Cocktails, anyone? Ruth's serving. And it's a good time to knock one back, because the Cheerful Earfull is still here! Can you bee-lieve? It's a good day to be visiting, too, because our friend Ruth is doing it live in this Remarkable Ruth Cheerful Exclusive!
The 1960 LP, "In Person, Recorded Live at Mister Kelley's," has her letting it rip at the famed Chicago nightclub at a time when the circuit was close to extinction. Mr. Kelley's, beset by a a fire and new ownership, barely hung on in later years.
As for Ruth, her deeply expressive voice - which can rocket from sharp jazz stylings to operatic flourishes - is certainly one for the ages. And, yes, this is the only available live LP of hers (besides a super-obscure recording in Ojai which I've been unable to locate). The audience, as you'll hear, is plainly thrilled. Who wouldn't be? She was one of the last of her kind.
As for the lovely lady below, she had a remarkable career singing with all the great bands and musicians of the day, like Dave Pell, Les Brown and Lionel Hampton.
Yes, it's Lucy Ann Polk. Though she started in the biz with her sister and two brothers in their group "The Four Polks," it was her work as a soloist in the 1950s - for a myriad of popular bands - that earned her notice, so much so that she was named "Best Girl Singer With Band" for three years straight from the venerable jazz monthly Downbeat Magazine.
And for good reason. When she's smooth, she's smooth as buttah, and sexy, too, all perfectly captured in 1957's "Lucky Lucy Ann," her only solo LP. When she swings, as she does in Dave Pell's 1953 LP "Burke & Van Heusen," her voice feels delightfully, even joyously, liberated.
Strangely, though she was popular, Lucy never quite broke through to the mainstream - many expected her to reach the solo heights of Doris Day - but by 1960, her career was essentially over. Still, jazz aficionados at the time absolutely adored her. Just give a listen to any of her tunes and you'll understand why. The warmth of her voice, and her technical prowess, shines through beautifully.
Strangely, though she was popular, Lucy never quite broke through to the mainstream - many expected her to reach the solo heights of Doris Day - but by 1960, her career was essentially over. Still, jazz aficionados at the time absolutely adored her. Just give a listen to any of her tunes and you'll understand why. The warmth of her voice, and her technical prowess, shines through beautifully.
Believe it or not (and you'd better!), I was much too young when TV's "Doctor Kildare" was making housewives everywhere swoon over Kildare, played by none other than Richard Chamberlain, who had a li'l secret several other celebrities at the time had, but kept it well hidden for years.
Yet apparently, the housewives had a limit to their devotion, because once a rival network starting twitching its nose, "Doctor Kildare" plummeted in the ratings and was cancelled. Which says something about what? I'm not exactly sure. Magic? Girl power? A preference for more playful closet cases?
At any rate, renown jazz trumpeter and composer Harry Betts jumped on the "Doctor Kildare" bandwagon before it sputtered out, releasing a collection of jazz-inflected tunes in his 1962 LP "The Jazz Soul Of Doctor Kildare," which includes riffs not only on Kildare, but "National Velvet," "The Asphalt Jungle" (my favorite track), and many more. It's what we all need for a day that's muuuuuuch too hot, dont'cha think?
The Secret Song File is reaching new levels of exhaustion with our Dear Leader. Just listening to him talk gives her hives. And so she's turned to a spanking new diva of jazz - a Lonestar State native who's been compared to Betty Carter - to help her make sense of the world (it will never make sense), or at least push it aside for a few minutes. Simply put, this is a glorious debut.
By the way, The Secret Song File, being oh-so tricky and devious, has come up with a back-up plan just in case The Cheerful should suddenly vanish one day. She's created a new site here, which will only begin posting should this blog go ker-phlooey (though hopefully that won't happen). Pretty sneaky, huh?
The world demands that we be shady!
Get all sly 'n' such in the comments, if you like.
