Swing Shift Shuffle

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.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Sunrise Serenade: My Baby Likes To Bebop

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "My Baby Likes To Bebop" by Ella Fitzgerald. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Eagle

Here is another obscure (at least to me) hero from the Golden Age of comics. As far as I can tell from this posting on Four Color Shadows, the Eagle appears to be a scientist who developed some artificial wings that allow him to fly otherwise unaided. He also appears to carry some sort of detonation device on his wrist.

Sunrise Serenade: Black Coffee

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Black Coffee" by Ella Fitzgerald. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Mother Goose Stories (RIP Ray Harryhausen)

In honor of both Mothers Day and the late Ray Harryhausen, who passed away earlier this week, we present an early Harryhausen animated short featuring Mother Goose. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1946 stop-motion animated film, Mother Goose Stories.

Sunrise Serenade: Stay With The Happy People

Today's Sunrise Serenade was "Stay With The Happy People" by Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. Click on the song title for a sample from emusic, or click here for the album page.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Odd Animal Friendships

The media may change, but the content is eternal. Long before the internet, much less YouTube, circulated videos of odd animal companions, stories of unlikely animal chums graced the pages of magazines like this July 1940 issue of Popular Science, posted on Modern Mechanix. Somewhere in a yet-undiscovered cave, there are probably drawings of a wolf and a rabbit cuddling.

Sunrise Serenade: Apple Honey

This morning's Sunrise Serenade was "Apple Honey" by Woody Herman and His Orchestra. Click on the song title to listen courtesy of Jazz On Line.