Category Archives: My Favorite Things

Tina Turner remembered

June 5, 2023Music, My Favorite ThingsRock and Roll, Tina Turnerjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Most of the material included here–record albums, photos, cds and magazine articles, etc.– comes from my personal archives. However, I’ve added a few videos, photos and graphics from other sources to help tell the story of my lifelong infatuation with the music of Tina Turner.

My earliest recollections of Tina Turner go back to when I was a 12-year old kid watching her on television performing Proud Mary with Ike Turner and the Ikettes back in the early 70s. She had long legs, wore mini-skirts and a long dark brown wig, and could dance and sing like nobody’s business. I can close my eyes and clearly see her and her girls dancing in unison like crazy, tossing their hair back and forth as they did a rolling motion with their arms, while Tina belted out the lyrics to Proud Mary. It was a wild thing to witness. The group must’ve appeared on several tv shows in the Sixties and Seventies. Their onstage energy was unmatched.

I must admit, I have not studied Ike and Tina Turner’s recording history much until just recently. Slowly but surely, I’m piecing things together. They first recorded together in 1960-61 and had a couple of hits that included “A Fool In Love” and “It’s Gonna work Out fine” which I remember hearing on some of the oldies anthologies that I had bought when I first started collecting albums in earnest while in college. I have a cd re-issue of their first album, shown above, titled “The Soul of Ike and Tina Turner”.

This version of A Fool In Love was recorded for the program, Shindig on November 25, 1964, not 1960 as the note on the video screen indicates.

This is from my music videos collection. Tina performs Ooh Poo Pah Doo.

I also have a video of Tina performing with Marvin Gaye on the tv show Shindig in the mid-60s. I think they sang the song Money and I’ll be Doggone. She also performed A Fool in Love and Ooh Poo Pah Doo on the program. I used to love to watch the show on television. Aretha Franklin also appeared on it a number of times. It was great. Lots of popular groups performed on it and other shows like Hullabaloo.

On this tape, also from my music videos collection, Tina performs A Fool In Love.

The medley includes the tunes, “Money”, “I’ll Be Doggone” and “That’ll Be The Day”. What a pair!

Here’s another TIna Turner performance on Shindig. It’s available on the following–“Shindig Presents Legends of Rock N’ Roll”:

1992 video compilation of Shindig programs from the Mid-1960s. From my collection of music videos..

Ike and Tina also performed on a television concert program called the “Big T.N.T. Show” in 1966. The songs they performed were: Shake, A Fool In Love, It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, Please, Please, Please, Goodbye, So Long and Tell The Truth. The above concert tape is from my music video collection.

Here’s more about the Big T.N.T. concert from Wikipedia : “The Big T.N.T. Show is a 1966 concert film. Directed by Larry Peerce and distributed by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and the United Kingdom. A sequel to 1964’s The T.A.M.I. Show, and, like it, executive produced by Henry G. Saperstein, The Big T.N.T. Show was likewise shot on videotape and transferred to 35-millimeter film. Some footage from it was reused in the film That Was Rock, a.k.a. The T.A.M.I. / T.N.T. Show (1984).”

River Deep, Mountain High / released in the US in 1969.

Two of the first record albums I acquired when I was in college were the legendary recording, River Deep Mountain High, and a compilation album titled, The Soul of Ike and Tina Turner, which consisted of songs recorded in the mid-60s on the Kent record label. Phil Spector recorded Tina singing River Deep Mountain High in England. He paid Ike to stay away from the recording studio while he recorded Tina’s vocals. The song has that very unique “wall of sound” quality that Spector was so famous for, and it features Tina singing her heart out. It was released in both the US and England, where it was a big hit. It didn’t do well at all in the States, however, and it is said that Phil Spector closed down his record company and went into seclusion afterwards because he was so disappointed in how the song did in the U.S. The album, while recorded in 1966, was released in England in 1967. In the US, the A & M label issued it in 1969. My copy has a few snap, crackle and pops, but doesn’t skip.

The original release of The Soul of Ike and Tina Turner, released in 1966, is on the left , and the 1971 French re-issue which I have in my collection is on the right.

I have a 1971 French import issue of the album, “The Soul of Ike and Tina Turner” (not to be confused with their very first release from 1961, which has the same title), which consisted of songs Ike and Tina recorded in the mid-60s on the Modern and Kent labels. The album was released originally in 1966 on the Kent label. The recording I have is in pristine condition and sounds amazing.

Two additional albums that I have are of live performances recorded at the Skyliner Ballroom (Fort Worth, Texas) and the Lovall’s Ballroom (Dallas, Texas) in 1964.

The first recording was originally titled, “Live!: The Ike and Tina Turner Show” and was released in January 1965 on the Warner Bros. label (Catalog Number: W 1579). The version I have is titled “Somehing’s Got A Hold On Me”. It was released in 1971 on the Harmony Records label. Three of the songs on the original recording are omitted from this version.

The second recording of the 1964 live performances was originally titled, “The Ike and Tina Turner Show, Vol. 2”, and was released in January 1967 on the Loma label, (Catalog number: LS 5904). The version I have was released in 1969 on the Harmony Records label, and is titled Ooh Poo Pah Doo,

Because I had no idea of the details around the nearly 20 year recording history of Ike and Tina Turner, when I first started buying their records, I collected whatever I could find at the used record stores. There was no rhyme or reason to my collecting strategy, except that I liked finding records that cost under $5, and most of the ones I have averaged about $3 a disc.

The Hunter / 1969________________________The Best of Ike and Tina Turner / 1973

In the late sixties, the group recorded for the Blue Thumb label, and many of the songs on the albums from this period are blues numbers. I really love the album, The Hunter, which I gave away to my good friends Mike and Denice. In hindsight, sometimes I think it was dumb of me to do that, but they were leaving town and I had to give them a gift, something memorable, so I chose that recording plus a John Lee Hooker album and a Taj Mahal album, all of which I had a hard time finding later. I did manage to find some of the Blue Thumb recordings on compact disc later.

She sang the blues like nobody’s business, but I’ve read that she didn’t like singing those songs that much. Dang. She’s one of the best blues singers I’ve ever heard. That’s really too bad, but there’s probably too much association with Ike Turner and the pain she endured while with him. I don’t think she sang the blues in the eighties at all.

This is the only 45 I have of Ike and Tina Turner.

Ike and Tina Turner began performing Proud Mary in their live shows in 1969. In 1970, they recorded the song and it came out on their album, “Workin’ Together”. It became a huge hit in 1971. The performance that follows was recorded for the Ed Sullivan Show, where they appeared live on January 11, 1970. It also includes Bold Soul Sister.

Bold Soul Sister appears on this anthology of musical performances from the Ed Sullivan Show. From my personal collection of music videos.

I didn’t know this, but Ike and Tina were the first rock act to play at the brand new Tucson Community Center back in October, 1971. Here’s a brief announcement about the concert:

A lot of their recordings in the 70’s appeared on the United Artists label. Here are the ones I have in my collection:

Acid Queen / 1975 _______ Greatest Hits / 1976

Tina suffered severe abuse as Ike’s wife, but she finally broke free in July, 1976, and never looked back. Their divorce was finalized in 1978. All she got out of it were two cars and her name, which Ike had trademarked years ago. The ensuing years were difficult for her, but she persevered. Her Buddhist faith kept her strong and focused.

It took her a bit of time to get back on her feet and find her own way, but by the early 80’s she was once again performing and attracting attention as a great singer and performer, this time as a solo act. I hadn’t really known the details about what was going on with her, but in the early 80’s, I clipped and saved some Village Voice ads promoting her performances at the Ritz in New York in September and October of 1981. They appear below:

In the late 70s-early 80s Tina would make her entrance flapping these wings. It reminds me of the drag shows I used to see at Jeckyl and Hyde’s in Tucson back in the late 70s. This was a very popular costume!

Here are a couple of import cassettes that I found, both released in 1981. Both have the exact same song lists too. I can’t seem to find the original albums in which these songs first appeared.

I found a copy of the 12” single, “Let’s Stay Together” shortly after it was recorded in 1983 and released early in 1984. Al Green wrote the tune and it was a big hit for him in 1972. It was the first big record for her since she had left Ike, and it marked a major turning point in her career. She was especially big in England where the song went to the top of the charts.

Throughout her career, Tina has been on of the hardest working performers in show business. This concert is one of many examples of her amazing energy and talent. It’s from 1982, when she was performing on her own, a year before things started getting much better for her:

Here’s another amazing performance from around the same time:

Tina’s version of Let’s Stay Together, released in late 1983 in England and early 1984 in the US, rose to the top of the charts in England, and was the beginning of her rise to superstardom. Within a year, her breakthrough recording of Private Dancer would change things for her in a big, big way. She finally got the recognition she deserved as the world’s queen of rock and roll.

This version of Al Green’s classic went to the top of the charts in England.

Rolling Stone, October 11, 1984. This is one of three Rolling Stone magazine covers on which Tina appears. Details of the abuse she endured are revealed in this lengthy feature. People Magazine, however, back in 1981, was the first national publication to reveal why Tina left Ike.

Private Dancer was released shortly after this in May, 1984.

Here is a snippet from Wikipedia, that details the incredible success of this album:

“The album was released on May 29, 1984, and became an outstanding global commercial success.^[20]^[21]^[22] The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart for ten consecutive weeks^[23] and remained in the top ten for 39 weeks from August 1984 to May 1985. In the United States it was certified 5× platinum.^[24] In Germany, the album went 5× gold becoming one of the best selling albums in history. It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, where it was certified 3× platinum, remaining on the charts for 150 total weeks. It was certified 7× platinum for the shipment of over 700,000 copies in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. The album has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.^[25]^[26] At the 1985 Grammy Awards, Private Dancer won four of the six awards for which it was nominated.”

Her first big hit after her breakthrough album Private Dancer was released was “What’s Love Got To Do With It”. I liked the record a lot, but Tina has said she was reluctant to record it. She didn’t really care for it. I heard her say in an interview that “love has everything to do with it”, so I can understand why she didn’t care for the song. However, she also noted that the tune was catchy and that the public loved it. The video was quite popular, if I recall correctly.

The single, “Private Dancer” was also a big hit, but I didn’t like it much. I saw Joan Baez sing it in concert once with just her guitar. I thought it quite odd, but Joan loved Tina Turner, and there are several photos of them together, including the one below.

Tina sang on the We Are The World record, recorded on January 8, 1985. She was part of a huge superstar line-up that included Willie Nelson, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Ritchie, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Madonna and Bob Dylan.

I enjoyed seeing her on Live Aid on July 13, 1985. Her duet with Mick Jagger was quite memorable, especially the part where he rips off her skirt. I vaguely remember Patti Labelle and Tina getting into a bit of a tiff over one of them touching the other, and there being a bad reaction from one of them, because of the sweat that was pouring out. What the hell?

Just a few days after Live Aid, Tina appeared on the cover of People magazine. (This article and the US article are both in my personal collection of memorabilia). No mention is made of her life with Ike Turner and the abuse she endured during their marriage. She revealed all those details the following year in her autobiography.

Released on September 1, 1986. I read it at the time, but never had my own copy.

A week later, she appeared on the cover of US magazine. In this interview, she provides details about her relationship with Ike Turner. She had such a rough life with him, it’s incredible that she endured it for so long.

After Private Dancer, Tina appeared in the film, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. I never saw the movie, nor do I have any of the recordings from it, although the song, “We Don’t Need Another Hero” was a big hit. I never took to it for some reason.

The following year, Tina released the cd, Break Every Rule. I never bought it, but I do have a 45 of one of the songs from it. I also have just the cover of another song from that album. I have no idea where I acquired it.

I just love this song. Man oh man!

Tina appeared in concert in Tucson in early December, 1987. I was living in Ann Arbor at the time, but would have gone if I’d been here.

By 1988, Tina was an international super star She had millions of fans, and drew immense crowds to her concerts. Here are some items from my collection, including her live album (part 1 is on cd, part 2 is on cassette. I don’t know how that happened) and an ad for a HBO special of a concert she gave in South America.

Tina turned 50 in 1989. I clipped this article from the Ann Arbor news.

I also have the following two photos in my Tina Turner file. These are from 1990.

In 1991, Tina released the following greatest hits compilation, which I have in my collection.

She has said that her favorite song is “Simply the Best”. She noted that her record producers didn’t care for the tune, but that she fought hard to have it recorded. Thank goodness. It’s become her signature song, and every time I see her perform it, I’m amazed at her energy and joy.

Little did I know, but I had this in my movie collection all along!

In 1993, the movie, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” was released. Directed by Brian Gibson and written by Kate Lanier, it is based on Tina’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, and stars Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as her abusive husband Ike Turner. I’ve seen bits and pieces of the film, but not the entire thing. It’s something I plan to do soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDq6xa3K7g

Jumping forward to 1999, Tina appeared in the VH1 Divas 1999 concert. She tore the place up with her songs, “The Best” and “Proud Mary” on which she shared the stage with Elton John and Cher. She arrived in a limousine, and walked right on to the stage to sing Simply the Best. It was a moment to behold.

Rounding out my collection of Ike and Tina Turner recordings are two cd compilations from the late 60s, both consisting of material recorded on the Blue Thumb label.

When I hosted my radio show, “The Chicano Connection” (1983-1986, 2005 to 2020), I would regularly feature the music of Ike and Tina Turner. Below is a quick bio sheet I wrote up for my segment on Tina Turner in celebration of her birthday one year. I’ve also included a sheet full of the songs by Ike and Tina Turner that I played over the years while on the air.

Aretha Franklin had her feathers ruffled in 2015 when Beyonce’ called Tina “the queen” at the Grammys 50^th anniversary show. This only made Aretha look bad. She was always quite insecure about her status as one of the world’s greatest singers. Tina later noted that Aretha was the queen of soul and that she was the queen of rock and roll and said there’s room for more than one at the top. I heartily agree.

Those performances that Tina Turner did live on television with Ike and her dancers will be forever embedded in the collective memory of people from my generation. There’s no justification, however, for what Ike did to her over the years, but I believe that you can’t just erase what you don’t like about the past. You have to acknowledge it. It happened and that’s that. However, there are indeed other things one can focus on at present, so I would rather just do that rather than ever, ever glorify Ike Turner.

Tina didn’t let her fame go to her head. She was a devout Buddhist and remained so from the mid-70s to the very end. She chanted the same chant my cousin Tish chants. I still have the card Tish gave me with the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

For a long time, my favorite songs were the blues tunes from the late 60s. 3 O’Clock in the Morning Blues, Dust My Broom, You’ve Got my Running, and Mean Old World are all very heartfelt and beautifully sung. Tina’s raspy, low voice is well suited to these kinds of songs. Too bad she didn’t care for the genre much. Oh well. At least we have the Blue Thumb records and cd compilations.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying discovering some of her newer work. I really like, “It’s Only Love”, the duet she sings with Bryan Adams, and I enjoy the song Steamy Windows a lot. I’m sure there are a lot more songs that I’ll enjoy as I continue to listen and learn.

What a wonderful recording legacy she left us. And it started in 1960, not 1983.

Here are two recent magazines featuring Tina Turner that I bought for my collection at Walgreens in early June, 2023.

My newest acquisition, People’s Tina Turner commemorative issue, published in June 2023.

I recently went on a shopping spree and found these cds–Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (1989); In The Beginning (1993); Break Every Rule (1986); Foreign Affair (1989); Wildest Dreams (1996); and Twenty-Four Seven (1999). The first two are Ike and Tina Turner compilations from the Sixties and Seventies, and the rest are from Ms. Turner’s solo career.

I couldn’t resist. My very own Tina Turner T-Shirt!

I borrowed this book from the University of Arizona Library and read it in just a few days. It was published in 2005. I finished in on 6/21/23. It was okay. Bego got a lot of the details of Turner’s life wrong and he’s very repetitive. A good editor would have helped clean it up a bit. Nevertheless it did have a lot of interesting information, especially about Tina’s relationship with Ike Turner.

My latest acquisition, received in the mail on 6/23/23, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” released in conjunction with the movie by the same title in June 1993. This compilation includes versions of some of Tina’s earliest hits as well as her latest efforts.

I had no idea this duet existed until today, which is July 12, 2023. It’s amazing. The are great together. I’d never even heard of Jimmy Barnes until today, but he’s quite popular.

For more information, consult Wikipedia’s entries on Ike and Tina Turner and Tina Turner. Also see the entries, Ike and Tina Turner Discography and Tina Turner Discography for a more complete listing of their recordings than what I have included in this post. The site Discogs includes a lot of additional information about their various recordings.

AN IKE AND TINA TURNER TIMELINE TO EARLY 1991 (borrowed from the book, “Rock Movers and Shakers” by Dafydd Rees).

Tina Turner left behind a lengthy, rich recorded legacy going all the way back to 1960. The following lists of Ike and Tina Turner and Tina Turner 45 rpm singles is borrowed from the book “Goldmine 45 RPM Records Price Guide, 8th edition“, by Dave Thompson. (Krause Publications, 2018).

Lucha Villa Vol. 7, Musart lp 1366, released in 1968

December 20, 2022Mexican Music, Musica Ranchera, My Favorite ThingsLucha Villajrdiaz@arizona.edu

This is another Lucha Villa album I do not own. It includes several boleros that are quite lovely.

Benny Goodman (May 30, 1909-June 13, 1986)

October 8, 2022Music, My Favorite ThingsBenny Goodman, Jazz, music, Swing musicjrdiaz@arizona.edu

My first eight years of schooling took place in the public schools. I started learning the cello in the 4^th grade at Robison Elementary School, using an instrument provided by the school. I continued playing while at Mansfeld Junior High, and really came to love it. I even went to music summer camp one year at the University of Arizona, and was beginning to get better and better at playing, even though I never had private lessons.

All of my brothers and sisters attended Tucson High School, and I was expecting to do the same. Instead, however, I begged my parents to let me go to Salpointe, a private Catholic school with a great academic reputation, but no orchestra. Sadly, the move to Salpointe meant that I had to give up playing the cello, because my parents could not afford to buy me one of my own, and there was nowhere else to play the instrument. I hadn’t heard of Tucson Junior Strings, a local youth orchestra that I could have joined, but even if I had, I likely would not have been able to participate because of the costs involved. Going to Salpointe was going to stretch my parents’ budget beyond what they could afford as it was.

During orientation at Salpointe, the band director recruited me and encouraged me to try the saxophone. I really didn’t know much about the instrument, but I really liked the saxophone solos I had heard on the pop tunes of the late fifties and early sixties. Songs like Tequila, the Twist and the Mashed Potato featured saxophone solos that really helped make the tunes come alive. So I gave it a try.

At first, I played the tenor saxophone, and later the alto, using instruments provided by the school. The band director at one point bought a brand new alto and let me be the first to play it. I liked it a lot and took to it quickly. Before long, I had learned how to play the song “In the Mood”, made famous years ago by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. As I think back, this was really my first exposure to the music of the swing era. I didn’t really know any other songs from that time period, except for maybe Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters. Everyone knew those tunes. Sometimes there would be commercials on tv advertising the music of the big band era, and while it sounded intriguing, I didn’t go crazy over it. This was the music of my parents, so it was considered old-fashioned.

I learned how to play this song in while in the high school band.

Once I started earning money my junior year of high school, I began to collect record albums, and expanded my musical interests in many directions. Around the time I started college, I began listening to jazz. I have been collecting jazz recordings and books for many years now. My love of the music of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, and my reading about their lives led me to the swing era, and I learned a little bit about all the great musicians of the time, and a few of the orchestras. I knew that the Chick Webb Orchestra, for example, was one of the best swing bands of the era, and that Ella Fitzgerald worked with him when she first started singing. I also knew that Billie Holiday worked with both the Count Basie band and the Artie Shaw orchestras, and had recorded with Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson at the start of her career. And, of course, I knew about Glenn Miller and “In the Mood”. However, I was never a fanatic about swing era music to the point where I collected everything I could find and knew the repertoire of all the great bands. It wasn’t until recently that I realized what an impact this music had on American culture. Swing was a real phenomenon. It was huge. The youth of America went crazy over it.

Benny Goodman was always one of those musicians in whom I was interested, and when I was collecting 78’s, I found a lot of his recordings. I didn’t know a whole lot about him or the details of his life and work, however, except that Peggy Lee worked with him in the early 1940s and that he was known as the “King of Swing”. On a whim, I recently decided to read a biography about him by James Lincoln Collier. The book was titled, “Benny Goodman and the Swing Era”. I found the book fascinating and especially liked reading about Chicago and New York in the 1920s and 1930s, how the Great Depression affected popular culture, and how popular music made a comeback in the mid-30s, in large part due to the popularity among American youth of Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. The musical analysis provided in the book was a bit beyond me, but I made it a point to listen to Goodman’s music along the way, and I watched a lot of videos of Goodman and his band. The most fascinating were the ones that included Gene Krupa, the famous drummer and bandleader. That guy was a bundle of energy. His playing on the tune “Sing, Sing, Sing” is just outrageous!

Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa. They were quite a pair!

Sing, Sing Sing is one of Goodman’s signature tunes, and this clip features Gene Krupa going crazy on the drums.

I’ve been intently listening to Goodman’s work for the past few months, and I must admit I like his early work (mid to late 30s) better than what he recorded in the latter part of the 40s. The trio and quartet material is great too, as are the tunes he recorded when Peggy Lee was his vocalist in the early 40s. As bebop became more popular in the 40s, Goodman tried to incorporate it, but it just doesn’t sound right to me. The high pitch of the clarinet and the band playing at full throttle on tunes that are more dissonant and experimental in nature, sounds awful to my ears. I know everyone has their own tastes and preferences, however. By the mid-40s, interest in swing had faded, and more attention was paid to individual performers, particularly singers. Goodman never stopped recording or performing, but he reached his peak as early as 1940, and was never able to get “back on top” again, so to speak.

I’ve put together some materials in my collection. I purchased most of the cds on Ebay while I was reading the biography, but I’ve had the albums for many years, and I have more 78s in storage that I need to find. I even have an extended play (these feature two songs on each side, rather than one) 45rpm record that I just dug out from my 45’s collection. I didn’t realize until I started looking, how many books about Benny Goodman and the swing era were already in my collection. I now have 5 Goodman biographies, after having purchased two on Ebay recently. I even have a glossy, 8 x 10, autographed portrait. I’m not sure the signature is real or if the portrait was published with the signature on it, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve put everything together and wow, I’ve got a very nice collection!

I was saddened to learn that many of his fellow musicians thought Goodman was such a jerk in real life. Collier alludes to this several times in his biography, but never really goes into any depth. However, toward the end of the book,he makes reference to a publication called “Jazzletter” and a very revealing four-part series about the Benny Goodman tour of the USSR in 1962, written by a member of the band. The story, which I found available online in Jazzletter, (see below), was quite revealing. Goodman’s band members thought he was a tightwad, aloof and bad-mannered, and that he always needed to be top dog, in the spotlight at all times.

I’ve since read other material about Goodman, and have learned that John Lincoln Collier’s biography leaves out a lot of interesting information, such as the fact that Goodman performed in concerts for various progressive causes, and that his role as a band leader with an integrated ensemble was groundbreaking and had an impact that was felt far and wide. It helped to bring down at least some of the racial barriers in place at the time in American entertainment. His defense of fellow musician Gene Krupa, who was busted and jailed for possession of marijuana also stands out as a noble act. He publicly stated after Krupa was released that he could play in his band any time. Goodman’s brother-in-law, John Hammond was immersed in the American left, and he undoubtedly influenced Goodman to take risks he may not have otherwise taken.

In the end, Goodman’s music has stood the test of time, and is absolutely wonderful.

I found some of my 78s. I think I have more…

Record albums in my collection, including a 10″ lp recording of Peggy Lee singing with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. “The Best of Benny Goodman: 30 years of his greatest Hits” is a four record anthology produced by Columbia House and issued in 1972. The rest are all standard 12″ single lps. Goodman recorded for Columbia, Decca, RCA and Capitol over the years. I’m sure there were others as well.

A mish mash of stuff in my collection, including a 7″ 45rpm e.p, a cassette, the soundtrack to the Benny Goodman Story, and an anthology of Goodman’s best music on red vinyl that is part of the legendary “Greatest Jazz Recordings of All Time” series produced by the Institute of Jazz Studies and the Franklin Mint back in the mid-1980s.

New acquisitions. I purchased these lps at Zia Records on October 12, 2022.

I picked these lps up on a recent trip to Phoenix and Prescott, Az. The first one is a two-record set.

Here are two more recent additions. The one on the left is a vintage lp, and the other is a cd. The lp is a bit beat up, but I’m glad I bought it anyway. It’s an original copy, released in September, 1954.

My latest acquisitions as of 12/18/22. All lps.

Here is one more lp. Purchased on 1-16-2023 at the Goodwill for $1.49. It sounds pretty good!

2 new cd acquisitions. Purchased October 12, 2022.

I purchased this 3 cd set in New Orleans in January, 2023. It was released in 2012.

Four recent acquisitions, all 10″ lps. Purchased on August 7, 2024.

Books in my collection. The one called “The Kingdom of Swing” is a small paperback called “An Armed Services Edition”, produced specifically for American soldiers during World War II. There are other books about Goodman, but this is what I have…so far.

Another recent acquisiton. Benny has his own postage stamp!

The Benny Goodman Quartet, including Lionel Hampton on vibes, Teddy Wilson on piano, Gene Krupa on drums and Benny Goodman on clarinet, performing “I Got a Heartful of Music” from the movie, Hollywood Hotel.

Original 1935 program advertising the Benny Goodman Orchestra at the Palomar Ballroom.

Goodman made national headlines back in late 1937. This article is from the Arizona Daily Star, Monday, December 20, 1937.

Two years later, Goodman appeared in Tucson. April 23, 1940. Az Daily Star.

Ad from the Arizona Daily Star, May 2, 1940. In addition to the show on May 3rd, Goodman and his band made a special appearance at the University of Arizona the following afternoon.

Why Don’t you Do Right? featuring Peggy Lee, early 1940s.

This compilation of tunes that Peggy Lee sang with the Benny Goodman orchestra in the early 1940s was originally released on lp in 1957. I have the cd version.

Goodman appeared in the 1944 movie, Sweet and Lowdown, with Linda Darnell.

Charlie Shavers was the featured trumpeter in this film clip from the Sid Caesar show in the mid-50s.

Released on February 2, 1956, this film loosely follows Benny Goodman’s real life up until his 1939 Carnegie Hall concert. The soundtrack is excellent.

Goodman visited Tucson again in 1960, appearing wiht the Tucson Synphony Orchestra.

China Boy and Sheik of Araby, Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa, 1961.

I’ve had the following article in my research files since 1986, when the article first appeared. It’s an obituary/tribute written for the Village Voice by writer Gary Giddens. It was published on July 8, 1986, shortly after Goodman died.

Benny Goodman materials in my collection

September 5, 2022, updated October 8, 2022

Cassettes

Let’s Dance 1999 compilation

Compact discs

The Hits of Benny Goodman Capitol 1989 cd
The Essence of Benny Goodman Columbia/Sony 1991 cd
The Original Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Sessions Vol. 1 After You’ve Gone RCA / Bluebird 1987 cd
Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 1938 Complete Columbia 1999 cd
Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall 40^th Anniversary Concert 2 cd set. London 1978, 1986.
The Blue Room, cd. TIM no date.
Benny Goodman: The King of Swing 1998 Sugo Music cd
The Best of the Big Bands: Benny Goodman Madacy1994
Benny Goodman Yale Archives Vol. 6 Amerco/Musical Heritage Society 1991 cd
Benny Goodman Rarities 1940-1942
The Benny Goodman Sextet, featuring Charlie Christian (1939-1941)
Benny Goodman, Vol. III / All the Cats Join In 1986 cd
Benny Goodman Sextet 1988 cd
Benny Goodman, Vol 1 (Yale University Music Library Series)
Benny Goodman (Ken Burns Jazz) Sony 2000 cd
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra: Sing, Sing, Sing 1987 cd RCA/BMG

LPs

Benny Goodman, His Orchestra and Sextet, Vocals by Peggy Lee Columbia 10” lp CL 6033
Columbia Presents The Great Benny Goodman Columbia lp CL 820
Benny Goodman: Swing Into Spring Columbia XTV28995 Prepared expressly for Texaco
The New Benny Goodman Sextet Columbia lp CL 552
Together Again: The Benny Goodman Quartet RCA Victor LPM-2698 1964
The Benny Goodman Story Decca Records DXB 188 2 lp set. I only have one of the lps, however.
The Best of Benny Goodman: 30 Years of His greatest hits 4 record set Columbia House P4M 5678
Benny Goodman–Lionel Hampton/Jazz Milestones (The Greatest Jazz Recordings of All time, vols. 37-40)
Benny Goodman: Mostly Sextets Capitol T668
The King of Swing, Vol. 1 1937-38 Jazz Concert No 2 Columbia lp CL 817
Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Live 1937-38 Columbia Special Products/Aimez Vous le Jazz No. 7
Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Vol. II (1937-38) Columbia Special Products/Aimez Vous le Jazz No. 15
B.G from 1927-1934 Brunswick Records BL 54010
The Benny Goodman Trio Plays for the Fletcher Henderson Fund Columbia lp, GL 516
Benny Goodman 2 lp set (Time-Life Music: The Big Bands series STBB003)
The Complete Benny Goodman, Vol. III 1936 2 record set Bluebird AXM2-5532
BG: The Small Groups RCA Victor LPV-521 (RCA Victor Vintage Series)
Benny In Brussels, featuring Jimmy Rushing, Vol. 1 Columbia lp CL1247
The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, Vol. 1 Columbia lp CL 814

7 inch 45 rpm EP’s

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra

78’s

My Blue Heaven / Put That Kiss Back Where You Found It
On the Alamo / Rattle and Roll
Don’t Be A Baby, Baby / All The Cats Join In
My Guy’s Come Back / Symphony
Six Flats Unfurnished / Why Don’t You Do Right?
Idaho / Take Me
The Way You Look Tonight / The Wang Wang Blues
Heaven In My Arms / That Lucky Fellow
Boy Meets Horn / Let’s Dance
Where or When / I Cried For You
A String of Pearls / Jersey Bounce
He Ain’t Got Rhythm / This Year’s Kisses
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South / Changes
Let’s Give Love A Chance / Somebody Nobody Loves
That Did It, Marie / Somebody Else Is Taking My Place

Books:

Benny Goodman and the Swing Era, by James Lincoln Collier. NY: Oxford, 1989.
Benny: King of Swing, a pictorial biography based on Benny Goodman’s own archives, with an introduction by Stanley Baron. NY: Morrow, 1979.
Swing, Swing, Swing: The Life and Times of Benny Goodman, by Ross Firestone. NY: Norton, 1993.

Memorabilia and other stuff:

Signed autograph black and white 8 x 10 portrait of Benny Goodman
Ad: Benny Goodman Sextet Gammage Center, Sunday, February 20, 8pm. (Tempe, Az.)
“The Mirror of Swing, by Gary Giddens. Village Voice July 8, 1986.
“To Russia, Without Love: The Benny Goodman Tour of the USSR”, by Bill Crow. This is a 4 part story featured in Jazzletter (August, September, October November, 1962). Crow writes a critical review of the trip, and describes Goodman as a difficult bandleader and all around asshole. A very unflattering portrayal, to say the least.
Newspaper ad, Arizona Daily Star May 2, 1940. Benny Goodman in person at the Santa Rita Ballroom, Friday, May 3, 1940
Newspaper artcle, “Goodman Swings in City Tonight” Arizona Daily Star, May 3, 1940.

This is a 78 rpm anthology of Benny Goodman tunes that I have in my collection. These “albums” usually included 4 10″ discs with a song on each side.

Gene Lees’ Jazzletter includes four issues devoted to Benny Goodman’s 1962 trip to Moscow. It’s not a very flattering portrayal, but from what I understand, this is how Goodman behaved with his band mates throughout his career as a band leader. His music was great, but he was not a nice guy. You can read about the tour by looking up the August, September, October and November 1986 issues of the newsletter.

For more information about Benny Goodman, see:

“Benny Goodman: The Official Website of the King of Swing”

“Benny Goodman” in Wikipedia

“Benny Goodman Discography” in Discogs

“Ellington, Goodman, Shaw” by John S. Wilson, in Liberty Magazine, Spring, 1973. (I’ve had this magazine in my personal collection for many years, and only recently realized that there was a very good article on these three jazzmen included in it.

I recently found this in my music research files. I had no idea I had this! Not sure if the signature is “original” or if it’s a print, but that’s okay.

Linda Ronstadt: Folksongs and country music (mostly)

July 12, 2022Music, My Favorite ThingsLinda Ronstadtjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Here’s something interesting from 1964. This ad appeared in the Arizona Wildcat, p10, Nov. 20, 1964.

Linda Ronstadt’s music has been a part of my life since I was a teenager and first heard the song “You’re No Good” on the radio in the mid-70s. She had a couple of other hits before that, including “Different Drum” and “Long, Long Time”, but I never connected the fact that these songs were from a woman born and raised in Tucson. When her breakthrough album “Heart Like A Wheel” came out in late 1974, it was huge news, and everyone in Tucson talked about Linda being a hometown girl. That album was the first one I ever really got to know and love. I bought every album she released after that, one by one. I was never really interested in her work with the Stone Poneys, or her first two solo albums, “Hand Sown, Home Grown” and “Silk Purse”, however. Her songs selections on those albums weren’t as appealing to me and her voice sounded twangier then, and in my opinion, not as well developed as it was when she released “Heart Like A Wheel”.

I saw Linda perform at the Tucson Community Center twice in the late 70s, and then again much later at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. I even got to meet her once back in 2004. She remains one of my very favorite singers, and I have nearly all of her recordings either on lp, cassette or cd. I played her music all the time on my radio show, the Chicano Connection too. I’ll always love her.

Linda at Palo Verde High School where she performed with the Stone Poneys.

Her birthday is coming up soon, so I thought I’d create my own playlist of tunes she recorded that I especially enjoy listening to. Most of these are either folk songs or country songs. I think Linda does an exceptional job interpreting these kinds of tunes. I also love her rock material and her music in Spanish, but this time around, for the most part, I’m focusing on Linda Ronstadt, the barefoot folkie.