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From The Civil War (1860s)
Julia Ward Howe
(author of "Battle Hymn of the Republic")
to
The Cold War (1960s)
Sammy Cahn
(popular movie lyricist)
Contents
- Centennial Tributes for Singers, Songs and Songwriters
- Movie Song Poll
- The Sammy Film Music Awards
- Sammy Cahn Centennial Tribute
- CD: Songs of Civil War Era
- Cowboy Songs Corral
- Name Your Tunes for National Carry A Tune Week
- Popular Singer Tribute 2: Lotsa Lanza!
- Popular Singer Tribute 4: Sultry Jo Stafford
- Popular Singers Tribute 6: Becoming The Beatles
- Red, White and Blue - Christmas Hit Songs
- Remembering Radio - Songs, Songwriters and Big Bands
- Song Hits Series, 1956 - 1963
- Links and Items For Sale
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Without a song, the day would never end...
These opening lyrics are by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu from the 1929 song, recorded by various singers, including a memorable recording by Frank Sinatra in 1961, and they describe how important a song can be in someone's life. Many singers have admired this song. For example, Elvis Presley quoted some of the lyrics at a press conference. He knew the value of a song to his audience and to himself.
Today much of what we get on radio, TV and movies are badly sung songs, with mumbling off-key voices and unmemorable melodies.
Do we really need this type of music ruling our lives?
Is "American Idol" really what we want as the criteria for the best of our music culture?
If you feel differently, you don't have to take it anymore!!
You can replace it with better music.
For example, classic pop songs sung by fine stylists, like Linda Eder or Tony Bennett.
Or sung by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald --
to name just a few of the many great pop singers from the past.All these singers deserve to be remembered.
There have been thousands of worthwhile American popular songs
written in the past century or so. Why not listen to them? You can find a list of some of these songs here.Most new songs today are gushed over by celebrity-worshipping critics and journalists.
Many of these songs are here today and forgotten tomorrow, sung by those with limited vocal ability and musical style.
Meanwhile extremely talented songwriters and singers from earlier decades are being forgotten or ignored.
They were part of what is rightly called "The Great American Songbook."
We need to preserve these great songs for future generations of listeners and musicians.
If you really care about preserving popular songs from the past,
you can help support the efforts of this web site by ordering music at theAre you interested in supporting popular songs from the past? Then join this online group:
Centennial Tributes
for
Singers, Songs and Songwriters
"High Hopes"
A Centennial Tribute To Sammy Cahn (1913-1993)
"Catch A Falling Star" -
A Centennial Salute To Singer, Perry Como
100th Anniversary of Titanic Voyage (1912)
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (1912)
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"River Of No Return"
A Centennial Tribute to Songwriter-Arranger, Ken Darby
"I Hear Music"
A Centennial Tribute To Songwriter, Frank Loesser
"Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive"
Johnny Mercer in Hollywood
Please feel free to check out the following resources and websites
on centennial songs and songwriters and meditation
as well as how to find them:Centennial Song -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate_the_PositiveHow to Sing -
http://faculty.thaca.edu/mcamis/howtosing/Learning How to Meditate -
http://www.tm.org/meditate-techniquesHow to Meditate and Possible Techniques -
http://philosophy.lander.edu/oriental/meditation.htmlHow to Meditate Through the Use of Song -
http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/med.htm
Pick your favorite movie songs...
The Sammy Film Music Awards
American Classics Concerts
Marching Along With Time – Irving Berlin Performed by The Smart Set
– Valerie Anastasio & Tim Harbold and Benjamin Sears & Bradford ConnerFriday, Feb. 22, 2013, 7:30pm
Follen Community Church
755 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA
also
Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, 3:00pm
Pickman Concert Hall
Longy School of Music
27 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA
Highly recommended book:
THE IRVING BERLIN READER by Benjamin Sears
It's Magic – A One Hundredth Birthday Celebration of Sammy Cahn
Friday, April 5, 2013, 7:30pm
Follen Community Church
755 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, Massachusetts
also
Sunday, April 7, 2013, 3:00pm
Pickman Concert Hall
Longy School of Music
27 Garden Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts
A CD of Sammy Cahn songs from American Classics will be released later this year.
"High Hopes" - A Centennial Tribute to Sammy Cahn
Popular Songwriters
and
The Great American Songbook
See a list of songwriters and singers from the past at
Popular Songwriters and The Great American Songbook
National Carry A Tune Week
13th annual free online event
October 6 - 12, 2013
Read how to participate
in this free web survey
click here
See the lists of past tunes at:
Songs of the Civil War Era
For the 150th anniversary of
The Civil War
with 7 World Premiere Recordings!
CD:
Glory, Hallelujah -
Songs and Hymns of the Civil War Era
Songs of the World War II Era
After watching the excellent seven-part TV series, THE WAR, produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and elegantly written by Geoffrey C. Ward, you might want to order the music used in this series.
The music is available both in a Deluxe 4 CD Edition with Viewer's Guide and Booklet
a single CD soundtrack...
The War -- 4 CD set with 2 booklets
Disc One: The War (soundtrack, 17 tracks)
Disc Two: Sentimental Journey (Song Hits, 20 tracks)
Disc Three: I'm Beginning To See The Light (Dance Hits, 20 tracks)
Disc Four: Songs Without Words (Classical Music, 10 tracks)The War -- single soundtrack CD (17 tracks)
Here are five recommended CDs of music from the World War II Era:
As Time Goes By: World War II Songs
3 CD Set (65 tracks)
Those Were Our Songs: Music of World War II
2 CDs (40 tracks)
Songs That Got Us Through WWII
CD (18 tracks)
Songs That Got Us Through WW II, Volume 2
CD (18 tracks)
American Songs on DVD
Though there a few factual errors about the early songs and the film clips are often not complete, this is still a very entertaining and enjoyable look at American songs from the past, from "Yankee Doodle" to "Jailhouse Rock" and including such musical stars as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Lena Horne and Gene Kelly:
The Great American Songbook
Hosted by Michael Feinstein
Special Edition DVD: Preserving Our Musical Past
Book and CD Reviews
Popular Singer Tribute 1: Bravo, Bing!
Popular Singer Tribute 2: Lotsa Lanza!
Popular Singer Tribute 4: Sultry Jo Stafford
The beautiful lustrous voice of Jo Stafford was a fixture on radio, records and later television during the 1940s and 1950s.
She was born in Coalinga, California on November 12,1917. She first sang with her two sisters but then joined a vocal group known as "The Pied Pipers." They sang with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra, joined by a skinny young singer from Hoboken, New Jersey, whose name was Frank Sinatra.
Jo Stafford eventually left the group and became a solo recording artist in 1944. Her serene singing of such songs as: "I'll Be Seeing You," "Long Ago (And Far Away)," and "All The Things You Are" became so popular during World War II that she was dubbed by servicemen as "G.I. Jo."
Some of her biggest hits were during the 1950s, including "You Belong To Me" (by Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart & Chilton Price), Jo Stafford's biggest hit. Also the Hank Williams song "Jambalaya," and
"Shrimp Boats" (by Paul Mason Howard & Paul Weston).In the late 1950s, she began a comedy duo with her husband, arranger- conductor Paul Weston. They called themselves Jonathan and Darlene Edwards nd portrayed a bad lounge act, singing and playing off key. She received her only Grammy for one of these comedy records in 1961. After recording a parody of the Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive" in 1977, she retired from singing, except for a tribute event for Frank Sinatra in 1990.
Jo Stafford died in Century City, California on July 16, 2008. She was 90.
She'll be remembered by those who treasure that clear smooth voice
and simple direct way she had with a song.She was an unforgettable vocalist.
-- R. L. Hall, July 2008
Popular Singer Tribute 5: Electric Elvis!
Get your copy of this special commemorative multimedia disc:
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" - Electric Elvis and Bill Randle
One of his best known recordings was
"Love Me Tender."Did Elvis Presley co-write this song?
Read --
The Truth Behind "Love Me Tender"
Popular Singers Tribute 6:
Becoming The Beatles
"Please Please Me" - Memories of the Early Beatles
Red, White and Blue...
Christmas Hit Songs by Gene, Bing, and Elvis
See also these links:
Song Hits Series
See the list of 400 song hits from 1956 to 1963...
Read about the legendary '50s rock n' roll disc jockey,
Alan Freed, and songs from that era in this multimedia memoir
by songwriter, Roger Lee Hall,"Free As The Breeze" - Confessions of a Struggling Songwriter
Additional American Music Preservation Links
American Popular Music Survey
The Genius of George Gershwin
Popular Songs and Songwriters
If you have a website on vintage American music
and would like to exchange links,
write to:
Items For Sale
To order CDs, Multimedia DVDs, and Books,
go to the
Please remember to credit this website!
If you use any original writing on this page for
another web site, article or book,
please give credit toAmerican Music Preservation.com
For any comments or questions, write to:
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