A Salute to the Golden Age of American Popular Music

We salute the music from Broadway, Hollywood, New Orleans, Tin Pan Alley and the "melody makers;" i.e. the bands and singers that brought the music to us via the radio, recordings and live events in the period from the 1920's to the 1960's. This is the golden period of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Larry Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy Van Heusen, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, etc.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Remember Andy Russell ?

On this date in 1919 singer Andy Russell was born. His recordings of "Besame Mucho" and "What a Difference a Day Makes" sold millions of copies and he is remembered for replacing Frank Sinatra on the radio show "Your Hit Parade,"

Andy Russell, whose original name was Andres Rabago, was born in Los Angeles. He began his career as a singer and drummer in several bands and reached stardom about the same time as Mr. Sinatra and Perry Como.

His recording of "Besame Mucho" was the first of a string of million-record sellers. It was soon followed by "What a Difference a Day Makes," "Laughing on the Outside," "Magic Is the Moonlight" and "Amor."

Mr. Russell's big break came in 1947 when he replaced Frank Sinatra as the lead singer on the radio show "Your Hit Parade." He worked extensively in Latin America in the 1950's and 60's, starring in several films and serving as host of "The Andy Russell Show" on Argentine television from 1956 to 1965.

He returned to the United States in the late 1960's, but never regained the acclaim he once enjoyed here. He died in 1992 at the age of 72.

No comments:

Post a Comment