Sure, they all wanted to sell records and be radio stars, and Bing showed
the way by leaving the older style in the dust. This was early on - late
1920s. Such terms are not consistently applied or become more generic in
later years. I found it interesting that 'crooner' became, at least for a
time, an element of gender politics, maybe an early example of an
intragenerational divide revealed through the new media. Women sighed for
Rudy Vallee, et al; guys seemed to admire Bing for his 'manliness' and
musicianship. His broader appeal, via Giddens, was engineered by the
repertoire and stylistic choices of Jack Kapp, which could be said to have
brought him back to crooner/pop/romantic territory in the 1930s, away from
his earlier jazzy/rakish profile. Here lay his influence, as a stylist and
as a media star. I welcome John to flesh this out or correct it, as he
obviously is better informed than me. I'm just learning about this period.
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 8:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] History of Easy Listening records in today's Wall St
Journal
Crosby and Sinatra TARGETED female listeners. They were definitely crooners,
in the traditional (but
non-derisive) sense of the word. Same with Bobby Darin and, in some
respects, Elvis Presley. On the less famous but still famous side, people
like Vic Damone, Eddie Howard, etc (I consider these guys varying degrees of
Sinatra wannabes, less original than derivative).
Male fans of Crosby, many but not all of them, tended to want to sing like
him so the ladies would swoon. Male fans of Sinatra, many but not all of
them, tended to want to swagger and move like Sinatra so the ladies would
swoon. This was also definitely the case with Elvis. To this day, many
female listeners identify Sinatra and Elvis as "sexy," especially if they've
never heard or seen video of the men later in their careers. I don't think
Bing Crosby resonates much with listeners under 50 years old, but there are
exceptions.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Pultz" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 7:54 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] History of Easy Listening records in today's Wall St
Journal
> That looks like a fascinating book. I just finished reading the first
volume
> of Gidden's bio of Bing Crosby. There, crooner, a semi-derisive term
applied
> by men to singers popular with women, refers to the previous school of pop
> singers, mostly tenors, characterized by a somewhat effete style with
little
> if any swing. With his husky voice and lively rhythm, Crosby pretty much
> ended the rein of the crooner, though the term persisted in reference to
> singers of sappy ballads who made the girls swoon. And that may be how
> Sinatra got tagged with it; a profile fortunately transcended.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lou Judson
> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 1:57 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] History of Easy Listening records in today's Wall
St
> Journal
>
> Yeah, I can't argue with that, Tom, but Frank did so much great jazz (for
a
> pop singer) that I think "crooner" is beneath him.. though not inaccurate!
>
> I'm in the middle of re-reading Sessions with Sinatra so of course I have
a
> momentary prejudice! :-) <L> Lou Judson Intuitive Audio
> 415-883-2689
>
> On Jun 23, 2015, at 10:15 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>
>> I consider him in the "crooner" category, a subset of "pop" music. Also
in
> that category -- Bing Crosby, Eddie Howard, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr.,
> etc. Women in that category include Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Diana
Krall,
> etc. A crossover point is someone like Dinah Washington. She's part blues
> singer, part pop crooner.
>>
>> One man's classification system ...
>>
>> -- Tom Fine
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lou Judson" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 11:33 AM
>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] History of Easy Listening records in today's
>> Wall St Journal
>>
>>
>>> I am amused at how some of Frank Sinatra is classified as Easy
>>> Listening. <L>
>
>
|