Playlist for December 30, 2009

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Square America and The Boat Lullabies

I discovered Square America, and its subsidiary blog, The Boat Lullabies, a month or so ago.  It is a site dedicated to preserving and displaying vintage snapshots from 1990-1975, as well as other ephemera, and it has some interesting items. 

For example, and continuing in the holiday spirit, The Boat Lullabies posted about two letters from a little girl to her parents between 1940-1945, including the Christmas list to the right. 

The New Year's First Lindy!

Start the New Year right with the first Red Hot Lindy Hop lesson and session for 2010!

This Friday, January 1, 2010:

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free admission before 7:00 p.m., $5 after 7:00 p.m.
Free dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. with Kirk & Becky followed by music with DJ Becky until 9:30 p.m.  Salsa at 9:30 p.m.

Dress like you are going out!

Rumba Room

303 South Main Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Popular Science, December 1945, on Google Books

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas!  After all, as the song says, today is only the "fourth day of Christmas," so you all should be expecting four calling birds.

To continue the holiday spirit, Boing Boing pointed me to this December 1945 issue of Popular Science magazine on Google Books, featuring holiday decorating ideas for your Makers out there, including a Yuletide Bell Ringer on page 170. 

Playlist for December 23, 2009 - Christmas Special!

Click HERE for the Swing Shift Shuffle playlist from last night's show.

Duffy's Tavern Christmas Special, December 21, 1943

In celebration of the holiday season, I am proud to bring you the sounds of Christmas past.  From the Internet Archive, here is Archie (at right), the Manager of Duffy's Tavern ("Duffy ain't here"), in a special Christmas program originally aired on December 21, 1943, with special guest, comic actor and Santa Clause look-alike, Monty Woolly. 

With all the holiday activity, I'm going to take a break for a day or two.  Never fear, gentle reader.  I'll be back next week.  Be sure to catch tonight's Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special on WEVL 89.9 FM or wevl.org, and watch this space for the playlist tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special!

If, like this family greeting Santa at Macy's in 1942 from the Library of Congress American Memory site, you need a little holiday spirit to finish your last minute shopping, be sure to catch this year's Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special, Wednesday, December 23, 2009, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (CST) on WEVL Memphis, 89.9 FM, or wevl.org.  Several people said they really enjoyed last year's show, so I will stick to the same formula, with a few new selections here and there.

Louis Jordan Let the Good Times Roll

On December 21, 1946, a single entitled "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan (at right on sax) debuted on the Rhythm & Blues charts.  The flipside was "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" (one of my personal favorites).  From 1943 until 1950, the Brinkley, Arkansas native's singles topped the R&B chart more than 25% of the time. Fifteen hits crossed over to the pop charts.  More information and photos available at the Library of Congress American Memory site on its Today in History page. 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

I am uncertain of the year this Jam Handy animated short was released, but it was directed by Max Fleischer, and it seemed appropriate for the last Saturday before Christmas.  From the Internet Archive, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

National Archives and Records Administration Films on YouTube

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has approximately 1899 historic, public domain films in its vaults.  The Internet Archive has some of these available for viewing, but otherwise, they are not available on the web.  In an effort to encourage NARA to make these available online, Public.Resource.org posted 20 of these films from a NARA DVD (available only from Amazon) on YouTube.  The idea is to demonstrate how interested the public would be in these films if readily available.  There are some historic moments, including the crash of the Hindenburg.