RARE BILLIE STEWART GLOOMY SUNDAY / IN MY SOLITUDE SAVOY 647 HOLIDAY 78RPM

	£		19
	$		25

78RPM 

POSTAGE- For 1 to 5 records (combined) it costs the same price and is done at actual cost. No profit from postage is made by myself. This is constrained by Royal Mail 2kg 32x32x16cm parcel. This is signed for second class It includes a brand new box and packaging material. I am happy for buyers to build up to 5 records to build a parcel over time as long as they are each paid for when bought.

CONDITION- These are shellac 78rpm discs made over 60 years ago minimum, Even when they were brand new they had fizz hiss and crackle to varying degrees. The quality of reproduction greatly is dependant on the method you play them. ie gramophone, dansette or specific cartridge and hifi system. It makes description of condition very difficult and subjective. A scratched record can play amazing or terrible and the same for one that looks unplayed. I tend to undergrade than over. Any questions do ask. I am very happy to get a record off the shelf to give a more detailed  look and play and report on it.

I am not a dealer. These records are from my own individually picked very large collection that I have constantly built over 45 years. I am very regretfully having to part with them now. Im starting at A and will work through time through the artists to z! It is time for others to add them to their collection and enjoy them.

SAVOY 647

RARE

BILLIE STEWART

GLOOMY SUNDAY

IN MY SOLITUDE

CONDITION: V+  

THIS RECORD V+  

LOTS OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS RECORD AND SONG 

Some information about these tracks can be found on the internet:


Adding to the legend surrounding Gloomy Sunday is the recent discovery of a 1947 Savoy recording by an unknown vocalist identified as "Billie Stewart." On the flip side is In My Solitude, and the record label also identifies the singer as Billie Stewart. The singer’s voice bears a vague resemblance to Billie Holiday’s and some have theorized that Billie simply re-recorded the tune using an alias because of a studio strike that occurred in the 1940s. But research by musicologists has identified vocal patterns and style differences that appear to rule out Holiday. This unusual recording is still being researched.


There is also a 1949 recording by Billie Stewart with some of the same musicians from the 1947 date. So much has been written about Billie Holiday including interviews with former associates and yet there has been no mention of her using an alias on any of her recordings. But musicologists have yet to identify this mysterious "Billie Stewart."
According to Jepsen, volume 7, page 268 Billy Stewart (not Billie Stewart) recorded for Savoy in 1947 and 1949. Your two titles on the Savoy 647 are recorded in NYC in January of 1947.


I contacted several specialists of Billie and/or of recordings labels such as Ian Clayton, Christian Bonnet, Tom Lord, Peter Pullman, Serge Colson, and IAJRC specialists in order to find if anyone had ever heard of Billie Stewart as a professional singer? Many inquiries were conducted through web sites (such as lady-day.org) or via correspondents of Peter Pullman of a jazz musicians association. Although Billie Stewart is listed on Tom Lord disco, among 115000 names and 108 "Stewart"! no one was able to provide information on this singer…real or virtual.
THE SAVOY 647 RECORDING. - "Gloomy Sunday" 2'57'' is very close to OKEH 6451 of 7/8/41 3'07". Lyrics are identical except when Holiday sings "gloomy is sunday" when Stewart sings "sunday is gloomy".Structure of the melody is identical...
"In my solitude" 2'49" is slightly different and shorter than OKEH 6270 of 9/5/41 3'10" all three takes and DECCA 73795 of 13/2/47 3'14". When comparing both Billies some specialist find slight differences between the two singers. I quote: - slight nasal quality to the voice different. - Tendency to hold the last syllable - Some tremolos that do not exist with Lady - Differences in the low register. But there are as many specialists who find no difference or have many difficulties to find who are the two Billie in a blind test.   

  V  is an average condition 78 in with light rubs and general use  Wear is moderate but playing is generally free from distortion. usual Surface noise not overly pronounced.

For the last 30 years I have played my records on a Stanton turntable with a Grado 78 cartridge at 3 grams. The pre amp and amp is NAD. Sometimes I use a Technics equalizer to help match recording waves for pre electric recording discs and also to filter low and high end hiss.