tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55132174380418677882026-11-07T18:02:09.035-07:00A portfolio of my past writing, and new stories as I develop them. Almost always deliberately funny.BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-9697589557117382132026-11-05T14:55:14.014-07:002026-11-05T14:55:14.014-07:00

 NRR Project: Ruth Draper’s monologues Written and performed by Ruth Draper Recorded 1954-1956 Approx. 5 hours Somehow the work of this extraordinary person has escaped me until now. Ruth Draper (1884-1956) was a debutante and member of New York’s highest social circles. However, she had a gift for mimicry, an active imagination, and writerly skill. She began to perform self-penned

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-66052559598541839722026-10-29T13:21:01.459-06:002026-10-29T13:21:01.459-06:00

 NRR Project: “Songs for Young Lovers” Performed by Frank Sinatra Recorded Nov. 5-8, 1953 21:36 It was Sinatra’s first album for Capitol Records. His life at the time, professionally and personally, was terrible. But he turned things around, sadder but wiser now, in soul and in voice, gifted with a throbbing intensity that did not hamper his capable expression of understated woe. His

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-51835188545798066902026-10-26T17:03:24.540-06:002026-10-26T17:07:01.425-06:00

NRR Project: “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” Written by Max C. Freeman and James E. Myers (as Jimmy De Knight) Performed by Bill Haley & His Comets Recorded April 12, 1954 2:08 So much has been written about this song. You can read David Lee Joyner’s essay at the National Recording Registry, or you can peruse the song’s Wikipedia entry for detailed information about the song’s

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-73364648790863578092026-10-22T12:44:48.868-06:002026-10-22T15:39:37.359-06:00

 NRR Project: “A Night at Birdland, Vols.1 and 2” Performed by the Art Blakey Quintet Recorded Feb. 21, 1954 70 min. Lightning in a bottle. I have heard pieces of this over my years as a jazz fan. However, it wasn’t until recently that I sat down and took in the two live sets the Art Blakey Quintet performed at the Birdland at 52nd and Broadway in Manhattan on Feb. 21, 1954. It is an

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-39119993156107209812026-10-21T14:57:11.100-06:002026-10-21T14:57:11.101-06:00

NRR Project: “In Other Words (Fly Me to the Moon)” Composed by Bart Howard Performed by Kaye Ballard Recorded 1954 2:14 You should read the excellent and comprehensive essay on this piece at the National Recording Registry! It covers the career of the great Kaye Ballard, the song itself, and the life of the song’s composer, Bart Gordon. It’s an amazingly popular song. It’s been recorded

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-74136494911988195182026-10-16T11:17:03.880-06:002026-10-16T18:21:18.327-06:00

 NRR Project: “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” Composed by Willie Dixon Performed by Muddy Waters Recorded Jan. 7, 1954 2:47 First, read Robert Gordon’s excellent and quite funny essay on this piece at the National Recording Registry! This recording joins the titanic energy of bluesman Muddy Waters (aka McKinley Morganfield, 1913-1983) and the genius of songwriter Willie Dixon (1915-1992

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-34951428174441942162026-10-09T10:00:52.555-06:002026-10-09T10:00:52.555-06:00

 NRR Project: “A Festival of Lessons and Carols as Sung on Christmas Eve in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge” Performed by Choir of King's College, Cambridge Recorded 1954 52:01 Another entry I know little about. Read Timothy Day’s excellent essay on the piece here at the National Recording Registry! The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-1550178235171019712026-10-08T14:50:12.371-06:002026-10-08T22:45:24.248-06:00

 NRR Project: “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” Written by Jesse Belvin, Curtis Williams, and Gaynel Hodge Performed by the Penguins Recorded 1954 2:57 It was the first “crossover” song from R & B to pop, migrating easily from one genre to another. It was this group’s only hit. This new kind of ensemble singing, denoted as “doo-wop” after the kind of syllables chanted behind the

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-71452362730930772952026-10-06T17:00:17.179-06:002026-10-06T17:00:53.347-06:00

 NRR Project: “The Damnation of Faust” Composed by Hector Berlioz Performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch With the Harvard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society Recorded Feb. 21/22, 1954 121 min. Another entry about which I have little to add. Read Cary O’Dell’sexcellent essay on the piece at the National Recording Registry, here. The National

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-17656143464585049522026-10-03T17:07:01.186-06:002026-10-03T17:07:01.186-06:00

 NRR Project: “Also Sprach Zarathustra” Composed by Richard Strauss Performed by the Chicago Symphony, conducted by Fritz Reiner Released 1953 33 min. Another piece that I have little to add about. Jonathan Horrocks’ essay on it, which you can read here, is pretty comprehensive about Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. It’s an orchestral showpiece, written by composer Richard Strauss (

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-12843835880365045802026-09-23T14:36:46.139-06:002026-09-23T14:45:24.615-06:00

NRR Project: “Tipitina” Composed and performed by Professor Longhair Released 1953 2:15 The evolution of Henry Roeland Byrd into Professor Longhair (1918-1980) was a blessed and vital happenstance. He made his own unique music out of a disparate array of styles he absorbed as he grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Precocious, he worked the piano since childhood, unlocking its harmonic

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-14139604496868289002026-09-18T12:00:19.410-06:002026-09-18T12:01:05.988-06:00

NRR Project: “Songs by Tom Lehrer” Composed and performed by Tom Lehrer Recorded Jan. 22, 1953 23:18 Tom Lehrer (1928-2025) was a genius. With an unerring ear for parody, he composed and performed humorous songs that shocked many and pleased many more. This initial album by him marks the birth of “sick” humor in the United States, a classification that would eventually include many comics of

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-79570024721357779692026-09-17T16:56:45.594-06:002026-09-17T17:01:58.146-06:00

NRR Project: “Tosca” Composed by Giacomo Puccini Performed by Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, et al La Scala Opera Orchestra, Victor de Sabata, conductor Recorded 1953 1 hr., 48 min. Wow. It’s simply the best opera recording of all time, that’s all. (Read Paul Gruber's essay on it at the National Recording Registry here.) Seen as the high-water mark of soprano Maria Callas’

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-17408559111768012492026-09-17T14:12:23.661-06:002026-09-17T14:12:23.662-06:00

NRR Project: “My Funny Valentine” Composed by Richard Rodgers; lyrics by Larry Hart Performed by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker Recorded May 20, 1953 5:18 Another selection I know little about. Read Jeroen de Valk’s superior essay on this piece and Chet Baker here at the National Recording Registry. It’s a slow-burning, gut-wrenching take on this famous melody. Baker’s dark

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-81544171663905795522026-09-16T10:58:24.346-06:002026-09-16T10:58:24.346-06:00

NRR Project: “Let’s Go Out to the Programs” Composed by Ira Tucker Performed by the Dixie Hummingbirds Recorded Nov. 1953 2:51 Another selection I, regrettably, know precious little about. Read Jerry Zolten’s comprehensive essay on this song and the milieu of its time at the National Recording Registry here. Here, the group promotes the “programs,” basically song contests between gospel

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-82980654423168516152026-09-13T19:05:44.664-06:002026-09-13T19:05:44.665-06:00

 NRR Project: “John Brown’s Body” Written by Stephen Vincent Benet Adapted and directed by Charles Laughton Performed by Tyrone Power, Raymond Massey, Judith Anderson et al Recorded 1953 120 min.This is a forgotten gem. In 1928, poet Stephen Vincent Benet wrote an epic, book-length poem on the Civil War, John Brown’s Body, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. Decades later, the actor

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-59877143037710507452026-09-11T10:57:00.116-06:002026-09-11T13:46:43.954-06:00

 NRR Project: “Hound Dog” Composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Performed by Big Mama Thornton Recorded Aug. 13, 1952; released 1953 3:01 First, read Michael Sporke’s exemplary essay on this piece at the National Recording Registry. It covers all the salient facts about this recording. This raucous, fast-moving blues song set the stage for rock and roll. It was the brainchild of

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-49785122307975557742026-09-09T18:07:27.644-06:002026-09-10T11:01:58.023-06:00

 NRR Project: “The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest” Composed and spoken by Rev. C.L. Franklin Recorded 1953 30:29 Evangelical Christianity has a long tradition of powerful, emotionally impactful speechifying. Whether a sermon from a minister or witness from a member of the congregation, inspired oratory is the norm in this branch of beliefs. What was in the Old World a staid practice turned,

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-77545362981870252892026-09-06T18:01:37.970-06:002026-09-06T18:01:37.970-06:00

 NRR Project: “Gunsmoke: The Cabin” Broadcast Dec. 27, 1952 30 min. This program was perhaps the best in the history of American network radio. It fully explored the medium’s potentialities, both in terms of content and sonically. The detailed and grim world of the frontier it created endures if listened to in the present. The show, a Western, began in 1952 and lasted well into the

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-27947231668268097852026-09-04T10:02:04.796-06:002026-09-04T10:02:04.796-06:00

 NRR Project: “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” Composed by J.D. “Jay” Miller Performed by Kitty Wells Released 1952 1:40 Well, if you want to know all about this entry, just read John Rumble’s excellent essay on it at the National Recording Registry. The country subgenre of the wronged-woman song really starts here. Interestingly, this is an “answer song” to Hank Thompson’s

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-2315106792724564042026-09-02T12:59:21.421-06:002026-09-02T12:59:21.422-06:00

NRR Project: “Happy Trails” Composed by Dale Evans Performed by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Released 1952 1:40 This delightful and instantly memorable little ditty became the theme song for Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, cowboy stars of movies, TV, and radio in the middle of the 20th century. Rogers and Evans were married in real life. Evans penned this herself. Roy Rogers (1911-1998) was a

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-174938946584690802026-09-02T11:54:56.422-06:002026-09-02T11:54:56.422-06:00

NRR Project: Polonaise, Op. 40, no. 1 Composed by Frederic Chopin Performed by Arthur Rubenstein Recorded 1952 5:31 This stirring performance gives just an indication of the brilliance of pianist Arthur Rubenstein (1887-1982). Read Annik LaFarge’s excellent essayon Chopin and Rubenstein at the National Recording Registry here! The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-32034752165370060242026-09-01T16:37:57.615-06:002026-09-01T16:37:57.615-06:00

 NRR Project: ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ Written and recited by Dylan Thomas Released 1952 21:22 This mellifluous recording was the first offered by the spoken-word record label Caedmon. Read Nerys Williams’ excellent essay on it here. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) was a dramatic and engaging Welsh poet, whose stentorian voice chanted out his verse powerfully. While his private life was

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-81271930698509182892026-08-30T09:24:43.694-06:002026-08-30T09:52:05.522-06:00

 NRR Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Collected and curated by Harry Smith Released 1951 4 hrs., 15 min. Oh my God. First, just go and listen to the thing. Take the time to do it. You’ll thank me. It’s most extraordinary compendium of what Greil Marcus referred to as the music of “the old, weird America.” It covers folk music. It includes the blues. There are spirituals.

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-41626507627080674212026-08-28T18:42:13.303-06:002026-08-28T18:50:38.588-06:00

 NRR Project: “Rocket ‘88’” Composed by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner Performed by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (Ike Turner and His Kings of Rhythm) Recorded March 3 or 5, 1951 2:48 To really define “Rocket ‘88’” as the first rock and roll song is pretty arbitrary. Much of this approach dwelt in R’n’B, and precursors such as Johnny Otis, Louis Prima, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner,

BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0