Lee Morse - TheMusic Racket ~1930 Film~

[paulj0557]

I think all of the hardcore film and record collecting fanatics should be commended for their effort to preserve the past, but so much more- keep it alive! I suppose I have watched and listened to more entertaining, and heartfelt stuff in the past 6 years than all of the time combined before that. That being my first 39 years of life. Anyone who passes by a B&W image on the screen, or a less than HiFi sound because it doesn't measure up to the standards they are accustomed to, remember this.

[singingranger]

Barry Mazor also wrote "...Gene Austin knew her [Lee]; there is no evidence that Jimmie Rodgers did--though he would have certainly read about her (as she would of him) in the trade papers... " I think, since the first steam train on tracks dates about 1804 and the first recorded song was layed down around1877--"when a man gets blue he grabs a train and rides" could have first been sung by Chinese folk singers, white engineers, black blues singers, French gypsy troubadours, Tex-Mex crooners...

[singingranger]

As I noted,1924 and chronology are important, Jimmie Rodgers was not living in Kerrville, TX prior to 1924 which is when Lee first recorded the song; and, as I noted, J.R. did not record until 1927, three years after Lee recorded "Mailman Blues." He did not move to Kerrville and his Blue Yodeler's Paradise home until 1929--six years after Lee recorded "M.B." I put quotes around "wrote" when I wrote "Jimmie Rodgers 'wrote'," to make it clear that J.R. did not necessarily "write' that line.

[preservationhall01]

@singingranger Thanks-I'm enjoying your insightful comments-nice to meet someone else who enjoys what was going on in the 20s and its' importance to the development of everythig from jazz to rock to C&W (RAP excluded).LOL

[singingranger]

Very nice post. Thanks. In Barry Mazor's book MEETING JIMMIE RODGERS, Mazor says nice things about Lee Morse and credits her as one of several artists who recorded and "wrote" some of the same lines ("when a man gets blue he grabs a train and rides) as Jimmie "wrote" --only she recorded the song "Mailman Blues" in 1924, three years before Jimmie's recording history begins. I was happy to find Lee Morse clips on youtube--"the two short Vitaphone sound fillms" that Mazor mentions in his book.

[preservationhall01]

@singingranger Jimmie Rodgers lived in Kerrville, Texas and Lee lived in Ft. Worth for a while so they may have heard each others music. They both seemed to copy from black artists who were singing "when a man gets blue" long before either Lee or Jimmie made their recordings. Jimmie copied profusely from black singers he heard while working on the railroads between Houston and Biloxi.

[78timothy]

Opening song is "Get Happy". Warners did not use Sound on Film technology until 1932. Even 42nd St. (1932) was issued bot with sound on film, and Vitaphone Disc Synrozation. So this short, (Vitaphone "Pepper Pot" as they were called) was issued without the sound on film (A Fox-Movietone Product via Lee De Forest Orthocon process.) Vitaphone disc was a Warner Bros product. - phased out by 1932. But the fidelity is superb for it's time as opposed to sound on film which still sounded primative.

[78timothy]

As a 78RPM record collector my self, the soundtrack is from a Vitaphone disc at 33 1/3 rpm Transcription, recorded on Graphite/Shellac medium w/3mm 78stylus. Pressee by Brunswick This soundtrack was added to the film, probablyin the 50's for television distribution. The exceesive pick up noise is from the wear and tear of the record itself.. You can only do so much with pick-up noise. Is that the Nicholas Bros. at 4:05? Great Vitaphone short!! 5*****

[preservationhall01]

I believe that may be the Nicholas Bros. in this soundie. This is a transfer from 8mm film to DVD. As this was a Warner Soundie, the music was originally recorded with the film in 1930 so the 33 1/3 record you have was probably recorded from this soundie. The sound was not added to the film. You can buy these 90 year old soundies with the audio "intact".

[bostonblakie]

LM one of the early greats of the recorded music era. She could sing the blues and throw in as good a hillbilly warble as ever made it in Nashville. Too bad the soundtrack is so noisy. I understand that it's now possible to clean that up with the right software.

[preservationhall01]

All the cleanup that it was possible for me to do occurred after the 10 second mark. The software will never acheive perfection unfortunately. Thanks for your comments.