You’re listening to “The Airplane” from an RCA Victor Youth Series 78 entitled “LET’S PLAY”. It was produced by Helen Myers in 1946.

The year before that, New York mayor Fiorello Laguardia left office. One of his biggest achievements, the development of the airport that would bear his name, came about as the result of, well, a bit of a hissy fit.

The mayor had been sold a ticket to “New York”, which was at the time serviced by Newark Airport. Indignant, he refused to step on to Jersey soil and demanded to be flown to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, and held an impromptu press conference proclaiming New York City’s need for an airport. In short, it worked, and construction began in 1939.

Image: unknown author, courtesy of U.S. National Archives.

Aerial view of the tip of Manhattan, New York, United States ca. 1931. Note that the Cities Service Building (now known as the American International Building), which would become lower Manhattan’s tallest building in 1932, is only partially completed.

After the Battle of Gettysburg, a Gold Moulded cylinder recorded by the Edison Military Band in 1902.

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, is considered by many to be the most important engagement of the Civil War, when southern forces led by General Lee made a Northern invasion attempt. The Confederates defeat, coupled with the July 4th Fall of Vicksburg in Mississippi, helped turn the war’s bloody tide for good.

50 years later, veterans and supporters met at the battle site to commemorate the event. In fact, over 53,000 veterans showed, making it the largest ever Civil War veteran reunion. According to then Lieutenant Colonel A.E. Bradley, from the office of Chief Surgeon: “never before in the world’s history [had] so great a number of men so advanced in years been assembled under field conditions“.

Click for more on the Reunion of 1913.

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues was included on Harris’ Blue Kentucky Girl, a Warner Brothers LP. It was recorded in Nashville in 1979, with an award winning cast; that’s none other than Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt singing backup. Between the three of them that’s 32 Grammy awards… 8 for Dolly, 11 for Linda and 13 for EmmyLou. This album would win one of them for the Best Female Country Vocal Performance of 1980. Another came from a collaboration with the writer of this song, Rodney Crowell. The album “Old Yellow Moon” was named Best Americana Album in 2014.

Image credit: C. Kuhl / www.chriskuhl.com/music. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

Yup there it is. You know that feeling you get whether you’re in church, or a meeting, or somewhere where you really shouldn’t be laughing? Where you just can’t…quite…stop?

The Okeh Laughing Record was recorded in Germany and released in 1923, and was an immediate seller, hitting the Billboard charts and reached number eight. It wasn’t listed as a foreign language record because, well, everyone understands laughter. And, it’s particularly unique in that the eh, performers, were not credited, making it the first and only anonymous record to ever chart.

Want to hear the whole thing?

Image: “Chatterbox”, used through  Creative Commons license, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0.

You’re listening to Freddie Fisher and the Shnicklefritz Band.

“Shnicklefritz” or “Snicklefritz” is a Pennsylvania Dutch expression for a

mischievous or talkative child, but used a term of endearment. It was a pretty

fitting name for Freddie Fisher’s band, an irreverent group that incorporated

comedy into their songs and a precursor to the novelty songs recorded by Spike

Jones. Decca advertised them as “America’s Most Unsophisticated Band!”, if it

gives you the idea. They recorded this song, “Old Hank” for Decca in 1939.

The band would appear in a handful of films and shorts. You can see them in all

their shnickelfritz-ing glory right here.

Where did you go in the 1930s when you wanted some of ground-breaking music that would become rock and roll? Sometimes…you just went to church.

You’re on the Sound Beat.

You’re listening to “Drinking Shine”, an Okeh 78 from 1930, performed by Elder Charlie Beck. He was pastor of the Way of the Cross Church of God in Christ, in Buffalo, NY. Beck would make about 60 recordings in his second career, though he viewed it as an integral part of his preaching. Said Beck “No use letting the Devil have all the good music.” The records are full of “fire and brimstone” type warnings and condemnations for all of society’s ills.

Elder may not be regularly named as a progenitor of rock and roll, but he probably should be. His prolific recording resume included songs/sermons that railed against rock and roll, but.., some of them really rocked.

Portrait: “John Martin – Sodom and Gomorrah” by John Martin – Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” tells a humorous tale of the city’s 1930 name change. The Four Lads recorded song 500 years after Constantinople became the capital of the Ottoman empire.

It wasn’t Jimmy Kennedy’s first geographically-themed song; the Irish songwriter was also famous for “Isle of Capri” and “South of the Border,” both recorded by Frank Sinatra.  His globally-titled songs reflected his own travel: he lived in Ireland, England, Switzerland, Nigeria, and the US.

The song represents another one of those musical history dividing lines. Fans of…different age brackets will probably recognize either this version or its famous cover by They Might Be Giants on the 1990 album Flood.

This episode was co-written by Syracuse University student Andrew Frasier as part of the Sound Beat Class Partnership.

You’re listening to the words of Mark Twain, performed by William Sterling Battis. This excerpt, from the second chapter of Tom Sawyer, shows Tom at his cunning, conniving best.

This recording was one of many Battis made between 1916 and ’17. Listen to more right here, courtesy of your tax dollars! (Library of Congress)

Photo: Martin Kenny, used with permission under Creative Commons license (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic)

On today’s episode we’re talking electronic music…and the importance of a thorough resume.

You’re on the Sound Beat.

Miklos Rosza had long considered using electronic music in a film. He got his chance when director Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick approached him about scoring 1945’s Spellbound. Wanting to add an atmospheric, contemplative air to the piece, he settled on the theremin.

Here’s a quote from Dr. Samuel Hoffmann.

“I put down theremin on my card…without thinking much about it. When Miklos Rozsa thought of using a theremin in his score for Spellbound he called the union to see if any players were available. I was the only one listed at that time who could read music.”

Before Rozsa’s call, Hoffmann was a practicing podiatrist in the Hollywood area. After the score won an Oscar, Hoffman and the theremin would feature in films like “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “It Came from Outer Space” and more…see the whole list right now at soundbeat.org.

Sound Beat is produced at the Belfer Audio Archive, Syracuse University Libraries.

I’m Brett Barry.

Link to Hoffman’s discography

The Jubilee Singers are credited with introducing the “arranged spiritual”. Critics  claim these arranged versions, with European-style timbre, undermined authentic spirituals. Said Zora Neale Hurston in 1934

“There never has been a presentation of genuine Negro spirituals to any audience anywhere. What is being sung by the concert artists and glee clubs are the works of Negro composers or adaptors based on spirituals.”

John Lovell Jr. disagreed in 1972:

If people were forced to sing the songs the way some arbitrary authority decides or not sing them at all, the spiritual would quickly die. And would be better dead.

This episode was co-written by Anna Kurtz, part of the Sound Beat Class Partnership.

Pictured: The Fisk University Jubilee Singers in 1882