I really dig Phil Harris and his lackadasical playboy persona. I love him on the old Jack Benny radio show, I love his music, I love his radio shows with his wife (they were married over 50 years) Alice Faye, and I love him on this album.
Phil portrayed himself as a good ol' Southern boy, but was really born in Linton Indiana. He never forgot those roots, and sponsord a golf tournament fundraiser for many years in Linton. This album is a live concert to raise money for the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Scholarship fund. It was recorded on May 5, 1979--which happened to be Alice's 64th birthday. Alice even steps up to the mic to do a reprise of one of her biggest hits, "You'll Never Know", and sounds pretty darn great. Phil's buddy, sportscaster Chris Schenkel traveled from his home in Bippus IN (yes really) to pay homage to the Harrises. Throw in the mix some local combos and singers, and you've got a real crowd-pleaser, at least the folks in Linton sure seem to think so. I kinda dug it too.
Evening with Phil
Side 1
Consider Yourself
Back Home Again in Indiana
Stardust
Do You Known What It Means to Miss New Orleans
Up a Lazy River
Side 2
Washington and Lee Swing
Basin Street Blues
Chris Schenkel
You'll Never Know (Alice Faye)
Just to Be Alive
Saints
2 comments:
One of the most casual people in the music business.
This unsophisticated recording makes it feel you're sitting right there.
Yup, that pretty much sums up the appeal of this record.
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