"Even White Girls Get the Blues" on Night Lights

[ghost of miles]

This week on Night Lights it's "Even White Girls Get the Blues," a look at three late-1950s blues-concept LPs by white female vocalists. We'll hear selections from Lee Wiley's 1957 RCA album A TOUCH OF THE BLUES (backed by Billy Butterfield and His Orchestra), Julie London's 1957 "blues noir" LP ABOUT THE BLUES, and Jo Stafford's 1959 concept record BALLAD OF THE BLUES, featuring traditionals arranged by her husband Paul Weston and original linking music written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who would go on to win several Academy Awards and Grammys. We'll also hear music from Dinah Shore's 1960 Capitol album DINAH SINGS SOME BLUES WITH RED (as in Norvo). The program airs this Saturday at 11:05 p.m. (8:05 California time, 10:05 Chicago time) on WFIU 103.7 FM; you can listen to it live,

or in the Night Lights archives, where it will be posted Monday afternoon.

Special thanks to Dan Gould for providing the Dinah Shore Capitol material! And special thanks to Allen Lowe, from whose book AMERICAN POP: FROM MINSTREL TO MOJO I quote in both this and next week's show.

Next week: "Why Don't You Do Right," a program devoted to 1940s vocalists and songwriters Una Mae Carlisle and Lil Green.

[Jazzmoose]

Damn it, I meant to listen to this live this week!

Oh well; back to the archives Monday....

[ghost of miles]

It is now archived.