The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

WEVL Fall Pledge Drive Speical Tonight: Recurring Themes

Tune into the Swing Shift Shuffle tonight for our WEVL Fall Pledge Drive Special entitled "Recurring Themes."  In modern popular music, it would be very unusual for one top recording artist to release a song, and then have another top artist release the same song within a relatively short period of time.  Such an occurrence was not unusual in the 1930s-1940s, however, as many different artists would record the same song, usually with different arrangements, and sometimes even writing lyrics to transform an instrumental hit into a vocal.  Tonight, I'll be playing popular songs from the Swing Era recorded by various artists in different styles, often not the performers most associated with the song today.  Tune in, swing out and make a pledge to WEVL for our Fall Pledge Drive.  As an appetizer, here is Artie Shaw and His Orchestra performing "In The Mood," a song primarily associated with Glenn Miller. 


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