I didn’t find out about Frank King’s February 5 presentation at Needham’s Center At The Heights until the day before, and Joe was tied up, so I went by myself. The parts about the history of recorded sound were most interesting, and I learned a lot. It was very well attended, with about 30 people there, a lot more than the previous presentations I went to.
Here is the description of the program:
Frank is back! He will present a special two-subject lecture: “Song Secrets of 1958 and The Surprising History of Recorded Sound”. You’ll learn the real-life origin stories behind big ’58 hits for Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and the Kingston Trio; plus the fascinating recent discovery that forced the history books to be rewritten regarding Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph. Join Frank King for a musical lecture where you’ll get to hear the standout songs of this Golden Era – including rare, seldom-heard recordings – and also learn some fascinating secrets about the singers and the songs.
Highlights about the ’58 hits:
- Kingston Trio’s ‘Tom Dooley’ about the 1860’s Tom Dula / Laura Foster murder case
- Frank Sinatra ‘All the Way’ from The Joker is Wild (about Joe E. Lewis)
- Perry Como ‘Catch a Falling Star’ based on Brahms ‘Academic Festival Overture’ [this is the only selection I actually knew]
- bonus from ’56: ‘Hot Diggity’ based on Chabrier ‘España’
Highlights about the history of recorded sound:
- Leon Scott de Martinville 4/9/1860 ‘Au Clair de la lune’ recorded on soot-covered paper; applied for patents but never played it back!
- Thomas Edison first used tin foil for 10 years before wax.
- Format war that lasted decades: wax cylinders vs flat record disks
- Wax cylinders were used for home recording and answering machines into the 1950’s, including in the 1944 movie Double Indemnity. Frank brought an example of a wax cylinder for us to see.
- We heard a recording by Sir Arthur Sullivan with a message for Edison.
Next up: Musical Oddities on Monday, March 30.
Leave a Reply