The Mills Brothers, Welk, & Lockjaw

[JSngry]

I keep thinking that The Mills Brothers are easily enough ignored, but putting that thought into action seems to run into a snag every few years, and, as in these two cases, in some pretty spectacularly unlikely places.

The Basie thing is not really surprising, just the song itself, and hearing that LOL moment when Jaws just ignores the changes at the end of his solo to throw in that one lick, Lockjaw Davis don't give a damn about no Glen Campbell or no John Hartford, Lockjaw Davis = Lockjaw Davis, so BOOM, that what you get for your money, that's what you came to hear, right?, but the Welk clip is priceless at many levels & almost up there with the Johnny Hodges album as example of an America that could have existed but didn't, because the only way that it could have existed was for the real America to have never existed, but hey, that's the thing that makes the show business, right?

And really, didn't the Mills Brothers always swing? Even if/after it became a formula?

[marcello]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB35CmqBak8

[crisp]

I love the two albums the Mills Brothers did with Basie. Gentle on My Mind is a standout. This is my favourite track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCmRa2wniv4

[Ted O'Reilly]

Both those Mills/Basie albums have great arrangements, too...on the first by Dick Hyman, with Chico Hamilton on the second..

And, I wonder if Dean Martin ever sent a royalty cheque to Harry Mills? He certainly owed about 90% of his style to Harry...

[crisp]

That's an interesting thought about Dean Martin. I always thought of him as the link between Bing and Elvis.

[danasgoodstuff]

The Hank Thompson tribute to the Mills Bros. is worth checking out, and not just for the WTF factor...

[gmonahan]

I have the Davies-mastered JSP box of their 30s recordings and enjoy it (and I love the two Basie albums). Is there some near-equivalent for the 40s Decca material?

gregmo

[Brad]

Back in the 60s, when I used to visit my Grandmother in NYC, we would watch Lawrence Welk together. Since she would bake my favorite cookies, I couldn't say no.

The Basie clip is cool.

[Dan Gould]

Funny I just got one of the Basie/Mills Brothers collaborations by mistake in a discogs order. Now that I find this thread I kinda want to hear Lock on these tunes ... still would prefer the Buck Clayton jam session for the same lousy $1.