1949-1953

Popular vocalist Eddy Howard (1914-1963) formed his own band in 1941, after making a series of records with bandleader Dick Jurgens and various small jazz groups supervised by producer John Hammond. Both elements — the sweet swinging dance band sound of Jurgens and the genuine jazz preferred by Hammond — are strongly present in Circle's 24-track anthology of radio transcription recordings made by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra during the years 1949-1953. There are full-blown post-Bix Beiderbecke Dixieland swing numbers like "At the Jazz Band Ball," "'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," "Coquette," and "Cheyenne," a springy little number penned by one Harry K. Williams. Gooseflesh-inducing cornball vocals erupt during apple pie melodies such as "Little Brown Jug," "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas," and "Oh, Mona!" a rowdy singalong routine attributed to Country Washburne and Ted Weems. Most of the rest of the recordings heard here (some of which last less than two minutes) are showcases for Howard's handsome and at times romantically suffused crooning. Although this blend of wholesome styles enabled Howard to succeed with the public for more than ten years, soon after the period covered by this compilation he and his peers would be forced to surrender the limelight to Elvis Presley and Pat Boone and their covers of tunes by Big Mama Thornton, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and Little Richard. What you get here is the last hurrah for old-style entertainment, immediately prior to the first mass-marketing of rock & roll.