Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its US label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president too. In 1937, anticipating Nazi aggression leading to World War II, Lewis sold American Decca, and the link between the UK and US Decca label was broken for several decades. The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre.
"How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show, where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock. In Two for the Show, this was a rare serious moment in an otherwise humorous revue.
"Again" is a popular song with music by Lionel Newman and words by Dorcas Cochran. It first appeared in the film Road House (1948), sung by Ida Lupino. An instrumental rendition was used in the movie Pickup on South Street (1953). By 1949, versions by Vic Damone, Doris Day, Tommy Dorsey, Gordon Jenkins, Vera Lynn, Art Mooney, and Mel Tormé all made the Billboard charts.
"Tell Me Why" is a popular song written by Marty Gold with the lyrics by Al Alberts. The song was published in 1951.
Between 1935 and 1955, American singer Ella Fitzgerald was signed to Decca Records. Her early recordings as a featured vocalist were frequently uncredited. Her first credited single was 78 RPM recording "I'll Chase the Blues Away" with the Chick Webb Orchestra. Fitzgerald continued recording with Webb until his death in 1939, after which the group was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra. With the introduction of 10" and 12" Long-Playing records in the late 1940s, Decca released several original albums of Fitzgerald's music and reissued many of her previous single-only releases. From 1935 to the late 1940s Decca issued Ella Fitzgerald's recordings on 78rpm singles and album collections, in book form, of four singles that included eight tracks. These recordings have been re-issued on a series of 15 compact disc by the French record label Classics Records between 1992 and 2008.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1944.
"Imagination" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was first published in 1940. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey in 1940.
Tempo Records was an independent British jazz record label.
4 Star Records was a record label that recorded many well-known country music acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Rose Maddox, Webb Pierce, Cousin Ford Lewis and T. Texas Tyler, who all regularly issued records on the label, mostly as 78rpm singles.
Selections from Going My Way is a studio album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in late 1945 featuring songs that were presented in the American musical comedy-drama film Going My Way. This was the first release of one of Crosby's best songs throughout his career, "Swinging on a Star", on shellac disc record.
This is a list of Bing Crosby songs he recorded twice or more during his career, excluding all of the 1954 re-recordings for Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
Christmas Music is a compilation album of phonograph records put together for the Christmas season by Decca Records in late 1940. The album features the most popular artists recording for Decca such as: Bing Crosby, Kenny Baker, Men About Town and Eddie Dunstedter. It features Bing Crosby's first commercial release of "Silent Night", the 1942 version of which went on to sell 30 million copies.
Favorite Hawaiian Songs is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1940 featuring songs that were sung in a Hawaiian-type genre. This is the second album release of many of Crosby's Hawaiian hits such as: Blue Hawaii and Sweet Leilani.
Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Volume One is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1946 featuring songs that were sung in a Hawaiian-type genre. This was the fourth Hawaiian-themed album release for Crosby.
Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Volume Two is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1946 featuring songs that were sung in a Hawaiian-type genre. This was the fifth Hawaiian-themed album release for Crosby.
Hawaii Calls is a compilation album of phonograph records put together by Decca Records in 1941 featuring Decca's best Hawaiian music. These previously issued songs were featured on a 5-disc, 78 rpm album set, Decca Album No. 193. Harry Owens is the main performer for Disc 1, as Bing Crosby is for Disc 2 and Frances Langford backed by Dick McIntire are for Discs 3 and 4, while Dick McIntire is the main performer for Disc 5.
Star Dust is an album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1940 featuring songs that are sung sentimentally, being based upon the 1927 popular song "Stardust". This album featured his 1939 Decca recording of the song, not the 1931 recording he made for Brunswick.
Don't Fence Me In is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters released in 1946 featuring Country and Western songs. This album contained the enormously popular record "Pistol Packin' Mama", which sold over a million copies and became the first number one hit on the then-new Juke Box Folk Song Records Chart that was later renamed the Hot Country Songs Chart.
Patriotic Songs for Children is a compilation album of three 78rpm phonograph records. The recordings are all of American patriotic songs sung by Bing Crosby and Frank Luther.
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at a speed of 78 revolutions per minute. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with access to the production catalogs of those same companies. DAHR is part of the American Discography Project (ADP), and is funded and operated in partnership by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Packard Humanities Institute.
