Ben Bernie Orchestra "THE MAN I LOVE" (1928)

"The Man I Love"
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra
Vocal by Harold "Scrappy" Lambert
Recorded January 6, 1928, New York

Born in 1891, Ben Bernie was a popular bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. He attended New York College of Music, City College of New York and Columbia School of Mines. Before 1920, he played vaudeville as a monologist-violinist. In 1922 Bernie formed a dance band beginning a 20 career as bandleader. By the mid 1920s his band had achieved popularity and was recording and playing on the radio. In 1928, Bernie had a role in Broadway musical "Here's How." By the early 1930s the band developed into an excellent outfit, sweet-styled but sometimes semi-hot. He had his own radio broadcast and was known for his deep, soothing voice and humourous remarks. He dubbed himself "The Old Maestro" and referred to the band as "Ben Bernie and All the Lads." The band appeared in movies throughout the 1930s. The public and music world was saddened by his death in 1943.

Harold "Scrappy" Lambert (1901-1987) was a freelance singer with many recordings in the 1920s and 1930s; also active in radio. Sang with Ben Bernie in 1925, on Smith Brothers radio Show 1926 with Don Voorhees. Led his own band in 1928. On radio with "Men About Town" and Revelers vocal groups. 1932 on Ed Wynn Texaco Show and Firestone Show with Frank Black. In 1934-35 on Fred Allen Show and with Nat Shilkret Orchestra on Trade and Mark radio show. On Lucky Strike Hit Parade 1936-37 in Songsmiths vocal quartet. Led vocal quartet "The Men About Town" on Fred Allen Show 1938. Manhattan Merry-Go-Round 1938-1939. MCA executive on west coast from 1943; put together radio shows including those of Dinah Shore and Robert Young. Active in California real estate since late 1950s. Scrappy died at age 86 in Palm Springs, California on November 30, 1987.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Man
• Love
• Ben
• Bernie
• Hotel
• Roosevelt
• Orchestra
• Jazz
• Dance
• Ira
• George
• Gershwin
• 78rpm
• 1928
• Harold
• Scrappy
• Lambert

[baghend]

It was quite common in the 20's and 30's for male vocalists to sing songs-as written- rather than changing them to be gender appropriate. I guess they were less hung up in those days before so much political correctness- or maybe just more grown up than the so called stars of today. But Times do change.

And a good version of this classic tune anyway.

-Bill

[bsgs98]

@baghend It's not that there were no female singers, it's just they were not hired to sing with the dance bands during the 1920s. There were exceptions: Vaughn De Leath recorded this with the Whiteman Orchestra but she was not regular vocalist with Whiteman. Marion Harris and Sophie Tucker have great recordings of this, but they were the main attraction; the orchestras were there merely to accompany them.

[rogharm]

from rogharm, ben bernie's brother's wife else bernie was my junior high school teacher and my mother's friend as she lived in the celtic apartments in sunnyside quens nyc. i read that ben bernie died in the early 1940's. my mother worked for orchestra leader bert hirsch and he was her agent in modeling and movies. when not show biz, she was his secretary. she was in a lanny ross movie pretending to play the piano. saw on youtube. met frank munn in manhattan 1960 i was age 5. now age 65.

[bsgs98]

@rogharm I did a quick check in Rust's Dance Band Discography and Bernie did use women vocalists at least twice in 1920s. Vaughn De Leath in 1927 and Zelma O'Neal in 1928.

[rogharm]

fabulous arrangement, great tempo. great singer who is this great singer? why is a man singing this song? great anyway. love record/great post. great tempo. rated 11+ROGHARM

[bsgs98]

@rogharm The singer was Harold "Scrappy" Lambert. It does seem peculiar that a man would sing this but this was not unusual in the 1920s. Perhaps Ben Bernie did not hire female vocalists in his recording sessions. Does anyone know of Bernie using female vocalists in the 20s?

[450984]

My mother always mentioned Ben Bernie's music during her courting days in N.Y. She also used to love to go to Harlem and the Cotton Club!

[baghend]

@bsgs98 Thanks again- you are a wealth of info on these wonderful bands. If not for people like you, these recordings would be long forgotten. Certainly so many young people now seem to think there was no music before theirs. Perhaps we wern't any different. I wouldn't have wanted my friends -when were were listening to Buddy Holly or Elvis- to know that I really, really liked Guy Lombardo! How square!

[FiraGun90]

I need to download this kind of music for my project but I can't find any!!

[sbd403]

Yow-suh, yow-suh, yow-suh!