Phantom Dancer :: 12:00pm 7th Apr 2020
Lord Invader is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist. He was a Calypso singer and composer who began performing in the 1930s and recorded in the US from 1941 to 1959. We hear one of his 1941 sides today, introduced by actor Vincent Price. He composed ‘Rum and Coca Cola’, a hit for The Andrew Sisters.
The Phantom Dancer produced and presented by 1920s-30s singer and actor Greg Poppleton can be heard online from 12:05pm AEST Tuesday 7 April at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/
The final hour of the mix is all vinyl.
LORD INVADER
Lord Invader was born in Trinidad. He first came to notice in 1937 when he began performing in the capital, Port of Spain.
He competed in the very first Calypso King competition and recorded for Bluebird records.
The Decca label invited him to New York City in 1941 to record.
He wrote many calypso lyrics, his most famous ‘Rum and Coca-Cola‘, was plagiarised by Morey Amsterdam and became a hit for the Andrews Sisters.
The melody had been previously published as the work of Venezuelan calypso composer Lionel Belasco on a song titled “L’Année Passée,” which was in turn based on a folk song from Martinique. Invader wrote lyrics to the tune.
The song became a local hit and was at the peak of its popularity when Amsterdam visited the island in September 1943 as part of a U.S.O. tour.
In 1948, after years of litigation, both plaintiffs won their cases, with Lord Invader receiving an award of $150,000 in owed royalties. However, Morey Amsterdam was allowed to retain copyright to the song. Lord Invader wrote a follow-up song to “Rum and Coca-Cola”, titled “Yankee Dollar”.
In the early 1940s, radio stations in the USA refused to play Lord Invader’s original version on the grounds of its using the trademarked name, and its references to prostitution and alcohol.
Invader later opened a calypso club in Trinidada and toured the U.S, Britain and Europe.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Birdsong had a place on US radio from the mid-1920s into the 1950s.
The show that started it all was American Radio Warblers, a program selling birdseed.
Organist Preston Sellers performed with TEN canaries.
The show ran for almost 30 years, finishing on the Mutual Network from Chicago.
Trill, I mean thrill, to Preston and ‘The Original Feathered Stars of the Air’ in this commercial 78 recording…
7 APRIL PLAY LIST
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Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio
Community Radio Network Show CRN #431 |
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107.3 2SER Tuesday 7 April 2020 |
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Set 1
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Live 1950s Big Band Swing Radio | |
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Theme + Dancing in the Dark
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Jerry Gray and his Band of Today
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Edgewater Beach Hotel
WMAQ NBC Chicago 8 Jun 1951 |
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The Song is You
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Buddy Morrow Orchestra
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‘Let’s Go With Music’
Radio Transcription Hollywood 1954 |
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Jam with Sam + Caravan
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Duke Ellington Orchestra
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Town Casino
NBC Cleveland OH 17 Sep 1952 |
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Set 2
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1930s Calypso, Turkish and Persian Music announced by Vincent Price | |
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New York Subway
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Lord Invader
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‘The World in Music’
AFRS Hollywood 1944 |
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Shake Around
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Lord Beginner
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‘The World in Music’
AFRS Hollywood 1944 |
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Odalisque and Zara
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Unknown Turkish then Persian Orchestra
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‘The World in Music’
AFRS Hollywood 1944 |
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Set 3
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1944 Jump and Swing On The Air | |
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That’s The Stuff You Gotta Watch
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Buddy Johnson Orchestra (voc) Ella Johnson and Band
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Comm Rec
New York City 4 Oct 1944 |
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Accentuate the Positive
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Louis Armstrong Orchestra (voc) Louis Armstrong
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‘One Night Stand’
New Zanzibar Cafe NY AFRS Re-broadcast 18 Mar 44 |
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To Me You Are Beautiful + Flying Home
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Lionel Hampton Orchestra
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‘One Night Stand’
Civic Auditorium Oakland Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 4 Jun 44 |
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Set 4
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Dance Bands on ‘One Night Stand’ | |
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Oh You Beautiful Doll (theme) + Lullaby of Broadway
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Music in the Foster Fashion (voc) Chuck Foster
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‘One Night Stand’
Terrace Room Hotel New Yorker NY AFRS Re-broadcast 13 Aug 1945 |
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Let’s Take It Slow
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Shep Fields and his New Music
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‘One Night Stand’
AFRS Re-broadcast 1943 |
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Medley: A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody / Mandy / All By Myself
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Frankie Carle (piano and rhythm)
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‘One Night Stand’
Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel LA AFRS Re-brodcast 1951 |
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Set 5
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Crooners on 1930s Radio | |
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I’ll Follow You
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Bing Crosby
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Comm Recording
New York City 28 Oct 1932 |
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Under The Palms
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Donald Novis (voc) Gus Arnheim Orchestra
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‘Cocoanut Grove’
Radio Transcription TRANSCO Hollywood 1932 |
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TBA
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Rudy Vallee
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‘Fleishman Yeast Hour’
WEAF NBC Red New York 1934 |
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I’ve Had My Moments + I’m Not Lazy I’m Dreaming
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Russ Columbo
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‘Hollywood on the Air’
KECA NBC Blue LA 15 Jul 1934 |
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Set 6
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Famous Name Bands on 1940s Radio | |
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Mister Pastor Goes To Town
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Tony Pastor Orchestra
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Aircheck
New York City Feb 1942 |
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Blue Cellophane
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Duke Ellington Orchestra
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‘Downbeat Awards’
Chicago Opera House Blue Network Chicago 25 Mar 1945 |
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Body and Soul (theme) + Chant of the Groove
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Coleman Hawkins Orchestra
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Savoy Ballroom
Aircheck NYC 1940 |
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Paducah + Clarinet a la King
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Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Benny Goodman
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‘Spotlight Bands’
Springfield Mass Blue Network 29 Sep 1943 |
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Set 7
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Forgotten Singers from 1939-40 Radio | |
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“I” The Living “I” (Gilbert and Sullivan)
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Erskine Hawkins Orchestra (voc) Ida James
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Comm Rec
New York City 8 Apr 1939 |
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Oh, You Crazy Moon
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Bea wain (voc) Your Hit Parade Orchestra
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‘Your Hit Parade’
WEAF NBC Red NY 7 Oct 1939 |
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Looking For Yesterdays
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Artie Shaw Orchestra (voc) Anita Boyer
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Broadcast
New York City 26 Oct 1940 |
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I Cried For You
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Bunny Berrigan Orchestra (voc) Kitty Lane
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Trianon Ballroom
WCLE Cleveland OH 9 Apr 1939 |
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Set 8
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Radio Bands Inspired by BeBop | |
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Elevation + Heart to Heart (theme)
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Elliot Lawrence Orchestra
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Palladium Ballroom
KNX CBS LA 5 Dec 1947 |
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God Child
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Chubby Jackson Orchestra
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‘Symphony Sid Show’
Royal Roost WMCA NY 12 Mar 1949 |
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How High The Moon
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Allen Eager
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Birdland WJZ ABC NY Jun 1953 |
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Bye Bye Blues
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Benny Goodman Sextet
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‘One Night Stand’
The Click Philadelphia AFRS Re-broadcast 3 Jun 1948 |
