zondag 31 juli 2022

Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein (1932) / Kon Jy Maar Trouw Zyn (1935) / Jij Bent Te Mooi Om Trouw Te Zijn (1936) / You Can't Be True (1947) / You Can't Be True Dear (1948) / Som Vind Om Våren (1948)


"Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein" (="You Can't Be True Dear") is a German waltz song published in 1935 by Hans Otten (1905-1942), with lyrics by Gerhard Ebeler (1877-1956).
The song is about a local casanova, called Oskar, and a wise girl Edith, who saw through his charm and realised he could never be faithful to her, or to anyone else. It was a huge hit in Germany since 1935 and perhaps even bigger in the USA since 1948, after Ken Griffin introduced it to the American audience, under the title "You Can't Be True, Dear".

Composer Hans Ottens' main creative period falls in the second half of the 1920s and 1930s. The gifted musician Otten wrote songs for male choirs, hits, but above all carnival songs, most of which were written by the hand-made orator and dialect poet Gerhard Ebeler. Ebeler was usually the first, who recited the songs and sang on the record. He also ran his own music publishing company. The Otten-Ebeler team supplied the Rhenish Carnival with relevant songs in the years before the Second World War. Many of their hits have become Kölsch (=Colognian) evergreens, that are still popular today. 

Their jointly composed swaying waltz "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein", which the Cologne folk singer Grete Fluss launched on December 31, 1932 in the carnival revue D'r Zog kütt (=The carnival procession is coming), came out on record in 1935 and went around the world.


The first recording was sung by the lyricist himself, with the Orchestra of Fritz Domina.

(o) Gerhard Ebeler (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
mit Orchesterbegleitung. Dirigent: Fritz Domina mit seinem Tanz-Orchester
Recorded January 1935 in Berlin
Matrix C 6887-1
Released on Kristall 3515 and on Kristall 9074



Or here:





(c) Polydor Tanz Orchester (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
Vocals: Erwin Hartung
Recorded February 28, 1935 in Berlin
Matrix 5917 GR 8
Released on Polydor 25614 and on Polydor 12116 









(c) Orchester Will Glahé (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
Vocals: Erwin Hartung
Recorded March 14, 1935 in Berlin
Matrix ORA 458
Released on Electrola EG-3313


Also released in 1938 in the USA on Victor 6345





(c) Adalbert Lutter mit seinem Grossen Tanz-Orchester (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein") 
Vocals: Erwin Hartung mit Gesangs-Quartett
Recorded March 27, 1935
Matrix 20695
Released on Telefunken M-6150


Listen here:




(c) Orchester der Scala Berlin - Dirigent Otto Stenzel (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein") 
Vocals: Max Mentor
Recorded March 1935 in Berlin
Matrix: 555
Released on Brillant-Special 310







(c) Vier Richter's Gesangs-Gitarristen (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein") 
Recorded around September 1935
Matrix C 8276
Released on Kristall 7064



Also released on Brillant-Special 362
Matrix: 703
 





(c) Kapelle Eugen Jahn (1935) (as "Friesenlied (Wo die Nordseewellen)")
vocals: Klaus Petersen
Recorded aound September/October 1935
Matrix 763
Released on Brillant-Special 382
 





(c) Eric Harden (=Otto Dobrindt) (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")  
Vocals: Luigi Bernauer
Recorded March 11, 1935 in Berlin 1935
Matrix Bi 2114
Released on Gloria GO 13472
 




(c) 5 Gloria Gesangs-Gitarristen (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
(Wilfried Sommer, Günter Leider, Peter Purand, Richard Westermeyer and Kurt Bangert).
Recorded March 23, 1935 in Berlin
Matrix Bi 2154
Released on Gloria G.O. 27000
 

Listen here:


The same recording also on the Odeon-label as by Die Odeon Gesangs-Gitarristen.
Matrix Bi 2154
Released on Odeon O-26717




(c) Tanz-Orchester Robert Renard (=Otto Dobrindt) (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein") 
Vocals: Die 5 Parodisters
Recorded March/April 1935 in Berlin
Matrix Be 10936
Released on Odeon 25384





(c) Fritz Domina mit seinem Tanz-Orchester (1935) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein") 
Vocals: Erwin Hartung und Quartett
Recorded October 1935 in Berlin
Matrix C 8460
Released on Kristall 3537
 




(c) Bob Scholte (1935) (as "Kon Jy Maar Trouw Zyn")
with Robert Renard dansorkest (=Otto Dobrindt)
Dutch lyrics: Kovacs Lajos
Recorded May 1935 in Berlin
Matrix 149007
Released on Parlophon B 17883 and Odeon A 164385


Listen here:




(c) Teddy Petersen og hans Orkester (1935) (as "Kan Tro Du Være")
vocals: Victor Cornelius
Danish lyrics by Henry Carlsen
Recorded November 13, 1935 in Kopenhagen
Released on Polyphon XS 50477





(c) Harry Collin (1935) (as "Gij Kunt Niet Trouw Zijn")
met orkest Emiel Maetens
(credits on label read Vincent Scotto and Henry Caspeele: Vincent Scotto is obviously miscredited here and Henry Caspeele must be responsible for the Dutch lyrics)
Released in 1935 on Regina F 25075

Listen here:



In Belgium there were two different releases with the same labelnumber Polydor 512.674 !!!

(c) Geodel (=Georges DelaLoye) (1936) (as "Jij Bent Te Mooi Om Trouw Te Zijn")
Duth lyrics: Rido
Matrix: 2504
Released on Polydor 512 674
 

Listen here:




(c) (Fernand) Faniard (=Fernand Smeets) (1936) (as "Jij Bent Te Mooi Om Trouw Te Zijn")
Duth lyrics: Rido
Matrix 2436 Hpp.
Released on Polydor 512.674
 

Listen here:




In 1948, Ken Griffin recorded the song, first released as an instrumental and later with vocalist Jerry Wayne dubbing the lyrics, both of which became popular in releases by an independent company, Rondo Records. 
The recording by Ken Griffin and Jerry Wayne was released by Rondo Records as catalog number 228. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 2, 1948 staying at #1 for seven weeks. The instrumental recording by Ken Griffin was released by Rondo Records as catalog number 128. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 2, 1948 peaking at #2. Both the vocal and solo organ versions charted for 23 weeks and sold an estimated 3,500,000 copies. 

Note that this instrumental version was recorded and released first, but charted after the vocal version.


(c) Ken Griffin (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear") 
(instrumental version)
Recorded September 1947 in Chicago
Released February 1948 on Rondo R-128
 




Listen here to the instrumental version:  You Can't Be True, Dear - Ken Griffin.mp3

Or here:




(c) Ken Griffin (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Vocals: Jerry Wayne
English lyrics: Hall Cotton
Recorded September 1947 in Chicago (with vocal overdub in March 1948)
Released March 15, 1948 on Rondo R-228
 

Same version as the instrumental above, with Jerry Wayne (father of Jeff Wayne) simply singing a set of lyrics (and whistling) over a playback of Griffin's instrumental recording...though it's pitched a half-note higher. That vocal overdub version (Rondo #228) was first to catch on and spent seven weeks atop the national jukebox charts before the instrumental took off and shared some time with it in the top-10.

Listen here to the vocal version:



 


See also page 37 (=jpg #33) on the next link:  BB March 13,1948

After this million-selling success, the song became the object of a long drawn-out copyright lawsuit in the 1950s.
As it turns out Ken Griffin had already recorded "You Can't Be True Dear", the month before, as "You Can't Be True" for a different record company: Broadcast Recordings 78 RPM - Label Discography - USA - 78 RPM

The copyright lawsuit is covered here: Bryon Young Page

(c) Ken Griffin (1947) (as "You Can't Be True")
Recorded August 1947 in the Chicago Recording Studios in Chicago, IL
Released October 1947 on Broadcast Recordings G-4006
Also released on Broadcast Recordings 460
 






During the nearly year-long strike strike by James C. Petrillo’s American Federation of Musicians, new vocal recordings of songs could only be produced "a cappella", without instrumental accompaniment (except harmonica, ukelele or toy xylophone)
So, capitalizing on the big success of "You Can't Be True Dear", at least 3 American acts recorded "a capella" versions of the song, which also entered the US charts.

(c) Sportsmen (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Released April 1948 on Capitol 15077
Reached #6 on the US charts


Listen here:




(c) Dick Haymes (1948)  (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
with The Song Spinners
Recorded April 16, 1948 in New York City
Released on Decca 24439
Reached #9 on the US charts


Listen here: 




(c) Marlin Sisters with Eddie Fisher (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Released May 1948 on Columbia 38211
Reached #19 on the US charts


Listen here: 




Because the American musicians strike had no effect on English artists, they could therefore freely use musicians on their recordings

(c) Vera Lynn (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
with male voice choir and Bob Farnon and his Orchestra
Released in April 1948 on Decca F.8883
Reached #5 in the UK charts and #9 in the US charts


Listen here:




(c) Dick James (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Recorded early 1948 in the UK
Released on His Master's Voice B.D.1206 (in the UK)
Also released on RCA Victor 20-2944 (in the USA)
Reached #6 in the UK charts and #19 in the US charts.


Listen here:




(c) Frank Sinatra (1948) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
with Axel Stordahl Orchestra and Ken Lane and the Hitparaders
Recorded May 29, 1948 in Hollywood on the NBC radio-show "Your Hitparade" 
(sponsored by Lucky Strike)

Listen here:




(c) Sven-Olof Sandberg (1948) (as "Som Vind Om Våren")
with Georg Enders Orkester
Swedish lyris by Fritz Gustaf
Recorded Setember 24, 1948 in Sweden
Released on Sonora Elit 7391


Listen here:




(c) Eddy Arnold (1954) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Recorded September 14, 1954 in RCA Victor Studio in New York City


Listen here:




(c) The Mary Kaye Trio (1959) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")
Duet by Mary and her brother Norman.
Released March 1959 on Warner Bros 5050
Hit #75 US Charts.


Listen here:




(c) Die Lorelei's (1959) (as "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein")
are sisters Els and Madeleine Heymans



Listen here:  




(c)  Pat & Shirley Boone (1959) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")


Listen here:




(c)  Connie Francis (1963) (as "You Can't Be True Dear")


Listen here:




(c) Patti Page (1965)  (as "You Can't Be True Dear")


Listen here:




(c) Spelbrekers (1965) (as "Je Kan Niet Trouw Zijn")
Dutch lyrics Jacques van Tol


Listen here:




(c) Rien van Nunen en Bert van Dongen (1968) (as "Jij Bent Te Mooi Om Trouw Te Zijn")
Duth lyrics: Rido


Listen here (after 9 min and 15 sec):






MORE VERSIONS HERE:






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donderdag 21 juli 2022

Dixie Boll Weevil (1924) / Boll Weevil Blues (1924) / White House Blues (1926) / Battleship of Maine (1928) / The Cannon-Ball (1930) / All You Fascists Bound To Lose (1944)


"Boll Weevil" is a traditional blues song, also known by similar titles such as "Dixie Boll Weevil" or "Boll Weevil Blues". Many songs about the boll weevil, with varying tunes and/or varying lyrics, were recorded by blues musicians during the 1920s through the 1940s. 
However the Texas version (with the familiar just looking for a home verse) collected by John Lomax in 1909 from a blind singer (probably Madkin Butler) from Hearne, Texas and subsequently recorded by Leadbelly in 1934 and (his best known version) in 1939, led to its becoming well-known. 
A 1961 adaptation by Brook Benton became a pop hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the bottom of this post I've put a few songs, with a different title and lyrics, whose melody is clearly derived from this particular Boll Weevil version
In addition, I also put a number of Boll Weevil songs, which only share the title and sometimes a few floating lyrics and have a completely different melody.
For example the Alabama version of "Boll Weevil", recorded by Jaybird Colemen in 1927 and most famously by Vera Hall for the Alan Lomax compilation Sounds of the South.

The boll weevil is a brown-black beetle devastating the South since the earliest blues years and still reigning supreme. In 1892 he came crawling in from Mexico into Texas, with all of his little friends and relatives. When they'd eaten up Texas they migrated to Louisiana in 1903 and another five years later to Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.





In 1915 John Lomax wrote about "The Ballad of the Boll-Weevil" in an article in The Journal of American Folklore. (Vol. 28, No. 107 (Jan. - Mar., 1915), pp. 15/16)



In 1916 John Lomax also wrote about the invasion of the Boll Weevil on page 139/140 in The Book of Texas.



The song is also contained on page 76-79 in Dorothy Scarborough's On The Trail Of The Negro Folk-Songs (1925)




Probably the first recorded version:

(o) Fiddlin' John Carson (1924) (as "Dixie Boll Weevil")
Recorded March 1924 in Atlanta, Georgia
Released May 1924 on Okeh 40095





Lyrics: 

The farmer said to the boll weevil, "I believe you're on the square,"
The boll weevil said to the farmer, "My whole dang family's there,
"Come to get your home,
"Gonna get your home."

The boll weevil said to the doctor, "You can cut out your little pills,
"But when I get through with the farmer, he can't pay no doctor bills,
"I'm gonna get his home,
"Gonna get his home."

The boll weevil said to the farmer, "I'll swing right on your gate,
"And when I get through with your cotton, you're going to sell that Cadillac 8.
"Gonna get your home,
"I come to get your home."

Farmer said to the merchant, "I want some meat and meal,"
"Get away from here you son of a gun, you got boll weevils in your field,
"Gonna get your home,
"He come to get your home."

The boll weevil said to the farmer, "You can ride in that Ford machine,
"But when I get through with your cotton, you can't buy gasoline,
"I'm gonna get your home,
"I come to get your home."

The boll weevil said to the farmer, "I certainly wish you well,"
The farmer said to the boll weevil, "I wish you was in Griffin, Georgia."


Or here:




(c) Gid Tanner (1925) (as "Boll Weevil Blues")
Recorded January 27, 1925 in New York (take 5 or take 6)
Released February 1925 on Columbia 15016-D

 




Listen her:




(c) Carl Sandburg (1926) (as "The Boll Weevil")
Recorded March 4, 1926 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor 20135
 




In 1928 Carl Sandburg published his version of the song also in The American Songbag.




(c) W.A. Lindsey & Alvin Conder (1929) (as "Boll Weevil")
Recorded February 24, 1928 in Memphis, TN.
Released on Okeh 45346




Listen here:




Leadbelly recorded "Boll Weevil" on a few occasions, beginning in 1934 in Louisiana

(c) Leadbelly (1934) (as "Boll Weevil")
Recorded October 15, 1934 in Shreveport, Louisiana
Released on the next album

Listen here:




In 1939 Leadbelly recorded his best known version in New York City.

(c) Lead Belly (1939) (as "The Boll Weevil")
Recorded April 1, 1939 in New York City
Released on Mucicraft 226 (as part of the 78 RPM album Negro Sinful Songs)






Or here:




In 1941 the Library of Congress presented a series of ten radio programs for "explaining and illustrating the folk songs of the American people as they are sung by the people themselves." Narrated by legendary folklorist John Lomax you can listen to excerpts from six Boll weevil songs: 
BOLL WEEVIL SONG. Sung by Woody Guthrie at Washington, D.C., 1940. Recorded by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax. 
BOLL WEEVIL. Sung and recorded by John A. Lomax at Washington, D.C., 1941. 
BOLL WEEVIL. Sung by Phineas (Flatfoot) Rockmore at Lufkin, Texas, 1940. Recorded by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax. 
BOLL WEEVIL. Sung by Willie George King at Winnfield, La., 1940. Recorded by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax. 
BOLL WEEVIL . Sung by Huddie (Leadbelly) Ledbetter at Shreveport, La., 1934. Recorded by John A. and Alan Lomax. 
BOLL WEEVIL BLUES. Sung by Vera Hall at Livingston, Ala., 1937. Recorded by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax.


These versions were also released in 1958 on an album The Ballad Hunter, Parts V and VI.
Released in washington DC on the Library of Congress label (# AAFS L51)
One album containing two radio programs on American folk music with musical illustrations. Narrated by John Lomax, 1941. 
Part V - Two Sailors: Sea Shanties and Canal Boat Ballads. 
Part VI - Boll Weevil: Songs about the Little Bug that Challenged King Cotton. 
Includes excerpts of Woody Guthrie performing "Boll Weevil Song," recorded by Alan Lomax and Elizabeth Lomax in Washington, D.C., March 21, 1940 (AFS 3409B2).

Listen here:




(c) Josh White (1956) (as "Boll Weevil")


Listen here:




(c) Alan Lomax (1958) (as "The Boll Weevil")
with accompaniment by British blues pioneer Alexis Korner, under the pseudonym “Nick Wheatstraw,” and Guy Carawan and production support from an uncredited Guy Carawan.


Listen here:




(c) Eddie Cochran (1959) (as "Boll Weevil Song")
Recorded June 23, 1959 Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
Released on Liberty F-55203 


Listen here: 




(c) Brook Benton (1961) (as "The Boll Weevil Song")


Listen here:




(c) Keith de Groot, Nicky Hopkins, Albert Lee, Jim Sullian, John Paul Jones, Clem Cattini (1968)
(as "Boll Weevil Rock")
Recorded summer 1967 in the Olympic Sound Studios in London, England
Released in 1968 on the next album



Listen here:




(c) Shocking Blue (1969) (as "Boll Weevil")


Listen here:




The White Stripes performed "Boll Weevil" live many times between 2001 and 2007.
Here below is a version recorded live on the Glastonbury Festival 2002

Watch it here:




Different songs with the same Boll Weevil tune: 

The familiar melody of Fiddlin' John Carson's "Dixie Boll Weevil" and all the versions after that, was copied by Charlie Poole in "White House Blues" (1926) and "If I Lose" (1927).
In 1930 A.P. Carter copied the tune for "The Cannon-Ball" (as well as using floating lyrics from Charlie Poole's "White House Blues") -->SEE: Cannonball Blues  SHS


Red Patterson and the Piedmont Log Rollers copied the melody for an anti-war tune, "Battleship of Maine" (1928), dealing with the Spanish-American War.


Jimmy Yates' Boll Weevils also copied the melody for an anti-war tune, "Bloody War" (1928), which was also covered by Rutherford and Foster in 1929. 
In 1937 Leadbelly recorded a song called "Untitled" (or "In That War") (from the 1937 Library of Congress session) about the 1898 Spanish American War. Leadbelly's version has a similar melody (although in a different key).
In 1940 Lulu Belle and Scotty recorded a song called "That Crazy War" also using this familiar tune.
Woody Guthrie adapted the tune for "All You Fascists Bound To Lose", recorded in April 1944 in New York, for Lomax's radio ballad opera The Martins and the Coys, which was broadcast by the BBC.


Woody Guthrie also adapted the tune for another one of his songs: "Lindbergh".




NOT to be confused with "Boll Weevil Blues", recorded by Ernest Hare and written by Cliff Hess in 1921.



-Vernon Dalhart's "Boll Weevil Blues" is also different, written in 1924 by Emabel Palmer and Postal McCurdy. 



-In 1923 Ma Rainey wrote and recorded "Bo-Weavil Blues", which is also a different song, covered by Bessie Smith in 1924.


Ma Rainey's "Bo-Weavil Blues" is structured in the AAB blues pattern using 12 bars, a very common structure in blues music. Many Blues songs are structured using the AAB format.


Kokomo Arnold's "Bo Weavil Blues" (1934) is also structured in the AAB blues pattern, and contains floating lyrics from Ma Rainey's version

-Fats Domino's "Bo Weevil" is also another song, covered by ao Teresa Brewer.



-And Charley Patton's "Mississippi Boweavil Blues" is also another song.



And then there's the Alabama version of "Boll Weevil"
-Vera Hall's "Bo Weevil" has floating lyrics, but uses a different melody.
She might have learned it from Blind Jesse Harris, who recorded "Bo Weevil" on July 23, 1937 in Livingston, Alabama. 
Vera Hall recorded her version also on July 23, 1937 in Livingston, Alabama
Matrix 1323 A1
Finally released in 2004 on the next album:


Listen here:




(c) Blind Jesse Harris (1937) (as "Boll Weevil")
accompanied by own accordion
Recorded on July 23, 1937 in Livingston, Alabama
Matrix 1327 A1
Finally released in 1997 on the next album:


Listen here:




But some sources say she learned "Boll Weevil" from a friend of her parents: Richard Amerson.
Richard Amerson also made a recording of "Boll Weevil" in Livingston, Alabama (in fact 3 days before Vera Hall and Blind Jesse Harris).

(o) Richard Amerson (1937) (as "Boll Weevil")
Recorded July 20, 1937 in Livingston, Alabama
Matrix 1307 A1
Released on the same album as Vera Hall's version


Listen here:



But it could very well be Richard Amerson, Blind Jesse Harris and Vera Hall, who came all three from Livingston, Alabama, learned the song from Jaybird Coleman, born in Gainesville, Alabama (which is only 16 miles from Livingston)

Jaybird Coleman recorded "Boll Weevil" in 1927, with a melody very similar to the version recorded by Vera Hall, Blind Jesse Harris and Richard Amerson almost 10 years later.

(o) Jaybird Coleman) (1927) (as "Boll Weevil")
Recorded August 5, 1927 in Birmingham, Alabama
Released on Black Patti 8055

Listen here:



Vera Hall's version was subsequently covered by Shirley Collins and Davy Graham in 1965 


Vera Hall's version was also covered by Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur in 2016.



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