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Mr. Theodore G. Bilbo was a US senator, and not a good one. A member of the Ku Klux Klan, he once proposed a bill that would deport 12 million African-Americans to Liberia… in an effort to save on unemployment costs. He accepted illegal contributions, among them excavation of a lake for… creating…his…own…island? And, just when you think he couldn’t get any worse, he was well-known for his frequent practice of illeism, the use of the third person to refer to oneself. Adrienne Claiborne wrote this song with singer, labor activist and husband Bob Claiborne, in 1938. District voters seemed unswayed by the protest and Bilbo would remain in office for nearly a decade longer.

Store owner Morton Savada had a policy of never selling the last copy of a recording, which we collectors can identify with. Morton’s son Eli sai “He was running a business, but he knew he had an important archive here and he had a responsibility to maintain it.” After 30 years in business, and distinguishing itself as a landmark for collectors worldwide, Records Revisited closed. The archive his son spoke of, roughly 200,000 records, was boxed and shipped in 2008 to….Syracuse University. The gift ensures the collection’s preservation for  future researchers. And…it plays a role in a certain radio show of which you may be aware… You’re listening to Drum Boogie by Gene Krupa, an OKEH 78 from 1941, and one of the last ever played at Records Revisited.

“A dark presence enters the ship. The ominous commander of the Imperial Forces, Darth Vader: tall and threatening in his flowing black cape, and a face forever masked by a foreboding metal breath screen. Darth Vader, who moves forever in a cloud of awesome evil.” One of the best, (eh, worst?) baddies of all time. You’re on the Sound Beat. “Vader grips the rebel’s throat. “”If this is a councilor’s ship then where is the Ambassador?”” Would have been nice to play Vader’s theme, the famous Imperial March…. Thing is, John Williams hadn’t composed it yet. It first appeared, courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra, in the original trilogy’s second film, the Empire Strikes Back. James Earl Jones famously voiced the character, and almost as famously wasn’t credited for the first two films. He’d claim at the time that his work was just “special effects”…something, I don’t know, VOICE ACTORS might disagree with. You’re listening to “The Story of Star Wars”, a 20th Century Fox LP from 1977. Sound Beat is produced at the Belfer Audio Archive, Syracuse University Libraries. Image courtesy of Roger Schultz, used under Creative Commons license.

Well, unless you’re in an ice cave on Hoth, you probably recognize this one. It’s “The Story of Star Wars” and… You’re on the Sound Beat. Fall in love with a movie nowadays, you can watch it pretty much whenever you want; ask any parent of a Frozen fan. WHEN-EV-ER. But for a rabid Star Wars fan in 1977, your options were limited. You went to the movies, or you bought this, a 20th Century Fox LP. It featured dialogue and sound effects from the film, and was narrated by Roscoe Lee Browne. The record would go as gold as C-3PO. Image created by Andrew Forgrave, used under Creative Commons license.

The song you hear ”Let Me Call You Sweetheart” by Bing Crosby with Georgie Stoll and His Orchestra was recorded in 1934 on the Decca label. You’re on the Sound Beat. “Let Me Call You Sweetheart“ was originally written by Leo Freidman and Beth Slater Whinston in 1910. The song was a big hit for Author Clough in May 1911 and a #1 hit for Henry Burr and the Peerless Quartet in November 1911 And this version is still popular today. In fact “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” by Bing Crosby was #3 on Apple Music’s top 200 jazz songs in Bolivia on January 27 2019. This episode was written by Ian Coe. Artwork by Omari Odom. Watch a video of their work at Let Me Call You Sweetheart — Sound Beat – Syracuse University Videos

The mythical Sirens have long been depicted as tantalizing, seductive, banes to the existence of accursed sailors, enchanted by their fatal song.  The Greeks had them as winged maidens, but somewhere along the way, the meaning shifted: in most European languages, the word Siren translates as “mermaid”. You’re listening to the Green Brothers Novelty band with “Siren of the South Sea”. If the smell of fresh-brewed coffee renders you helpless, you may have run into Melusina today. Starbucks has used the half-woman, half water-serpent’s likeness since 1971, based on a Norse woodcut. Why the nautical theme? Starbuck was the name of Captain Ahab’s first mate in Moby Dick.

Like Slim Gaillard said, “The Atomic Cocktail” is “the drink that you don’t pour”…until Las Vegas bartenders made it one. You see, in 1951, the government announced Nevada would be home to new bombing test sites. There was, understandably, heightened tension in the area…but then, Vegas knows a thing or two about relieving tension. Hotels and bars embraced the plans and the Atomic Cocktail was born. Want to make your own? (info courtesy of Esquire Magazine) Just take:   1 1/2 ounces vodka 1 1/2 ounces brandy 1 teaspoon sherry 1 1/2 ounces Brut  champagne Stir the vodka, brandy, and sherry well with cracked ice, then strain into  a chilled cocktail glass and add 1 1/2 to 2 ounces cold brut champagne. Garnish  with plastic three-eyed fish from Simpsons playset. Note: If you use the  sweeter Spanish brandy, opt for the drier Amontillado sherry. Conversely, if you  use the (dry) cognac, choose the (sweet) Oloroso. We strive for balance in all  stirs.

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.

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

Why did Governor Dewitt Clinton build a giant ditch across New York state? To get to the other side. From the time the first shovel went into the ground in 1817, critics blasted the Erie Canal project, dubbing it Clinton’s Ditch. But it would go down in history as an engineering marvel. When finished, it stretched three hundred and sixty three miles across New York, from : (lyrics “Albany to Buffalo”) This is Low Bridge! Everybody Down, sung by Edward Meeker in a wax cylinder recording from 1913. The Canal forever changed shipping in the Northeast, cutting transportation costs a whopping ninety percent. It also helped open a steady trade route with the Midwest, turning a seed of a downstate port town into the Big Apple. Mules like Old Sal were the early stars of the canal system, but steam powered barges rendered them obsolete by the end of the 19th century.

The American B-24 Bomber Lady Be Good departed a Libyan Air Base on a bombing raid in April 1943.  She did so into a sandstorm, and disappeared for 15 years. World War II raged, and then ended. Still, the whereabouts of the Lady Be Good remained unknown. It was thought the men had crashed into the Mediterranean, but in 1958 the nearly-intact bomber was found over 400 miles inland. Remains of 8 of the 9 crew members were found, some over a hundred miles north of the crash site. And, because everyone seemed to back then, they kept journals of their trek. To read excerpts, click to visit http://ladybegood.net, an excellent, and exhaustive site.

You’re listening to the Carter Family’s rendition of “Honey in the Rock”, a Coral Record from 1949, and you’re on the Sound Beat. Frederick A. Graves originally wrote the song in 1895, but his version was a bit, well, heavy…A.P. Carter then rewrote it in 1937 to better fit the Carter Family’s repertoire. In short, he focused more on the “honey and the salvation” than the” blood and the sins”. Probably a good move, sales-wise. The Carter Family recorded for over 30 years, helping to create and then redefine country music, and were inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1970. This episode was co-written by Syracuse University Honors student Jack McCormack, part of the Sound Beat Class Partnership. Learn how students are interacting with historic sound right now at Soundbeat.org

You’re listening to one of the most distinctive signature sounds in all of recorded music, and… You’re on the Sound Beat. That telltale whoop belongs to Sonny Terry, one of the most influential harmonica players of all time. Blind, but not from birth, Terry lost his sight one eye at a time, first in early childhood, and the second in his late teens. He recorded “Whoopin’ the Blues” with Brownie McGhee in 1947 for Capitol Records. The Terry/McGhee partnership was one of the most prolific and is one of the most revered in blues history. Want to see them in action? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34FWANCq6_0 Photo credit: Ian Chadwick

Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan, and nicknamed Lady Day. This 1946 recording of “Big Stuff” represents something of an anomaly in her career. It emerged only multiple, vigorous recording sessions. Her difficulties in the studio seemed to mirror those in her personal life, as Holiday was struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.   The song itself was composed by Leonard Bernstein for his 1944 ballet “Fancy Free”. Once Holliday’s version was released, it was featured in the opening scene, playing from a juxebox.  This episode was written in part by Syracuse University student Sarah Detweiler, as part of the Sound Beat Class Partnership project. To learn more about the Partnership, click here!

For those who celebrate it, the big day is here. Many parents are bleary-eyed and sipping coffee while the kids riot in merry madness. But short as it was, your night was probably more restful than old Ebenezer Scrooge’s. Our gift to you: Scrooge’s Awakening, an Edison Blue Amberol cylinder released in 1914.   And for your stocking: listen to the whole thing right now, courtesy of the Belfer Cylinders Digital Connection. Jim Image: “Stave Four: The Last of the Spirits”, artist Fred Barnard, scanned by Philip V. Allingham” “Stave Four”