BIG BANDS IN 1945

Originally broadcast WDCB
Saturday, September 3, 2005 

VICTORY PARADE OF SPOTLIGHT BANDS (1-11-45) Tommy Tucker and his orchestra playing for the war workers of Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois. Selec­tions include “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “Don’t Ever Change,” “Don’t Fence Me In,” “There Goes That Song Again.” Vocals by Don Brown and the Three Two-Timers. Coca-Cola, BLUE. (23 min)

ONE NIGHT STAND #560 (2-3-45) Harry James and his Music Makers from the Casa Manana in Culver City, California. Tunes fea­tured are “Blue Skies,” “The Very Thought of You,” “Alphabet Song,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “Two O’Clock Jump.” Vocals by Kitty Kellen. AFRS. (30 min)

JUBILEE #120 (2-12-45) Host Ernie “Bubbles” Whitman introduces Billy Eckstine and his orchestra, vocalist Sarah Vaughn and “the Swing Wing of the Army Air Forces Radio Unit,” and Wingy Manone. Music includes “Together,” “Bugle Call Rag,” “Mean to Me,” “Without a Song,” “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Verne Smith announces. AFRS. (30 min)

RAY HERBECK AND HIS MUSIC WITH ROMANCE (4-28-45) Excerpt. Remote broadcast from the Mural Room of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Tunes include “Candy,” “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “I Found a Million Dollar Baby.” Songs by Lorraine Benson and Roy Cordell. Sustaining, NBC. (16 min)

SPOTLIGHT BANDS #741 (9-12-45) Artie Shaw and his orchestra playing for the officers and men of the United States Naval Hospital, San Diego, California. Music includes “Tabu”; “Little Jazz,” featuring trumpeter Roy Eldridge; “Summit Ridge Drive,” featuring the Gramercy Five; “Begin the Beguine.” AFRS rebroadcast. (15 min)

I SUSTAIN THE WINGS (9-29-45) This is the “Welcome Home” broadcast of Major Glenn Miller’s Army Air Forces Overseas Orchestra, conducted by Sgt. Jerry Gray. Host is Sgt. Tom Hudson who mentions that “Major Glenn Miller is not with us tonight. Since December, 1944 he’s been officially listed as Missing in Action.” Sgt. Johnny Desmond sings “Long Ago and Far Away” in French and English. Other selections include “Laura,” “Cherokee,” “Blue Rain,” “Russian Patrol.” U.S. Army Air Forces, NBC. (30 min).