THE N DAME
In doing research for the posts of this fem song series, I occasionally come across an old tune which not only is unfamiliar to me, but has a ‘trivia’ connection that catches my attention as much as the song itself. Such is the case with my first N song — NINA, recorded in 1931 by Wooding’s Grand Central Red Caps:
Orchestras of that era often adopted the names of venues where they played extended gigs, such as Richard Himber and His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra / Billy Wynne and His Greenwich Village Inn Orchestra. These venues lent a certain prestige to the orchestra and, one assumes, vice versa — though it’s hard to see how Grand Central Station could gain prestige from being coupled with a relatively obscure band like Wooding’s. But beyond that, it seems unlikely that any orchestra would be the ‘house band’ at a train terminal ….even one so grand as Grand Central — unless a night club was ‘on board’ there (which I can find no record of). If anyone can throw some light on the latter, please comment.
Moving on, we have a gal named NELLIE who is also waiting for some light:
The end dame of our N game is NANCY….you know — the one with the laughing face.
mistermuse 6:53 pm on November 10, 2017 Permalink |
NOTE to Alexandra Hampton: I appreciate your “Like” on this and several previous posts, but I can’t find your blog to check it out. If you have one, please give me the link (if you wish).
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lexborgia 7:33 am on November 11, 2017 Permalink |
I must admit an unfamiliarity with such music,
After the intro I went straight to the red caps, and liked it a lot, it relayed a special type of nostalgia. 90secs later, reading on, I thought it would never end, but after 30secs of Nellie (and not a second more) I realised just how good the caps were. Frank/Nancy was a nice finish
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mistermuse 10:01 am on November 11, 2017 Permalink |
Unfamiliarity with such music, being a cultural/generational thing, it doesn’t surprise me that you and most of my readers haven’t heard of most of the songs in this series. I’m just pleased that you’re open to giving them a shot.
For those who are unfamiliar with Red Caps, they’re Pullman Porters whose history goes back 100+ years. Here’s a short clip that I hope you find interesting:
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Don Frankel 4:24 pm on November 11, 2017 Permalink |
Muse,
I knew you had to have Nancy With The Laughing Face. You couldn’t do this without it But this was another difficult one. The only song I could think of was No No Nanette but not because I even knew the song but the story associated with it. And that story was that Harry Freeze then owner of the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 so he could finance the show. But then some people say it didn’t exactly happen that way. Like a lot things.
Don
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mistermuse 7:20 pm on November 11, 2017 Permalink |
Don, I did have a few other N choices, but none of them appealed to me as much as the 3 songs I chose. The next letter is going to be the most difficult so far, as I know of only one old song title with a girl’s name beginning with O. If I can’t come up with one or two more, I may end up combining O and P in my next post.
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Don Frankel 6:41 pm on November 12, 2017 Permalink |
Muse,
Instead of waiting till you post and knowing this is a tough one I know I mentioned Miss Otis Regrets. There’s also the song Ophelia but it’s not much of a song, And it’s obvious that you not just going for anything but good music as well. But after those Muse I’m tapped out. If I think of anything I’ll post it here.
Don
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mistermuse 7:11 pm on November 12, 2017 Permalink |
Thanks, Don. I’m trying to stick to girl’s first names, but I’d use Miss Otis Regrets as a last resort if I hadn’t come up with another idea. I’m putting the finishing touches on it now and will post it late tonight. Thanks again.
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