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My Blue Heaven

from The Phantom Dancer by Greg Poppleton

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about

In 1928, "My Blue Heaven" became a huge hit on Victor 20964-A for crooner Gene Austin.

The music for "My Blue Heaven" was written in 1924: "Donaldson wrote it one afternoon at the Friars Club in New York while waiting for his turn at the billiard table." The song was written while Donaldson was under contract to Irving Berlin, working for Berlin's publishing company, Irving Berlin Inc. George A. Whiting wrote lyrics adapted for Donaldson's music, and for a while, performed it in his vaudeville act; three years later, Tommy Lyman started singing it on the radio as his theme song.

Austin, unhappy with the Victor Company and "convinced that the best material which he brought to the company’s attention was going to other artists", "gave Nat Shilkret an ultimatum that he wouldn’t do another session unless his interpretation [of "My Blue Heaven"] was commercially released. According to Austin, an agreement was reached for "My Blue Heaven" to be coupled with "Are You Thinking of Me Tonight?", the most highly regarded song among those he was planning to record at that time." On the day "My Blue Heaven" was to be recorded, after takes of the other songs had been completed, to Austin's surprise the musicians packed up and left the studio; Shilkret told Austin they had a conflict, but in a scene documented by H. Allen Smith in his A Short History of Fingers, Austin "grabbed an old guy with a cello and talked him into standing by. Then [he] grabbed a song plugger who could play pretty fair piano. And the third fellow [he] got was an agent who could whistle – bird calls and that sort of thing."[10] Austin recorded "My Blue Heaven" with that hastily assembled trio.[ (Wiki)

lyrics

LYRICS
When Whippoorwills call, and the evening is nigh
I hurry to my blue heaven
A turn to the right, a little white light
Will lead you to my blue heaven

You'll see a smiling face, a fireplace, a cozy room
A little nest that nestles where the roses bloom

Jst Molly and me, and baby makes three
We're happy in my blue heaven

credits

from The Phantom Dancer, released May 30, 2006
Song: Walter Donaldson (music) George Whiting (lyrics) (1927)

Band: Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters.

Singer - Greg Poppleton
Saxes (soprano / alto / tenor) and Clarinet - Paul Furniss
Trumpet - Bob Henderson
Piano - Peter Locke
Double Bass - Dieter Vogt
Drums - Joel Davis

Engineer:
Phil Punch, Electric Avenue

Mastering:
Rick O'Neil, Turtlerock

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Greg Poppleton Sydney, Australia

I saw Louis Armstrong on TV when I was 3 and have been hooked on 1920s-1930s jazz and swing ever since. I sing songs with some musician characters

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