These Back Room specials are projects that I put off for one reason or another, and which are now seeing the light of day, perhaps without the torrent of commentary that I usually produce.
In brief, Bob sang just as well at the beginning of his career with Ziggy Elman than he did later on. Today's post is the evidence, including all the materials I have been able to locate pre-Capitol - 13 songs in all.
With Ziggy Elman
| The Ziggy Elman band: Bob Manning at left, then Virginia Maxey and Ziggy with trumpet |
As far as I can tell, Manning made only one commercial recording with Ziggy: the song "Ivy" that Hoagy Carmichael wrote for the 1947 film of the same name. It's an excellent performance, although the recording isn't very good.
Bob was on board for three ballads that Elman recorded for transcriptions, all first-class: "Maybe You'll Be There," "So Would I" and "To Me." These also date from about 1947.
"Maybe You'll Be There" (Rube Bloom-Sammy Gallop) was a hit for Gordon Jenkins with a Charles LaVere vocal. Parenthetically, LaVere is a "Back Room" candidate - I have 30-some recordings of him as pianist and vocalist.
"So Would I" is a fine Burke-Van Heusen song that was recorded by many artists back then but has fallen into something like obscurity.
Songs for the Click Label
Bob hailed from Philadelphia, and made three records for the small, local Click label in 1948. The first was a cover of "When You Were Sweet Sixteen," a turn-of-the-century ballad that Perry Como had revived. Nicely done, but only Como could pull off this sentimental stuff.
"The Miracle of the Bells" was the title tune of a 1948 film that featured Frank Sinatra as a priest ministering to coal miners. Frank managed to avoid the title song; instead he was tasked with a Polish dirge called "Ever Homeward."
Bob was backed by the Johnny Dee orchestra on "The Miracle of the Bells" and its flip side, "Strangest Feeling."
With Buddy Williams
| Buddy Williams |
Their first effort, for the Rainbow label, was "Margot," titled for the main character in the film noir Where Danger Lives, with Bob Mitchum as a psychiatrist (so the cast list tells us) entangled with a femme-fatale patient. The song is a gloss on "Laura," but none the worse for that. A very good record.
Next, another film song for Buddy and Bob: "Sea of the Moon," written by Freed and Warren for the Esther Williams flick Pagan Love Song.
"Sea of the Moon" was backed up by "Listen to the Band." The vocal here is credited to Manning, but it's actually by a vocal group.
With Art Mooney
| Art Mooney |
Manning also recorded three sides with Art Mooney's band in 1950. I posted these many years ago, but am including them to round out the set.
The first number is Hank Penny's country novelty "Wham Bam Thank You, Ma'am," which is a lot less salacious than the title signifies.
"There'll Never Be Another You" is not the Harry Warren song with a similar title but a song by Carl Bergner dating from the 1920s, and nicely revived by Bob, the Four Clovers and Mooney.
Finally, "To Think You've Chosen Me" is a good Bennie Benjamin-George David Weiss song that many artists recorded in 1950, including Manning with the Skylarks and Mooney.
Bob's next records were for Capitol.