Joe Venuti and his New Yorkers, Smith Ballew vocal - Weary River (1929)

Giuseppe (Joe) Venuti (Sept.16,1903 - Aug.14,1978) was a U.S. jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.

Venuti claimed to have been born aboard a ship as his parents emigrated from Italy, though many believe he was simply born in Philadelphia. Later in life he said that he was born in Italy in 1896 and that he came to the U.S. in 1906. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie Lang, a childhood friend of his.

Through the 1920s and early 1930s, Venuti made many recordings, as leader and as featured soloist. He worked with Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, the Boswell Sisters and most of the other important white jazz and semi-jazz figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Venuti and Lang recorded a series of milestone jazz records for the OKeh label during the 1920s. However, following Lang's early death in 1933, his career began to wane, though he continued performing through the 1930s. He was also a strong early influence on western swing players like Jesse Ashlock, not to mention the fact that Lang and Venuti were the primary influences of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.

After a period of relative obscurity in the 1940s and 1950s, he was 'rediscovered' in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, he established a musical relationship with tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims that resulted in three recordings. He also recorded an entire album with country-jazz musicians including mandolinist Jethro Burns (of Homer & Jethro), pedal steel guitarist Curly Chalker and former Bob Wills sideman and guitarist Eldon Shamblin. Venuti died in Seattle, Washington. (Bing Crosby's home town) (Crosby refers to Joe in his book "Call Me Lucky").

Venuti was also a legendary practical joker (see Crosby's book). According to one source, every Christmas he sent Wingy Manone, a one-armed trumpet player, the same gift--one cufflink. He is said to have chewed up a violin he borrowed from bandleader Paul Whiteman, when still on stage after his own performance with Whiteman's band had finished.

-------------------------------------

Smith Ballew (real name Sykes Ballew) (Jan.21,1902 - May 2,1984) was an American actor, singer, and orchestra leader.

He was born in Palestine, Texas. He attended high school in Sherman and college at Austin College and the University of Texas. He began his singing career on the radio, and in the 1930s became one of the earliest of the singing cowboys on the movie screen. He did a series of musical Westerns for Paramount Pictures and one for 20th Century Fox, continuing in supporting roles until the 1950s.

Starting in the late 1920s he became one of the most recognizable vocalists on hundreds of dance band and jazz records (during this time, Ballew along with Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson, and Chick Bullock were the most prolific vocalists), and in the early 1930s had his own band. Between 1929 and 1935, he made scores of records were issued under his own name for OKeh, the dime store labels (Banner, Domino, Jewel, Regal, Perfect, Oriole as Buddy Blue & His Texans or Jack Blue's Texans), Columbia, and Crown. Few of these popular records gave any indication of his future Cowboy style.


Joe Venuti and his New Yorkers, Smith Ballew vocal - Weary River (1929)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joe
• Venuti
• Smith
• Ballew
• 1929
• 20s
• 30s

[Bigband78]

Excellent version of this song.

[bill3murr]

this is a marvelous version of this tune...but why not with venuti and his orch.  thank you so much.

[65attila]

He was my great uncle . He was born in South Philly and his birth certificate is on the net.

John

I never heard this excellent performance- Thank you.

[Bobchai]

Excellent! Most of the tunes I have of Joe Venuti of this period are with Eddie Lang. The orchestration here is top notch.