Cheers to you too, Phil, nice album cover.
My guy HATES those aluminum cups, like the one Phil is drinking his mint julep out of. As a kid, he used to put them in the driveway at his house in the hopes that they would get pancaked under the back wheels of his Uncle Johnny’s Cadillac as he backed out. I understand his loathing of the damn things, I used to scrape teeth marks on them in the hopes that my picky mother would throw ours away. I think she still has a few left somewhere in the back of the cabinet to this day.
Oh yeah, Phil Harris is the topic.
You probably know Phil Harris as Baloo the bear in the Jungle Book, the best known Disney character that he voiced. Phil had originally achieved fame as radio comedian Jack Benny’s bandleader and foil, and later had his own popular radio series with his wife, movie glamour queen Alice Faye.
Album Highlights:
the title song “That’s What I Like About the South” was written by Phil, celebrating his deep Southern roots that he played up in his act (despite the fact he was born in Indiana). But he was also born white, which also didn’t stop him from putting “urban“ inflections on “The Dark Town Poker Club” and channeling black vaudevillian Bert Williams (so the liner notes say) on “Woodman Spare That Tree”. Phil also adds some of those annoying Billie Holliday affectations to his highly melodramatic interpretation of St. James Infirmary—or maybe I should say Billie Holliday via David Sedaris’ scathingly unflattering portrayal (have I ever mentioned that I actively dislike the music of Billie Holliday?).
“Goofus” and “Muskrat Ramble” also recall Phil’s days of playing drums in the 1920s with a band called the Dixieland Syncopators, and are upbeat & fun numbers.
That’s What I Like About the South—Phil Harris (1958) RCA CAS 456
Fun fact: Phil Harris’ real first name was WONGA.
6 comments:
Billie Holiday?? SLOWLY I TURNED...Thanks Thanks Thanks! I once was married to someone who had family which almost killed me because I said it would have been nice for Billie Holliday to perhaps get some black coffee into her blood stream before entering the recording studio. They looked at me like in one of those EF Hutton commercials. So I asked, "Come on, you don't really think she could sing, do you?" Aortas appeared to burst. "OUT NORTON" had nothing on the treatment I received. What choice did I have? I divorced those folks... Now Phil Harris! Amen. And I write from Hell's Kitchen just two blocks from where Alice Faye grew up. Thanks also for a swell site.
Beautiful, but... no Deck of Cards?
Honestly....I got really impatient listening to Deck of Cards and just skipped right over it. Sorry. I have no respect for completion.
As for Billie haters....maybe someone needs to start a support group. Stop the madness. Speak as one anti-Billie voice....and maybe it'll be safe to enter hipster coffee houses without fear of hearing that coy gargle ever again.
re: Deck of Cards - I completely understand! I am exactly that way about To Sir With Love. I only asked because I thought I could finally eradicate the disembodied voice of Wink Martindale in my head. Thanks for the Rusty Warren!
Balkinage..I couldn't agree more with your comments..:)
Again, a very late comment...I'm trawling through your back bay (or something like that...when I subscribe to someone's blog I like, I like to go through their back posts and see what I missed and catch things I might be NEEDING)
Anyway, this PHIL HARRIS lp is an icon in my family, as much for 'The Thing' as anything, I guess. But with the years going by (we got this LP when I was 5 or so, back when it was fairly new)I find myself listening to it more and more along with the 1973 Mega LP "Southern Comfort" partial re-issue with more cuts of the 1958 Camden and the ASV CD Collection 'The Thing About Phil Harris'which is all mono recordings from 1930-1950, with "The Thing" being the latest original recording.
The Camden recording remains my favorite. These must be all mid-50s re-recordings as best as I can tell. I just adore them and have learned to play "preacher and The Bear" and "Woodman Spare That Tree" which both come from the repertoire of Bert Williams, an old 'Negro'post-Minstrel Vaudeville entertainer, who spoke/sang most of his songs. As of late I'm on a quest to find more of HIM, too. Thanks for recognizing something there...and oh, by the way, I think 'Persian Kitten' is SOOO sexy. I think it was probably the first song that I recognized as a kid as being tantalizing and intriguing in a 'new' way.
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