The Shellac Stack

Shellac Stack No. 304 gets out of the way with Dalhart’s Texas Panhandlers! We dance to the music of Al Handler’s Alamo Hotel Cafe Orchestra and the bands of Sam Lanin, Fred Hall, and Billy Banks. We enjoy some crooning from Dick Mine and Bing Crosby… and the “not quite” crooning of Ethel Merman. More … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 303 cakewalks with Burt Bales and flippity flops with Meyer Davis! Lots of good jazz and dance music this time from the likes of Charlie Barnet, Sam Lanin, Jack Hylton, Bob Mielke, Jack Sheedy, and Ambrose. We also hear from crooners Annette Hanshaw and Dick Powell and enjoy some dazzling piano pyrotechnics … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 302 crawls, drags, and jitterbugs with the music of Fats Waller! We hear from Lu Watters, the Halfway House Dance Orchestra, Carroll Gibbons, Billy Butterfield, Errol Garner, Isham Jones, and — of course — the great Fats Waller himself. Join us!

Shellac Stack No. 301 asks: What’s the name of that song? Put your knowledge to the test as we sample records by Bunk Johnson, Wayne King, Teddy Wilson, Morton Gould, Lu Watters, Freddy Ellis and His Orchestra, and others.

Shellac Stack No. 300 gives three cheers with Buddy Clark! We sample some Western Swing with Leon McAuliffe and Tex Williams, enjoy a humorous monologue with Tom McNaughton, dance with Sam Lanin, Frankie Trumbauer, Leo Erdody, and Ted Lewis, and enjoy more fine records by the Hylton Sisters, the Ink Spots, Vincent Lopez, and more.

Shellac Stack No. 299 says it with ukuleles! We dance with the Savoy Orpheans, Mike Markel’s Orchestra, the Charleston Chasers, and Anson Weeks. We enjoy some Irish fiddling by Michael Coleman and the suave piano stylings of Edgar Fairchild and Adam Carroll. More from Jane Green, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin, and others.

Shellac Stack No. 298 savors a Japanese sunset with Justin Huber’s Orchestra. We dance along to the orchestras of Art Kahn, Paul Specht, and Judge Sturdy, relax to the crooning of Seger Ellis, and take a trip to Williams College in western Massachusetts. Plenty more too!

Shellac Stack No. 297 falls down with the Little Ramblers and works its way through some hot boogie-woogie with pianist Bob Zurke! Along the way, we hear from Duke Ellington, Collins and Harlan, Lou Gold, Bob Crosby, Art Hodes, Billy Murray, Al Jolson, and others. Join us!

Shellac Stack No. 296 sings a “new” song with the Coon-Sanders Orchestra, Mel Torme, Dick Robertson, Al Bernard, Frank Luther, and others. We hear from Jimmie Noone, Duke Ellington, George Olsen, Will Osborne, Art Hodes, and many more in this just-right mix for a new year!

Shellac Stack No. 295 wanders with Santa! We enjoy Yuletide favorites by Bing Crosby, Harry Macdonough, the Trinity Choir, and Francis J. Lapitino. We also revisit some Christmas novelties of the 1950s by Brenda Lee, Lu Ann Simms, Ricky Zahnd, Gayla Peevey, and others. Merry Christmas!

Shellac Stack No. 294 keeps some brandy handy as we listen to Marty Britt’s Orchestra, Brooke Johns, Fred Rich, Rod Cless, Ted Weems, and more. We laugh along with Senator Ford, revisit the HMS Pinafore, and relax with Kate Smith and Bing Crosby. Thanks for supporting the Shellac Stack on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 293 tap taps with Roger Wolfe Kahn and finds itself stranded on a tropic isle with a bunch of college girls from Wellesley. We hear from singers Roy Evans (“The Eccentric Voice”), Chick Bullock, Jack Smith, dance with Nat Shilkret, Charlie Barnet, and Orville Knapp, and hear some Irish jigs and reels … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 292 bathes in the sunshine with John Firman’s Ochestra and bends down with Ben Selvin’s Orchestra. Mel Blanc conjures up one of his most popular “Looney Tunes” voices, and Annisteen Allen nearly blows her top! We also hear from Leopold Godowsky, Ceelle Burke, Happy Felton, Ted Lewis, Alice Leslie, Les Paul, and … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 291 handles its contents with care! We’ve got a 117-year-old record by Miss Corinne Morgan, theatre organ by Terance Casey, harmonizing by the Mills Brothers, and a whole lotta dance bands: Bertini, Russ Carlson, Howard Lanin, Billy James, and more. Thanks for supporting the Shellac Stack on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 290 cooks breakfast with Harriet Lee and the Ipana Troubadours! We dance along with Edwin J. McEnelly’s Orchestra, the Clevelanders, Eddie Paul’s Paramount Orchestra, Howard Lally, Gene Kardos, and more, and sample some early 1930s radio with the RCA Victor Radio Record Revue. Thanks for supporting the Shellac Stack on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 289 wanders away with Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians then walks back with Doc Evans’ Band. Along the way, we hear from Earl Hines, Marion Harris, Cy Walter, Isham Jones, Johnny Hamp, Don Byas, Benny Goodman, and more. Thank you for supporting the “Shellac Stack” on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 288 “rags the rag” with the Ballyhooligans. We hear from Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson, the Casa Loma Orchestra, Chauncey Gray, Luisa Rostand, Jay Wilbur, Prince’s Band, and many more this hour. Thanks for supporting the Shellac Stack on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 287 weaves a fictional story about “Mary.” To tell it, we hear from the American Quartet, Joseph C. Smith, Fred Rich, Ben Selvin, Aileen Stanley, Billy Murray, Rudy Vallee, Nat Star, Nick Lucas, Ben Pollack, and many others. Thank you for supporting the Shellac Stack on Patreon: patreon.com/shellacstack

Shellac Stack No. 286 shouts with Clarence Williams, rambles with Duke Ellington, and visits Mary’s cellar with Sammy Spear. We dance along with the Georgia Melodians, California Ramblers, Jan Garber, and Debroy Somers, and hear from duo pianists Freddie Aspinall and Ronnie Aldrich. More from Benny Goodman, Richard Himber, Louis Armstrong and others! Thanks for … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 285 walks back from the buggy ride with Aileen Stanley and Johnny Marvin. We hear from Harry Reser’s Six Jumping Jacks, Irving Aaronson and His Commanders, Spade Cooley, Stan Kenton, Jerry Colonna, Isham Jones — and enjoy some lovely barbershop quartet singing with the Eton Boys. Plenty more too! Thanks for supporting … Continue reading »