then joined a vocal group known as "The Pied Pipers." They sang with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra, joined by a skinny young singer,
whose name was Frank Sinatra.Jo Stafford eventually left the group and became a solo recording artist in 1944. Her serene singing of such songs as: "I'll Be Seeing You," "Long Ago (And Far Away)," and "All The Things You Are" became so popular during World War II that she was dubbed by servicemen as "G.I. Jo."
Some of her biggest hits were during the 1950s, including "You Belong To Me" (by Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart & Chilton Price), Jo Stafford's biggest hit. Also the Hank Williams song "Jambalaya," and
"Shrimp Boats" (by Paul Mason Howard & Paul Weston).In the late 1950s, she began a comedy duo with her husband, arranger- conductor Paul Weston. They called themselves Jonathan and Darlene Edwards nd portrayed a bad lounge act, singing and playing off key. She received her only Grammy for one of these comedy records in 1961. After recording a parody of the Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive" in 1977, she retired from singing, except for a tribute event for Frank Sinatra in 1990.
Jo Stafford died in Century City, California on July 16, 2008. She was 90.
She'll be remembered by those who treasure that clear smooth voice
and simple direct way she had with a song.She was an unforgettable vocalist.
-- Roger Lee Hall, July 2008
Read more about one of the great pop singers from the past at:
Popular Songwriters
and
The Great American Songbook
See a list of songwriters and singers from the past at
Popular Songwriters and The Great American Songbook
NEW!
What are your favorite songs and themes from the past?
Plan to participate in this annual event which so far has listed over 300 tunes:
National Carry A Tune Week
Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary!
This year's event:
October 3 - 9, 2010
Read more about it here
See the lists of past tunes at:
After watching the excellent seven-part TV series, THE WAR,
produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick,
and elegantly written by Geoffrey C. Ward,
you might want to order the music used in this series.
The music is available both in a Deluxe 4 CD Edition with Viewer's Guide and Booklet
a single CD soundtrack...
The War -- 4 CD set with 2 booklets
Disc One: The War (soundtrack, 17 tracks)
Disc Two: Sentimental Journey (Song Hits, 20 tracks)
Disc Three: I'm Beginning To See The Light (Dance Hits, 20 tracks)
Disc Four: Songs Without Words (Classical Music, 10 tracks)
The War -- single soundtrack CD (17 tracks)
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Here are five recommended CDs of music from the World War II Era:
As Time Goes By: World War II Songs
3 CD Set (65 tracks)
Those Were Our Songs: Music of World War II
2 CDs (40 tracks)
G.I. Jukebox: Songs from World War II
1 CD (18 tracks)
Songs That Got Us Through WWII
1 CD (18 tracks)
Songs That Got Us Through WW II, Volume 2
1 CD (18 tracks)
American Songs on DVD
Though there a few factual errors about the early songs and the film clips are often not complete, this is still a very entertaining and enjoyable look
at American songs from the past,
from "Yankee Doodle" to "Jailhouse Rock"
and including such musical stars as
Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Lena Horne and Gene Kelly:
The Great American Songbook
Hosted by Michael Feinstein
Click here to buy your music and other favorite posters!
A Survey of Mario Lanza Recordings
A Remembrance of Frank Sinatra
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Aron Presley, now you can receive a new Commemorative eBook about the early music career of Elvis and the Cleveland disc jockey and promoter Bill Randle titled:
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" - Electric Elvis and Bill Randle
One of his best known recordings was
"Love Me Tender."But did Elvis Presley really co-write
this song?Read about
The Truth Behind "Love Me Tender"
NEW!
Are you celebrating a 50th anniversary in 2010?
Check out this year for
Also look at...
Read about the legendary '50s rock n' roll disc jockey,
Alan Freed
in this e-book,"Free As The Breeze" - Confessions of a Struggling Songwriter
Also at the
Are you a fan of old-time radio and vintage popular songs?
If so, now you can hear some of the great songwriters
performing their own songs. These songwriters are:Harold Arlen
Irving Berlin
George Gershwin
Jerome Kern
Cole PorterIn addition there are the singers too, including:
Fred Astaire
Tony Bennett
Bing Crosby
Judy Garland
Bob Hope & Shirley Ross
The McGuire Sisters
The Moonglows
and moreHear all these songwriter and singers on the CD-R which accompanies
this informative reference guide by Roger Hall titled,REMEMBERING RADIO: Great Songwriters and Singers
In this guide there is a list of radio shows
with music between 1923 and 1993,
and sixty popular radio shows between 1928 and 1958,
plus an old-time radio script.
To order
REMEMBERING RADIO: Great Songwriters and Singers
with accompanying CD from radio shows,
go to theNEW!
Also available are CDs from
these two Top Ten specials
featured on Roger Hall's popular radio program, "IN THE MOOD" -1. Top Ten Movie Songs, 1930s - 1950s
2. Top Ten Big Band Themes, 1935-1945
Please help support the mission of this web site
operated by PineTree Productions.
Donate $15 and receive one the above titles or $25 for both CDs.
You can pay by credit card through PayPal.
Just click on this button to:
If you have a website on vintage American music
and would like to exchange links,
write to:
American Music Preservation Links
Essential American Songs (1861-1961)
Songs and Songwriters
Items For Sale
To order CDs, DVDs, eBooks, Music Broadsides and Publications,
go to the
Click here to buy your music and other favorite posters!
Remember to credit this website!
If you use any original writing on this page for
another web site, article or book,
please give credit toAmerican Music Preservation.com
For any comments or questions, write to:
Please help support the mission of this web site.
Use this Search Box for your purchases at Amazon.com
A Century of
American Songs (1861-1961)
Confessions of a
Struggling Songwriter
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