100 years ago: Ben Selvin hit #1 with “Dardanella” for first of 13 weeks

Dardanella Ben Selvin

Writer(s): Johnny S. Black and Felix Bernard (music), Fred Fisher (lyrics) (see lyrics here) First Charted: January 24, 1920 Peak: 113 US, 11 GA, 13 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.5 (includes 2.0 in sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Ben Selvin (1898-1980) launched himself as a professional musician at age 15 playing fiddle in New York City nightclubs. SB Over his career, his 2000+ recordings rank him above any other bandleader. PM The Guinness Book of World Records estimates his output as high as 20,000 song titles, giving him the distinction of having recorded more musical sides on 78-rpm discs than any other person. WK Part of his prolific output was due to him recording for dozens of different labels at a time when the industry was at high growth. WK His bands featured such famous sidemen as Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman AMG and vocalists like Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, and Kate Smith. AMG In addition to working as a musician and bandleader, Selvin was an innovator and record producer. WK He had his first chart hit, the #1 “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” in 1919 when he was still just a teenager. His biggest hit, an instrumental version of “Dardanella,” came the following year. Its continuous bass line helps it stand out. DJ-44 As the first song to sell over 5 million copies PM it became the biggest hit of 1920, CPM one of the ten best sellers of the first half of the 20th century, PM and the biggest-selling song in the first quarter-century of recorded music. SB Prince’s Orchestra, Harry Raderman’s Jazz Orchestra, and the duet of Henry Burr and Albert Campbell all charted with the song in 1920 as well. PM It was revived in 1949’s Oh, You Beautiful Doll, a biopic about the song’s lyricist, Fred Fisher. DJ-44 Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Ben Selvin AMG All Music Guide DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 44. SB Songbook1.wordpress.com PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 379, 490, and 631. CPM Joel Whitburn (1999). A Century of Pop Music. Record Research, Inc.: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 35. WK Wikipedia.org First posted 1/24/2013; last updated 1/28/2023.

Today in Music (1934): Guy Lombardo “Winter Wonderland” charted

Winter Wonderland Guy Lombardo

Writer(s): Felix Bernard (music), Richard Bernhard Smith (words) (see lyrics here) First Charted: December 1, 1934 Peak: 2 BB, 4 GA, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.03 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Winter Wonderland” has been recorded more than 16000 times SH with collective sales of 40 million. TY1 Richard B. Smith was inspired to write the lyrics after seeing Honesdale’s Central Park covered in snow. WK He was being treated for tuberculosis in the West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton, Pennyslvania. WK The original lyrics are about a couple’s romance during the winter season although a later version, with lyrics printed in 1947, turned it into a children’s song about playing in the snow. WK The song was first recorded on October 23, 1934 by Richard Himber and His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra with a vocal refrain by Joey Nash. SH Six days later, Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians’ recorded the song. SH Their version was the first to chart and the most successful, reaching #2. He was the leader of the only dance band to sell over 100 million records. PM He charted 217 songs from 1927 to 1954, topping the charts 26 times. PM He ranks as the #3 artist from 1890-1954, only behind Bing Crosby and Paul Whiteman. PM Other charted versions included Ted Weems (#13, 1935), Perry Como with the Satisfiers & Russ Case’s Orchestra (#10, 1946), and Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers (#4, 1947). PM In 1946, the Andrews Sisters reached #22 with their version in which they were backed by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians. The flip side was “Christmas Island,” a #7, million-selling hit also by the Andrews Sisters with Lombardo. PM The song has also been recorded by Air Supply, Alabama, Herb Alpert, America, Paul Anka, Louis Armstrong, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, Babyface, Tony Bennett, Michael Bolton, Pat Boone, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Jimmy Buffett, Michael Bublé, Glen Campbell, the Carpenters, Ray Charles, Chicago, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Earth Wind & Fire, the Eurythmics, Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Francis, Aretha Franklin, Crystal Gayle, Amy Grant, Al Green, Faith Hill, Lena Horne, Engelbert, Humperdinck, Billy Idol, Burl Ives, Alan Jackson, Etta James, Al Jarreau, Wynonna Judd, Sammy Kaye, Kool & the Gang, Patti LaBelle, Lady Gaga, Brenda Lee, Darlene Love, Barbara Mandrell, Barry Manilow, Dean Martin, Freddy Martin & His Orchestra, Johnny Mathis, Reba McEntire, Sarah McLachlan, Bette Midler, Mitch Miller, the Miracles, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Anne Murray, Willie Nelson, Wayne Newton, Olivia Newton-John, the Osmond Brothers, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, the Partridge Family, the Platters, Elvis Presley, REO Speedwagon, Cliff Richard, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Jo Stafford, Gwen Stefani, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, George Strait, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, Frankie Valli, and Andy Williams. SH Resources: DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 217. SH Second Hand Songs TY1 Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. Quill: New York, NY. Page 129. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 28, 276-81, 612, and 623. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/19/2023.