CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHT by Will Bradley and his Orchestra 1940

[crystal3241]

What a great song! My 88 year old dad owns this original box set by Will Bradley on 78. This is just the coolest! Listen to some of the other titles in this set: "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar," "Scrub Me Mama, with a Boogie Beat," "Fry Me Cookie, with a Can of Lard." Boy, this is great stuff. If only the younger generations could be exposed to more music like this!

[ToniToniTonitrus]

@crystal3241 I certainly hear you on that one. All of the modern auto-tuned junk is deafening, I'm ashamed to be a part of my generation. I suppose it all goes downhill from here, too.

[krysteria2]

I love this song so much!! I heard it for the first time a few years ago and it makes me want to grab a partner and dance.

[musicmandon1]

@cdbpdx Where in South Carolina? I'm now in Goose Creek, some 15 miles west of Charleston, but I'm facing a possible move to the Myrtle Beach area. If interested, I've written and recorded one song about the unemployment situation here, "I Wonder Who's Laughing Today," and have written another I plan to record, "American Idle."

[musicmandon1]

This is truly amazingly random. My uncle had this on a 45. no clue if it was some other band, or if this song was reissued after 45's came out.

Off topic, PDX is the code for the airport at Portland, Oregon. Is your screen name anything to do with Portland? I know you mostly post late, which suggests you might live in a different time zone from me in South Carolina.

[cdbpdx]

@musicmandon1

I live and work in Portland, my hometown. My brother-in-law lives in South Carolina. Gonna go visit him some day. Google CDBPDX and you'll find my main music web pages. And a bunch of other stuff, too.

[MrSpherco]

Magic....

[TheOlneyBigBand]

Barry -- If you wish a copy of this arrangement please contact the band at our website. Just google Olney Big Band and you will find us. DBS

[galstrand1]

This tune has long been in my memory - a lovely bounce and moving tempo. This particular recording blows my 78 away. Lovely, and my gratitude for posting!

[TheOlneyBigBand]

Our Big Band will perform this number at our annual concert--Big Band Music Lives On -- a tribute to the Big Bands at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland this Saturday August 13. It has to be one of my favorites charts! Thanks for posting it.

[MrCrossbones2008]

@TheOlneyBigBand : do you know where I could get a copy of this big band arrangement?

Thanks!

barry bergstrom

[PoppinForBass]

This is one of my all time favorite big band songs. A great jive, boogie beat and tempo. I've got it on a 45 RPM and do play it on my record player every once in a while.

Too bad it costs so much to stage a big band. I know there are plenty of very good musicians that would love to play this stuff.

I heard this song was composed, written and arranged by the band on one of their long night bus rides to a gig. Sort of like "720 in the Book"

Thanks for posting.

[medmond6]

This and Bradley's Strange Cargo get a lot of play on XM/Serious CH4 (40's station). My knob is glued to it.

[Shadogun]

The 20s to the 40s were truly the golden days of music. While yes Van Halen, Guns n Roses, and Aerosmith are all blessings too, this was a time when music truly inspired people. May jazz live forever.

[tempetiger]

I've got that same record in my collection. It was one of the lesser known big band jazz tunes. On the other side, however, is one of the great boogie woogie classics--Down the Road a Piece.

[MrNtelsa]

nobody beleives thar this is a song with that title

[MrXnews]

Nice tune! Thanks for posting!

[LosAngeleno1959]

You realize the song is all about "dope" don't you? The Celery stalks refer to "grass"

[ststephen909]

@LosAngeleno1959 Yes I do! Just another reason why this song is so stupendous! :)

[michaeljayklein]

"Celery stalks along the highway!" Oh how I wish this music were here again...thanks for posting this!

[Janette6088]

I heard this recording as a kid, and it's haunted me for some reason to this day.

Especially that " celery stalks along the highway" bit toward the end.

[Brien182]

for some reason i recognize this song very very well. Even though i've never heard it or of it I feel some kind of connection, like me and this jam have a history. weird, but i love it.

[Joanne2008]

gosh this is an oldie. my parents used to listen to this!

[wyomingtreeplanter]

Who's the person saying "Celery stalks along the highway"?

[starnovshaw]

I think it was Ray McKinley. He did most of the male vocals for the Bradley Orch.

[shrinkprof]

It WAS Ray McKinley. However, he did only the (male) novelty/rhythm vocals, not the ballads. Joe Wiedman (tpt.) and Peanuts Hucko (ts) take the solos.

[LosAngeleno1959]

@wyomingtreeplanter Probably some drunk in the audience.

[EarltheSquirrel73]

@wyomingtreeplanter  Probably Ray McKinley!

[ArnieDahl]

I can't get this song out of my head. One of the best. Anyone know where I can obtain the band charts? Great post.

[MommaApple]

I miss listening to Big Band Swing music...during the 80's there was a great radio station I would go to sleep listening to. Thanks for posting!

[LosAngeleno1959]

@MommaApple On the internet call up "Breezyradio" and click on the cartoon icon and you'll have 30's,40's big band original recordings all day. It's free.

[jfm487]

Thank you. I haven't had the this in ages.

[kportguy1]

I can't believe this only charted as high as #18,....it's a great swing classic.

[KawaiikuteMonster]

is that a tenor sax I hear at 1:15? Bangin'~

[bmd8ttb]

swing music at its very best.

helmer

[bobther1]

Thanks for posting this; saves me having to scrounge for my old 78. Without question one of the greatest songs to dance to back in the '40s. Not as frenetic as Wildroot or some of the others but a song you could do amazing steps to. I still love it.

[Rowland108]

Great. Thanks for posting this