Fifties – The Elephant's Trunk

IN THE GROOVE (July 18, 2023)

July 18, 2023July 18, 2023 The Sicilian Storyteller

Ciao! Welcome back to In The Groove.

We celebrated my Dad’s birthday the other day. He was born 108 years ago in the town of Cattolica Eraclea in the Province of Agrigento in Sicily. Dad was incredibly proud of his heritage and instilled that pride in me. He loved music, mostly Italian opera, traditional Italian songs and American standards; there was always something playing on our radio or stereo.

Well, Dad’s been gone almost 25 years (d. August 1, 1998), but I can still hear him singing along to this song.

Happy Birthday, Dad! This one’s for you!

This is Domenico Modugno singing his Grammy Award-winning song from 1958, “Volare”.

Now that’s singing with heart and soul. As my dad would say, “Perfetto!”

If you’d like to know more about Domenico Modugno or “Volare”, all the facts are available on Wikipedia, but don’t look anything up until after you’ve read the question of the day.

This is for you trivia buffs or Baby Boomers out there. Let’s see what you got!

In 1960 an 18-year-old out of Philadelphia had a HUGE hit with “Volare”. Can you name this famous Philadelphian?

As usual, the answer is given below and this time there’s a bonus video.

I hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. Deb’s flying in tomorrow; who knows where’s she’s going to land this time? Stay tuned!

“Arrivederci!”

See you on the flip side.

I’m the Sicilian Storyteller

And the answer is ….. Bobby Rydell

Shall we have a listen to one of the best set of pipes to come out of Philly? Here is Bobby Rydell singing his version of “Volare”; I know which one my dad preferred. How about you?

Fifties, Name That Tune

NAME THAT TUNE (July 2, 2023)

July 2, 2023June 30, 2023 The Sicilian Storyteller

Happy Sunday and welcome back to another installment of Name That Tune.

I hope you’re ready for some fun and a bit of a challenge today! This one might be a little more difficult so get out those thinking caps.

Misky, my money’s on you today; “five’ll get ya ten” it’ll be a shoe-in for you [HINT HINT].

Without further ado, here are your clues:

Today’s song came from a 1928 German “play with music“, lyrics by Bertolt Brecht and music by Jurt Weill. That musical play was based on an 18th-century English ballad opera by John Gay called “The Beggar’s Opera”.
The singer of today’s tune was born in 1936 in New York City, his birth name being Walden Robert Cassotto. In 1959 at the age of 22, he made his first big “splash” in the music world by recording our featured piece which became a million-selling single.
Today’s tune about a blade-wielding criminal of the London underworld was performed by numerous artists; however, according to Frank Sinatra, our featured artist recorded the “definitive version”.
Today’s performer was extremely versatile; in addition to singing, he was a songwriter, a dancer, an accomplished musician on various instruments, a music arranger/conductor and an actor. As a child he had recurring bouts with rheumatic fever which left him with a seriously weakened heart. Sadly, we lost this giant of the music industry in 1973; he was only 37 years old.
This song, easily recognizable by its 8 beat intro, is our featured artist’s signature piece. It was inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry. It was also ranked as No. 15 in the list of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment of the Arts. No small potatoes.

Those are some impressive credentials and I could not gloss over them. It doesn’t matter when you were born; this is one of those songs that transcends generations and will live on long after we’re gone.

Do you have any ideas? Let’s see who got this brain teaser today. Scroll down for the big reveal.

The video is about to start and I can’t wait to see it again; it’s one of my favorites!

Our very famous performer is the one and only Bobby Darin doing his signature piece, “Mack The Knife”.

Let’s listen, shall we?

What an amazing talent he was! His gestures and arm movements aren’t just for show; he’s actually leading the orchestra during this performance, something he did many times.

Here’s a little factoid I did not include in the questions: Bobby Darin was an adult when he found out the woman he thought was his sister was actually his mother, an embarrassing fact his family thought best to keep from him. This is not as bizarre as it sounds; some other victims of the same ruse are Liv Tyler, Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson.

Well, that does it for today. Join us next time for another installment of Name That Tune. Have a great day!

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

Fifties, In The Groove

IN THE GROOVE (June 27, 2023)

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 The Sicilian Storyteller

“Ella Fitzgerald is the only performer with whom I’ve ever worked who made me nervous, because I know I need to meet her standards.”

So said Frank Sinatra in 1959.

Sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Song“, “Lady Ella” and “Queen of Jazz”, Ella Fitzgerald was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation and improvisational ability, particularly in her “scat” singing.

I could write pages about Ella Fitzgerald and her many accomplishments but I know you don’t want to read that. You’d much rather listen to her sing, wouldn’t you?

I must apologize for having only audio today; as I’ve said before, I will always try to give you the very best quality video experience possible. Sometimes there aren’t any good videos to be found, as is the case today. So sit back, close your eyes and delight in the divine sounds of “Lady Ella”.

This is George Gershwin’s exquisite “Someone To Watch Over Me”.

That was sheer brilliance, effortless perfection. I feel like that guy looks in the lower right of the YouTube pic!

Earlier in the post I mentioned scat; Ella was the best when it came to that style of singing. I’m not going to load up my page today with another video; instead I’d like to make a suggestion: if you’re in the mood for some of the best scat you’ll ever hear, check out Ella singing a little something called “Smooth Sailing”. It will knock your socks off!

Well, that’s it for me today here In The Groove. Deb’s coming up tomorrow with another segment of World Music. Stay cool and I’ll catch ya next week!

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

At The Movies, Fifties

AT THE MOVIES (April 20, 2023)

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 The Sicilian Storyteller

Now just for fun ….. here’s something you don’t see every day.

Marlon Brando in the role of Sky Masterson singing “Luck Be A Lady” from the 1955 film “Guys and Dolls”. If you thought Frank Sinatra sang this song in the movie, like many other people you’d be wrong!

Who knew! I wonder if his Lady Luck was named “STELLA!!” 😉

Let’s go with an easy peasy question today:

Marlon Brando is famous for a lot of movies; however, this 1972 multi-award-winning blockbuster is his most famous. Name the movie and his character.

Here’s the question from last week:

Since 1998 Barbra Streisand has been married to actor James Brolin; however, he was not her first husband. Her first marriage was in 1963 to an actor who went on to achieve great success; together they have one son, actor Jason, who was born in 1966. Who was Barbra Streisand’s first husband?

And the answer is … Elliott Gould.

Well, the movie’s over; wonder what Mr. Bump’s got cooked up for Saturday.

Have a great week! Catch you next time At The Movies.

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

Fifties, In The Groove

IN THE GROOVE (April 4, 2023)

April 4, 2023April 3, 2023 The Sicilian Storyteller

OK, I admit it; I struggled a bit with Mr. Bump’s Name That Tune on Sunday and was totally stumped by his post yesterday for Breaktime Whodunnit. That said, I don’t feel the least bit guilty for today’s post as I take you “youngsters” on a little trip back in time.

Now I’m pretty sure I’m correct when I say that the majority of you reading this right now are not part of the Baby Boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964). You probably won’t know this song or who the singer is and it’s doubtful you’ll be able to answer the question of the day. But you know what? That doesn’t matter. A great song and a great singer are timeless and no one’s keeping score as to who answers the most questions correctly. It’s all about fun!

We’re going back to 1952 with a sentimental tune called “You Belong To Me”. The version you’re about to hear is the most popular interpretation of this ballad done by a chanteuse by the name of Jo Stafford, one of the biggest stars of her time.

Jo Stafford had a lovely voice, smooth and silky as warm bourbon. Her rendition of this song is my favorite; here it is now for your enjoyment.

I thought that was really nice!

This song reminds me of those old war movies such as “From Here To Eternity” or “The Longest Day”. You can imagine soldiers listening to a tune like this, huddled around a radio on their bunks, and someone saying “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em”.

I’m going out on a limb now when I say one, may two of you will know the answer to this question but what the hell … as I said, it’s all about having fun! Here goes:

Can you name the doo-wop group who had a hit revival of this song in 1962?

I’ll have the answer for you next week.

Hope you enjoyed the trip. And speaking of trips, get ready for another great adventure tomorrow with Deb.

Thanks for stopping by and going back in time with me!

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

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