Legendary
Love Songs invigorate
men’s
club members and their spouses
_________________________________________
© 2015 — Kenneth Lelen — Al Rights Reserved
© 2015 — Kenneth Lelen — Al Rights Reserved
 |
| All Photos: George Barry Ken Lelen at concert for Retired Men's Club of Greendale
held in the Worcester MA Senior Center on April
22, 2015
|
Vintage guitarist and vocalist Ken Lelen sang a baker’s dozen of love songs from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He also paired each song with an acoustic guitar from the same era for an authentic, back-in-the-day sound.
The romantic songs the musician performed originally were hits for such vocalists as Big Bill Broonzy, Mildred Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Rudy Vallee, Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Lynn, the DeCastro Sisters and others.
Members and their wives
A private, fraternal organization of more than 200 retired men, the audience included Club members and their wives for the social event, short business meeting and 45-minute concert.
The Legendary Love Songs program included these songs:
Glory of Love — This chestnut, written by Billy Hill in 1936, was a #1 hit for Benny Goodman. The Five Keys had a #1 R&B hit on it in 1951, and the song was famously recorded by Big Bill Broonzy in 1956 and Peggy Lee in 1959. Folksinger Tom Rush even made a worthy cover of Broonzy's hit in 1968.
I'd Rather Listen To Your Eyes — This obscure foxtrot by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics) spawned fleeting hits in 1935 for Mildred Bailey (“Queen of Swing)” and Al Jolson, an emotional shouter known back in the day as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer.”
She’s Funny That Way — Written in 1928, this Neil Moret (music) and Richard Whiting (lyrics) torch song is told from a man’s point of view. First recorded by Gene Austin in 1928 and the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (vocal by Jerry Cooper) in 1933, it lingered in obscurity until vocalists Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, clarinetist Benny Goodman and tenor saxophonist Lester Young (“Prez”) recorded it in the 1940s and 1950s. Tony Bennett even recorded it twice, in 1967 and 1997, the latter version in a tribute to Billie Holiday.
I’ll Be Seeing You — Written in 1938 by Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics), this song was in a Broadway musical that closed after 15 performances. However, in the 1940s this wistful song was recorded extensively by, among others, Connee Boswell, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday and “The Incomparable Hildegarde.” It was a favorite on the home front as well as for home-bound soldiers in the Spring of 1945 as World War II ended in Europe.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me — Written in 1930 by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt (music) with Gus Kahn (lyrics), it was recorded in February, 1931 by singer and band leader Ozzie Nelson.
At the Greendale event Lelen recalled meeting a nonagenarian at a 2002 concert in Red Bank NJ who saw Kate Smith introduce “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” in April, 1931 at Boston’s Metropolitan Theater. Two years later he met an elderly man at a Bethlehem PA concert who helped build the Tremont Street theater in 1925. Recently, Lelen learned that after a $9.8-million restoration in 1983, the 3,600-seat facility became Wang Center for the Performing Arts. It was renamed Citi Center in 2006.
Teach Me Tonight — Written in 1953, this Gene DePaul (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) song charted at #2 for the DeCastro Sisters (Peggy, Cherie and Babette) in 1955. Cahn even wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra in 1984 to reference Frank’s many love affairs.
A private, fraternal organization of more than 200 retired men, the audience included Club members and their wives for the social event, short business meeting and 45-minute concert.
The Legendary Love Songs program included these songs:
Glory of Love — This chestnut, written by Billy Hill in 1936, was a #1 hit for Benny Goodman. The Five Keys had a #1 R&B hit on it in 1951, and the song was famously recorded by Big Bill Broonzy in 1956 and Peggy Lee in 1959. Folksinger Tom Rush even made a worthy cover of Broonzy's hit in 1968.
I'd Rather Listen To Your Eyes — This obscure foxtrot by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics) spawned fleeting hits in 1935 for Mildred Bailey (“Queen of Swing)” and Al Jolson, an emotional shouter known back in the day as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer.”
She’s Funny That Way — Written in 1928, this Neil Moret (music) and Richard Whiting (lyrics) torch song is told from a man’s point of view. First recorded by Gene Austin in 1928 and the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (vocal by Jerry Cooper) in 1933, it lingered in obscurity until vocalists Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, clarinetist Benny Goodman and tenor saxophonist Lester Young (“Prez”) recorded it in the 1940s and 1950s. Tony Bennett even recorded it twice, in 1967 and 1997, the latter version in a tribute to Billie Holiday.
I’ll Be Seeing You — Written in 1938 by Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics), this song was in a Broadway musical that closed after 15 performances. However, in the 1940s this wistful song was recorded extensively by, among others, Connee Boswell, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday and “The Incomparable Hildegarde.” It was a favorite on the home front as well as for home-bound soldiers in the Spring of 1945 as World War II ended in Europe.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me — Written in 1930 by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt (music) with Gus Kahn (lyrics), it was recorded in February, 1931 by singer and band leader Ozzie Nelson.
At the Greendale event Lelen recalled meeting a nonagenarian at a 2002 concert in Red Bank NJ who saw Kate Smith introduce “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” in April, 1931 at Boston’s Metropolitan Theater. Two years later he met an elderly man at a Bethlehem PA concert who helped build the Tremont Street theater in 1925. Recently, Lelen learned that after a $9.8-million restoration in 1983, the 3,600-seat facility became Wang Center for the Performing Arts. It was renamed Citi Center in 2006.
Teach Me Tonight — Written in 1953, this Gene DePaul (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) song charted at #2 for the DeCastro Sisters (Peggy, Cherie and Babette) in 1955. Cahn even wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra in 1984 to reference Frank’s many love affairs.
Vintage guitar tones
The musician played several vintage acoustic guitars at the Greendale event. Each makes sound that is remarkble for its tone, sustain and character without the use of pick-ups or electronic gimmicks, he said.
The guitars Lelen played at the Greendale concert were:
• 1935 MarvelTone — rosewood grand concert by Regal Co. of Chicago;
• 1930 Galiano — spruce and mahogany auditorium guitar custom-made by Antonio Cerrito of New York City’s Little Italy;
• 1933 Señorita grand concert and 1936 Groton auditorium — both from Bacon & Day of Groton CT;
• 1933 Weymann #840 — spruce and mahogany grand concert guitar by the Weymann Co. of Philadelphia.
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Copyright © 2015 — Ken Lelen — All Rights Reserved
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