The Parlor Songs Collection
April, 1998 Edition, Featured Covers

This month, I would like to salute my home area, the South of the United States. The heritage of the South is a proud one and one that is filled with unique and great music. The Forward collection has a number of songs that represent Tennessee and all the other great states of the American South.

Our guest submission this month is another unique piece of music from an incredible collection that has been shared with me by Don Taddia from Memphis. This collection has such startlingly beautiful covers, we continue tp feature them each month. Soon, perhaps we will run a "special edition" just to show the entire collection off.

My Sunny Tennessee

My Sunny Tennessee

1921

Music by: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
and Herman Ruby
Cover artist unknown.

This song is one that salutes my home, Tennessee.The cover states "as sung by Eddie Cantor in Lee and J.J. Schubert's production "The Midnight Rounders of 1921". The song is one of those happy, uplifting songs of the early twenties.

Hear this great 1921 southern songPlay The Song

Atlanta

Atlanta, G.A.

1945

Music & Lyrics by: Sunny Skylar &
Artie Shaftel

Cover Artist: Unknown

No mention of the South can be made without at least a passing salute to Atlanta. Down here, we call it "Hotlanta". Atlanta has been sung about over the years and there are many songs about Georgia, including others using the city name in the title. But, I'm sure you would agree, there is only one Atlanta, G.A.

Listen to Atlanta, G.A.Play The Song

Back to Dixie

I Want To Go Back To Dixie Land

1913

Music by: Geo. Botsford
Lyrics by: Jean C. Havez
Cover artist: unknown

During the early years of the century, from around 1910 through the early 1920's, newpapers regularly published popular (sometimes not popular) music in special supplements. Unfortunately, many of these have not survived due to the fragile nature of newsprint from that period. This particular work, written in 1913 and published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1914, is in particularly poor condition due to deterioration of the paper. Nonetheless, the quality of the surviving paper has not diminished the music.

Hear I Want To Go Back To Dixie Land NowPlay The Song

On the Mississippi

On The Mississippi

1912

Music by: Carroll and Fields
Lyrics by: Ballard MacDonald
Cover artist: Starmer

The Mississippi River and the romance of the riverboat era has long been a source of some of the romantic and often nostalgic songs about the south. Of course the great Al Jolson is best known for his "blackface" songs and portrayal of minstrel singers. This song is one of many that feature Jolson on the cover. This is yet another of the Taddia covers.

Enjoy the music, listen now.Play The Song

And Now, for March, another great guest submission!

As mentioned last month, Don Taddia of Memphis has shared an incredible collection with me. This collection is so good, I will be featuring several works from his collection over the next months.

In fact, once again, one of the above featured covers are also from this great collection. If any of you have works you would like me to include in future editions, please E-mail me with the details.

They Called It Dixie Land

(They Made it Twice as Nice as Paradise) And They Called It Dixieland

1916

Music by: Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics by: Raymond Egan
Cover Artist: Einson


Many of the songs about the south feature stereotypes and this one is no exception. It seems that at that time many of the covers made use of standard sterotypes and of course meant no harm. The music in this sheet is wonderful, the cover is an uncomfortable reminder of many of the insensitive and unfair characterizations of years gone by.

Listen to this great work from our past.Play The Song

See a gallery of other covers from the collection. All new for this month
All Gallery photos have MIDI versions of the songs included for your listening pleasure


Parlor Songs is an educational website about American popular music and the history of the genre

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All articles are written by the previous owners, unless otherwise stated.

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