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02/09/2012

Russell Davies celebrates the art, craft and inspiration of popular song, opening with a Bobby Darin number before taking in Frankie Laine, Bing Crosby, Septimus Winner and more.

With onset of September and the return to school of his children, Russell opens with Bobby Darin's Multiplication, a song that he explains is not about maths but "almost a rock'n'rollish update of Cole Porter's Let's Do It".

Noting that Darin and Charlie Gracie shared the same birth-date, he follows with Gracie's Butterfly. Born 2 September 1924, Tony Mammarella, aka Anthony September, was co-writer of Butterfly. This leads to the US Payola scandal of 50 years ago, in honour of which we hear Stan Freberg's Old Payola Roll Blues.

More autumnal references follow with September In The Rain from Susannah McCorkle and, in a medley, My September Love from Joan Regan. Via Mack The Knife, also in the medley, we reach the subject of ships. Kurt Weill's My Ship (Wesla Whitfield), Kahn & Donaldson's When My Ship Comes In (Eddie Cantor), Rodgers & Hart's A Ship Without A Sail (Lee Wiley) and two lesser-known ones: A Capital Ship sung by Frankie Laine and I'm Waiting For Ships That Never Come In (Bing Crosby).

A second Wesla Whitfield number, Lovers and Losers, is coupled with James Darren's Here's To The Losers. Then a brief glimpse of Louis Armstrong gives us Listen To The Mocking Bird - by Septimus Winner - which winds up the show.

57 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Sep 2012 21:00

Music Played

  • Bobby Darin

    Multiplication

    鈥淏obby Darin: The Definitive Pop Collection鈥 [2 CD Set]

    • Atlantic/Rhino.
    • 8122 70809-2.
  • Charlie Gracie

    Butterfly

    鈥1957 British Hit Parade Part 1鈥 [4 CD Set]

    • Acrobat.
    • ACQCD 7004.
  • Stan Freberg

    The Old Payola Blues

    鈥淭ip Of The Freberg: Stan Freberg Collection鈥

    • Rhino.
    • R2 75645.
  • Susannah McCorkle

    September In The Rain

    鈥淪usannah Mccorkle 鈥 As Time Goes By鈥

    • Cbs/Sony.
    • 32 DP 685.
  • Dickie Valentime, Joan Regan, Winifred Atwell

    All Star Hit Parade

    鈥1956 鈥 British Hit Parade: Part 1鈥 [4 CD Set]

    • Acrobat.
    • ACQCD 7002.
  • Wesla Whitfield

    My Ship

    鈥淪eptember Songs 鈥 Wesla Whitfield鈥

    • High Note.
    • HCD 7114.
  • Eddie Cantor

    When My Ship Comes In

    鈥淓ddie Cantor 鈥 Whoopee!鈥

    • Jasmine.
    • JASCD 116.
  • Lee Wiley

    A Ship Without A Sail

    鈥淢anhattan Nights 鈥 Lee Wiley Master Takes鈥

    • Defintive Records.
    • DRCD 11157.
  • Frankie Laine

    A Capital Ship

    鈥淔rankie Laine 鈥 Rawhide: 9-CD Set鈥

    • Bear Family.
    • BCD 16522 Il.
  • Bing Crosby

    I'm Waiting For Ships That Never Come In

    鈥淭he Chronological Bing Crosby Volume 27鈥

    • Jonzo.
    • JZCD 27.
  • Wesla Whitfield

    Lovers And Losers

    鈥淪eptember Songs 鈥 Wesla Whitfield鈥

    • High Note.
    • HCD 7114.
  • James Darren

    Here's To The Losers

    鈥淛ames Darren 鈥 This One鈥檚 From The Heart鈥

    • Concord.
    • 4868.
  • Louis Armstrong

    Listen To The Mockingbird

    鈥淟ouis Armstrong 鈥 Satchmo In Style鈥

    • Verve.
    • 549 594-2.

Broadcast

  • Sun 2 Sep 2012 21:00