SINATRA, KYSER It's All Up to You NC Good Health PROMO

$

25

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY OTHER eBAY AUCTION AND STORES LISTINGS - ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

MANY RARE AND OBSCURE RECORD LISTINGS NEW THIS WEEK

Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore with Kay Kyser and his Orchestra-"It's All Up to You" b/w "Carolina in the Morning" on Columbia HCO 2136. Extremely rare Sinatra 78 from 1946, issued as a promo only and only listed in one Sinatra guide as far as I know. Many Sinatra fans don't even know this gem exists. And it was more than 60 years ahead of its time, maybe not musically but socially. Here's the story:

In the 1940s, North Carolina formulated a state-driven effort of bigwigs in NC to bring affordable health coverage and care to every state resident (including Blue Cross nonprofit insurance) The ultimate purpose of the program should be that no person in North Carolina shall lack adequate hospital care or medical treatment by reason of poverty or low income. Sound familiar? Now, 63 years later, we're trying to make this work for the entire nation (though it's goal wasn't accomplished in North Carolina or any other state for generations). At the time, the Governor of North Carolina was J. Melville Broughton; he later became a U.S. Senator.

One of the goals was to make North Carolina #1 in the nation in health care; the logo on both sides of the record is a small state map of NC with "1" in the middle.

So how did Ol' Blue Eyes become involved? That I'm not clear on that point but Kay Kyser, born in Rocky Mount, NC and a graduate of UNC at Chapel Hill, was world-famous in 1946, having one of the most popular radio shows of the era, a WWII celeb and a unique bandleader/entertainer. Dinah Shore, who had been rumored to have had liasons with Sinatra, was also from the South (Tennessee). Somewhere along the line, Kyser managed to get Frank and Dinah to record this song specially for the state's Good Health Assoc. It's part of the UNC Chapel Hill Archives. The fabulous sheet music is pictured below (not part of this auction). This record was never commercially released and is perhaps even rarer than his uncredited debut with Harry James in 1939.

Here are the lyrics to the song, written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

Even Superman supports the good health plan
He knows what it will do, it’s all up to you, it’s all up to you
Spread the health alarm to every town and farm,
And preach the good health view, it’s all up to you, it’s all up to you.
You’ll find being healthy means more than a well-filled hearse
What good’s being wealthy when you can’t buy a doctor or a nurse.
When the job is done, we’ll wind up number one instead of forty-two.
It’s all up to you, it’s all up to you.
We need vitamins and medicines and beds to spare,
Places where the sick can go and get some care.
Lots of new equipment to combat disease,
Clinics where the poor can go for moderate fees.
Free examination for the kids and class,
A kid whose health is good will have a chance to pass.
If we do these thing and we will be the state
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.
Do your state a favor, the task is yours alone.
Be a real life saver, and the chance is that you will save your own.
What a spot we’re in, we’ve simply got to win,
The job is overdue. It’s all up to you!
Get in there, get yourself someone to help.” (Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Kay Kyser) Written By: Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, and vocal chorus Arranged By: Axel Stordahl From the Album: Suddenly It’s Spring Orchestra: Kay Kyser Label: Columbia Records Recorded: November 7, 1946

Most music fans know quite a bit about Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore but not so much about Kay Kyser so here's a brief bio of the scholarly bandleader from High Point, NC
by Bruce Eder

Kay Kyser couldn't read a note of music, and spent nearly as much time doing comedy as music on radio. But for over 15 years, from 1933 until the end of the 1940s, he was one of the most popular bandleaders and music personalities in America, and delighted tens of millions of listeners. Born into a family of academics, Kyser was supposed to pursue a career in law, but abandoned this after he took over the campus band at his college from its leader, Hal Kemp. He became so popular as a personality that he was on the road by the time he graduated. In order to compensate for his lack of musical training, he hired arranger/composer George Duning (later the author of film scores for movies such as Picnic), a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Kyser and his band became nationally known following a series of radio broadcasts from the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica -- a group of gimmicks, such as having the vocalist sing the titles of the songs to be performed, interrupting a chorus for the band's theme, "Thinking of You," and announcing the singer's name, made his group stand out on the radio, and an engagement at the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago made Kyser a star. His radio show, Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, ran for more than 15 years, mixing comic quiz questions with swing music, ballads, and novelty tunes; Kyser presided over it all dressed in an academic gown complete with mortarboard, presenting an easygoing Southern personality and comic manner. He was so popular that RKO signed him up for a series of films, starting with That's Right, You're Wrong, playing himself. He made one movie for MGM in 1944, Swing Fever, which was an unsuccessful attempt to cast Kyser in a Harold Lloyd mold. Kyser's featured vocalist during much of the late '30s and early '40s was Ginny Simms, who was succeeded by Gloria Wood, Julie Conway, Trudy Erwin, and Georgia Carroll ("There Goes That Song Again"), a singer and former John Robert Powers model whom Kyser married. The other featured personality was Merwyn Bogue, who was known on the air as Ish Kabibble, who handled the novelty numbers. Kyser's hits, for Brunswick during most of the 1930s and Columbia after 1939, included "You, You Darlin'," "Playmates," "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair," "Friendship," "Tennessee Fish Fry," "The White Cliffs of Dover," and "Old Buttermilk Sky." During World War II, Kyser and his band endeared themselves to millions of listeners and servicemen by appearing at over 500 military installations in USO shows, in addition to their regular appearances on radio. Although the emphasis was on comedy, the band was recognized as a capable swing jazz outfit. The radio show was canceled in 1949, and Kyser retired the following year. He declined to participate with his former bandmembers in the making of the 1952 Capitol album Kyser Hits in Hi-Fi, which was conducted by Stan Freberg........

Kyser, for all intents and purposes retired from the show business in 1952 to pursue other endeavors.

All of my records are shipped in sturdy cardboard LP or 45 rpm mailers with appropriate padding (heavy cardboard fillers or bubble wrap or "peanuts" or some combination thereof". With the exception of sealed LP's, all LP's are removed from their outer sleeves to prevent seam splitting. Upon request, I will give your sealed LP's the same treatment. (once an LP is shipped sealed, it cannot be returned once opened).

All records are carefully graded. In an attempt to give customers an accurate impression of condition rather than adhere to somewhat arbitrary criteria, I give an "overall presentation" grade, supplemented when necessary with additional remarks. Please refer to my grading system below for a more detailed explanation.

MY GRADING SYSTEMS: I’ve been told that I grade conservatively. My NM (near mint) is my highest grade for opened records (which would also include unplayed records). It’s a 9 or 10 on a 1-10 scale. M- would be equivalent to an 8; VG++ to a 7; VG+ to a 6; VG to a 5; VG- to a 4; G to a 3; F to a 2 and P to a 1. The same scale applies when I grade covers (jackets). Significant defects are specifically noted and taken into consideration in the grade.

GRADING DESCRIPTIONS

• GRADING Grading is based on the following criteria
• Sealed = store stock new
• Near Mint = like new or near new with only one or two small insignificant defects, a 9 or better on a 1-10 scale
• Mint- = extremely nice. Would be Near Mint, except for a couple of light hairlines or scuffs, which do not affect play
• VG++ = still a very nice record with all or nearly all of its original gloss but may have a few more light, surface marks, hairlines, needle tracks or the like which should not materially effect play
• VG+ = a nice, but used record that may have a series of light scuffs or scratches. It probably plays with a few pops, but has no serious problems.
• VG = a well-used record that still should sound OK when played, but may have moderate surface noise, pops, etc.
• VG- = a very well-worn record that plays through without skipping, but will do until a better copy comes along.
• Good = not actually good at all but probably will play through but with much in the way of surface noise, pops, crackles, etc. Still, will have no cracks, chips or the like
• Fair = you’re getting this record just to own but not to play
• Poor = the sky’s the limit, generally I will discard a record this bad (and sell the cover, jacket or sleeve alone) unless the label holds some particular interest

  VISUAL GRADING: All records are visually graded only unless I state that they are play-graded. Some major labels were pressed on better quality vinyl and will sound better than a record which visually appears the same on "budget" labels which were pressed on lower quality vinyl. Recording techniques also varied. The sound on live albums may be far inferior to studio recordings. There may also be defects in the pressing which are invisible. The point is that an album on a high quality label that was visually graded VG+ may sound better than an album on a budget label that was visually graded Mint- or even Near Mint. Please refer to my return policy, below. But please don’t be shocked if a record visually graded Near Mint doesn’t sound state of the art. If I base my grade on a PLAY GRADE, I will state this specifically in my grading section.

  COVERS: There are really too many possible defects regarding covers to be as specific in my definitions as I had been with my record grades. But please keep in mind these general grading guidelines:

  • I will give greater weight to the condition of the front cover than back cover when assigning an overall grade
  • No cover with a cut out hole or saw mark will be graded Near Mint even if it is still in factory shrink and there is no other wear
  • I will not reduce the grade of a cover for stickers which are glued to the jacket by the record company (eg. Contains the hit song Expressway to Your Heart); but will reduce the grade for stickers glued on the cover by stores, previous owners, etc.
  • If I write that a cover has a bb hole, I’m talking about a small cut out hole
  • A saw mark is a narrow cut in the perimeter of the cover, could be anywhere and vary in length from 1/2” to 2” at the most.
  • The overall grade takes into consideration any stated defects. For example, if I grade a cover VG+ and then state it has 6” top and bottom seam splits - I’ve already reduced the grade because of the seam splits. If the seams weren’t split, the cover would be graded higher such as VG++ or Mint-.

    Shipping Costs: NEW SHIPPING RATES & POLICIES AS OF October 27, 2009. (U.S. rates have increased again!).

    The buyer pays for shipping.

    DOMESTIC SHIPPING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES: Due to increase in postage rates, I have sometimes been losing money on shipping as I send all records in sturdy professional mailers with one or more fillers. Therefore, I now will be using the eBay postage calculator method. This will also result in a more equitable charge for priority mail shipments. Instead of charging $9 across the board, those who live in the southeast and mid-east will reap the benefit of reduced priority mail rates.

    DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS: COMBINED SHIPPING - Save money when I mail 2 or more records in the same package.

    INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS (NEW POLICIES): Overseas customers are welcome to bid. As with U.S. shipments, I will use eBay's postage calculator for all overseas shipments. Postage to Canada is substantially less than to other countries - if you live in Canada and don't see a separate rate for Canada , please e-mail me and I'll modify the invoice to reflect the lower shipping charges. Surface mail is no longer available for overseas. Express Mail International and Priority Mail International are available - rates are substantially higher than first class international and will be quoted for each purchase if buyer requests this service. Express Mail International or Registered mail is now required for purchases over $100. Generally, Express International costs $35 for 1 album and additional albums are about $5-6 more. Registered costs about $26 for 1 album, about $5 more for each additional album. Registered mail may not be available to certain countries.Why the change? It's because of eBay's and paypal's policies requiring proof of delivery - or - buyer can make a claim for a refund from paypal. This has happened too often to me in the past couple of months. I know that one buyer (twistwatcher, no longer a registered user) that actually received his package but paypal has given me problems and I cannot get the payment back that they reversed. With the other "non-deliveries", I have no way of knowing if the buyer is being truthful and the package was simply "lost or misdelivered" or if the buyer is making a false claim. So...that is the reason for my policy change. I am sorry but the increased risks and costs must be passed on to the international buyer. On the bright side of things, Express Mail International will get you the package much faster and it is safer. Registered mail is much safer (but not as fast). So there are benefits to the buyer as well as the seller.
    In certain situations, Registered Mail might also be an option - please inquire.

    Sorry, but I do not give refunds for items damaged or lost in the mail.

    CUSTOMS DELAY DISCLAIMER: In accordance with eBay policy, I am not responsible for delays caused by the package being held in customs for any reason. This is beyond my control. In the event of such a delay, it is eBay's policy that the buyer should not leave negative or any unfavorable feedback as a result of such a delay and this also applies to the 'shipping time' section of the Customer Satisfaction ratings.

    Please check out my other eBay auctions and stores listings.

    . I’ve been listing all types of records - mostly LP’s - including 50’s and 60’s rock ‘n’ roll, country, folk jazz, blues, personalities, new wave and punk, surf, psych, spoken word, comedy, etc., etc....... I try to list unusual, unique or obscure records, not the ones that you see all the time. While a majority of my listings are albums, you’ll often find a nice selection of 45’s, EP’s or picture sleeves...and an occasional 78 or two.

    My return policy: . You may return an item if it's not in the conditon described. You may not return items if you decide you don't like the music. I will return the base price of the item unless I make an error in shipment such as sending you the wrong record or cd. In that case, you will be reimbursed for the cost of the item and shipping both ways. In addition, the item must be returned in its original condition , i.e. the way it was shipped when it left my hands. While a very high percentage of my records arrive safe and sound (I use professional mailers and a filler or two, more for 78’s), they occasionally are damaged in transit. If that happens, I won’t accept the return of the record or other item.

    Sealed Records: After a sealed record is paid for, I will gladly open it before mailing to make sure that the record is new & unplayed. If the record is not, I will give a full refund. Even though it is easy to spot most resealed records from the 50's and 60's [I will mention that in the desription if it looks like a possibility], not all records from the 70's & 80's are quite as obvious. Please ask for any details about the seal of a particular record & I will be happy to answer.

    Any other questions? About anything? Please e-mail me at ibuyvinyl@nc.rr.com .