Roaring 20s: Frank Black Orch. - The Varsity Drag, 1927

Frank Black first was a musical director at New York's Century Theater before leading orchestras on radio in the 1920's. After establishing The Revelers singing group, he moved on to NBC Radio. Although his bands played classical and light-classical music, as back ground to radio theater, they also performed and recorded popular songs. The band's recordings of, "It's A Million To One," "The Varsity Drag," and "Beside A Lazy Stream" were among the first to have sales increases as a result of air time on radio. In later years he worked with NBC Symphony Orchestra, on radio and on records, for over twenty years.

VARSITY DRAG became popular nationwide (and especially in the New York area) in the late 1920s, mostly because of the 1927 hit song „The Varsity Drag" followed by the movie (1930) with Ann Singleton -- „the rubber girl" -- making her memorable „shag dance" show. In 1930s the Varsity Drag transformed into the Collegiate Shag, and in '40s -- into the Jitterbug. Like many other dances popular in the big band era, the „shag dances" have roots in the 1920s Charleston, believed to be from New Orleans. All of them are primarly the 6-count dances full of kicks, hops and taps done to fast jazz.

(The original clip from 1930 movie "The Varsity Drag" with Ann Singleton, can be found in YT, GoodOldDays collection).

VARSITY DRAG
(Lyrics: Buddy De Sylva, Lew Brown / Music: Ray Henderson)


We've always thought
Knowledge is naught,
We should be taught to dance,
Right here at Tate
we're up to date,
We teach a great new dance,
don't think that I brag,
I speak of the drag.
Why should a sheikh
learn how to speak
Latin and Greek badly?
Give him a neat
Motto complete
Say it with feet gladly!
First lesson right now,
You'll love it and how you'll love it:
Here is the drag, see how it goes,
Down on the heels, up on the toes,
That's the way to do the Varsity Drag,
Do-dee-odle-oh-do!
Hotter than hot, newer than new,
Meaner than mean, bluer than blue,
Gets as much applause as waving the flag!
You can pass many a class,
Whether you're dumb or wise,
If you'll all answer the call
when your professor cries:
"Everybody down on the heels, up on the toes,
Stay after school and learn how it goes,
Everybody do the varsity drag!

Recording: Frank Black & His Orch. - The Varsity Drag, Brunswick 1927

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 1920s
• hot
• dance
• bands
• Jazz
• Age
• America
• 78s.
• shellack
• jitterbug
• collegiate
• shag

[PoeticRocker]

Thumbs up if you added this song as your ringtone!

[jared82ca]

@msjosephh I don't remember which book I found it in, but "The Varsity Drag" was said to be THE dance fad of the year 1927.

[wwmadi]

Frank Black of the Pixies? He's older than I thought

[SatchmoSings]

@Georgewos It WAS on TCM and by the way, there are clips of it right here on "Youtube!"

watch?v=tF7boHY34eA

There was another good clip with Penny Singleton doing some more great acrobatic dancing but it was taken down because of music copyright issues.

[Georgewos]

@SatchmoSings I have no way of knowing since I never saw the 1930's version. Perhaps it is on TCM.From what I read, !930 was a time when so many musicals were being shown that people were getting tired of seeing them. It wasn't until 42nd Street that musicals started to become popular again. .

[SatchmoSings]

@Georgewos It was a much better 1930 MGM film FIRST.

[Georgewos]

This was a big production number in the 1947 MGM film Good News.

[daXdiimeXpiece]

Fred and ethel from i love lucy did a 'performance' of this song in 1 of rickys shows

[DoinWorkDaily]

@jemmytaveras get a youtube to mp3 converter and use this link to convert to a mp3

[JubalCalif]

Wow & double wow! What a delightful version of the 1920's classic! 23 skidoo! Makes me want to get out out my racoon coat & fill up my hip flask with bathtub gin! THANKS for sharing it with us....you're the bee's knees...I might even venture to say that you're the cat's pajamas! May ALL your wishes & dreams come true in the New Year! :)