Background information about the recordings can be found below the audio selections.
| “I’d Walk A Million Miles (To Be A Little Bit Nearer To You)” Frank Black And His Orchestra; Scrappy Lambert, vocal August 10, 1927 (Brunswick 3619-B) |
| “Highways Are Happy Ways” Frank Black And His Orchestra; Scrappy Lambert, vocal August 10, 1927 (Brunswick 3619-A) |
Here is a record from the Edward Mitchell Collection of two songs that were well-known and recorded by several bands in 1927 but quickly forgotten.
“I’d Walk A Million Miles (To Be A Little Bit Nearer To You)”, composed by Gerald Marks with lyrics by Al Lewis, is my favorite of the two.
“Highways Are Happy Ways,” composed by Larry Shay with lyrics by Harry Harris and Tommie Malie, was likely inspired by a “Highways Are Happy Ways” slogan used by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana on advertisements for its Red Crown gasoline and on the road maps distributed by its gas stations.
The vocals on both recordings are provide by Scrappy Lambert.
Frank Black and His Orchestra recorded a couple of dozen or so sides for Brunswick between 1926 and 1928. Black himself was also prominent behind the scenes without label credit on many other recordings and on radio.
Beginning in 1926, he replaced Ed Smalle as the pianist accompanying the popular vocal group the Revelers.
He also directed the Victor recording sessions for the Arden Ohman Orchestra while its stars, the piano duo of Victor Arden and Phil Ohman, were busy playing the prominently featured piano passages.
During the 1930s, Black was music director for the NBC radio network, where he conducted everything from classical music with ensembles such as the NBC String Symphony to popular music with the house bands of several NBC radio programs.
(From 1927 advertisement. Click here to view larger image)