Old recording called "It's in the Book"
Dave Douglass
In article <4v2777$9...@news.azstarnet.com>, tah...@azstarnet.com wrote:
> Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
> one was a hilarious (to my 10-11 year-old ears) parody of a revival
> preacher using as the text of his sermon "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
> (Sample line: And they'll come home, a-waggin' their tails behind
> them. Well, tell me this, where else *could* they wag them?
> ((sound-track laughter)).)
>
> On the other side of the record the audience was invited to sing along
> with a gospel-type song called, I believe, "Grandma's Lye Soap". One
> verse was:
>
> Mrs. O'Malley, out the valley,
> Suffered from ulcers, I understand.
> Swallowed a cake of Grandma's lye soap --
> Has the cleanest ulcers in the land!
>
> It was definitely a hit of at least modest proportions, at least on
> the pop charts. I can't find any mention of it in Whitburn's Top
> Country Singles 1944-1993 so it couldn't have made the country charts,
> which is surprising since it's so obviously a country-type novelty
> song. Whitburn's Pop Singles book only goes back to 1955 (or at least
> my copy does), so there's no mention of it there either.
>
> Does anyone else remember this recording and can you give me the name
> of the artist?
>
> Thanks, Hayford
Yes, I've heard both recordings but I'll swear, I couldn't tell you who
did them. I first heard them in Arkansas in 1958 or 59. To this day, I
hear them occasionally on folk type FM radio shows (heard Mary had a
little Lamb) just the other day). I'd say, try to get in touch with a
local radio station folk show DJ. They may know.
Dave
tah...@azstarnet.com
Jack Link
tah...@azstarnet.com wrote:
>Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
>one was a hilarious (to my 10-11 year-old ears) parody of a revival
>preacher using as the text of his sermon "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Little Bo Peep. Let's keep them references accurate. And the
character may have been an academic doing an analysis/criticism of
LBP. Not sure.
>(Sample line: And they'll come home, a-waggin' their tails behind
>them. Well, tell me this, where else *could* they wag them?
>((sound-track laughter)).)
My recollection: " 'Wagging their tails [pause] beHIND them.' [long
pause] DID WE THINK THEY'D WAG THEM IN FRONT?"
(Yep, the capitals indicate shouting, preacher-style)
>On the other side of the record the audience was invited to sing along
>with a gospel-type song called, I believe, "Grandma's Lye Soap". One
>verse was:
> Mrs. O'Malley, out the valley,
> Suffered from ulcers, I understand.
> Swallowed a cake of Grandma's lye soap --
> Has the cleanest ulcers in the land!
Chorus:
Sing out, sing out, for Grandma's lye soap
Good for everything in the place
For pots and kettles and dirty dishes
And for your hands, and for your face
Little Herman and brother Thurman
Had an aversion to washing their ears
********** with Grandma's lye soap
And they haven't heard a word in years
>Does anyone else remember this recording and can you give me the name
>of the artist?
>Thanks, Hayford
I can't, but add me to the list of the interested. Best I can do is
add to the bait.
Jack
*************************
jack...@olympus.net
Knowing prevents learning
*************************
SRoweCanoe
>Does anyone else remember this recording and can you give me the name
>of the artist?
I can't recall the artist. But my grandad (a former minister) had a copy.
He always got a big kick out of it. It certainly was a good imitation of
a revial meeting. I haven't seen his copy in decades.
Steven Rowe
Dave Houser
It's just possible that it was Bill Carlisle, although I may have it
confused with "The Ol' Knothole" which Bill did and was getting air play
about the same time.
tah...@azstarnet.com
Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
one was a hilarious (to my 10-11 year-old ears) parody of a revival
preacher using as the text of his sermon "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
them. Well, tell me this, where else *could* they wag them?
((sound-track laughter)).)
On the other side of the record the audience was invited to sing along
with a gospel-type song called, I believe, "Grandma's Lye Soap". One
verse was:
Mrs. O'Malley, out the valley,
Suffered from ulcers, I understand.
Swallowed a cake of Grandma's lye soap --
Has the cleanest ulcers in the land!
It was definitely a hit of at least modest proportions, at least on
the pop charts. I can't find any mention of it in Whitburn's Top
Country Singles 1944-1993 so it couldn't have made the country charts,
which is surprising since it's so obviously a country-type novelty
song. Whitburn's Pop Singles book only goes back to 1955 (or at least
my copy does), so there's no mention of it there either.
Does anyone else remember this recording and can you give me the name
of the artist?
Thanks, Hayford
Paul Laughlin
No, it was Johnny Standley. I have an old 45 rpm album recorded with
Horace Heidt and His musical Knights. He did this thing as a contestant
on the old Horace Heidt show on the radio. Won with it , too, as I
remember. "It's in the book" really stirred up some of the religious
groups. Sounds like he is mimicing a preacher. I remember some of the
religious groups trying to get the record banned from radio stations.
"Grandma's Lye Soap" is part of "It's in the book". The flip side is
"Proud new father" (Rockabye Baby) and Clap your Hands (just a fun thing
for kids). Paul in Portland OR
Mitch Drumm
tah...@azstarnet.com wrote:
: Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
It was Johnny Standley; released on Capitol.
Tom Mann
On Aug 16, 1996 16:19:56 in article <Old recording called "It's in the
Just found my old 45 of this. It's by Johnny Standley and is on
Capitol F2249. He's backed by Horace Heidt and His Musical
Knights. This must have been a one shot thing for Standley, since
I don't remember hearing of him before or after this record. No date
or song writer listed on the record.
************************************************
Tom Mann
To...@usa.pipeline.com
************************************************
tah...@azstarnet.com
Paul Laughlin <pla...@aracnet.com> wrote:
>Dave Houser wrote:
>"Grandma's Lye Soap" is part of "It's in the book". The flip side is
>"Proud new father" (Rockabye Baby) and Clap your Hands (just a fun thing
>for kids). Paul in Portland OR
I think you're certainly right as regards the 45 recording. My
memory, however, is that we originally had a 78 recording and that we
had to flip the record in order to get the Lye Soap song on theother
side. Several years later I did get a 45 of it but I guess my
interest had waned sufficiently that I didn't pay much attention to
whatever was on the other side. Or, now that I think about it, that
the other song was so much of the same that it had lost whatever
novelty attraction it once had.
One thing that does surprise me, though, is that for a #1 pop song
with an overwhelming country aspect it didn't make a ripple on any of
the country charts, not even getting to #100 for even a week. At
least according to Whitburn's book. Although I did find a couple of
errors in the 1988 edition (which they later corrected), so I suppose
it's possible that this is another omission....
WDN...@prodigy.com
jack...@olympus.net (Jack Link) wrote:
>
>tah...@azstarnet.com wrote:
>
>>Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
>>one was a hilarious (to my 10-11 year-old ears) parody of a revival
>>preacher using as the text of his sermon "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
>
>character may have been an academic doing an analysis/criticism of
Apparently the answer to your question is "Johnny Standley,"
though that isn't a name I recognize.
I was curious enough to do a web search, because I thought
that I could remember an Andy Griffith version from the late
50's, but I realized that even if I was right that must have been
a cover of the version you were remembering. Several of the
references I found when I searched were to a 1995 Dr Demento CD
collection on the Rhino label, "Dr. Demento Gooses Mother," which
contains a track by that name done by Johnny Standley. I wasn't
sure it was the same recording you were talking about until I
found a review of an earlier CD, which read: "...Poor sound also
mars the otherwise first-rate collection of 1940s/1950s material on
Comedy's Greatest Hits (Bellaire CD-1118)[...]One track that does
come out OK is Johnny Standley's "It's In the Book," the famous
"Grandma's Lye Soap" routine. A #1 million-seller in 1952, it
doesn't seem to be available anywhere else right now."
Doing a search under Johnny Standley I found only that he had
a #1 hit with "It's In the Book" for two weeks in 1952, one of
which was the week of 11/22/52 (unless that's the week it first
hit the charts).
-
Gary in Berkeley gmc...@prodigy.com
Tom Mann
On Aug 18, 1996 02:49:32 in article <Re: Old recording called "It's in the
Book">, 'to...@usa.pipeline.com(Tom Mann)' wrote:
>
>Just found my old 45 of this. It's by Johnny Standley and is on
>Capitol F2249. He's backed by Horace Heidt and His Musical
>Knights. This must have been a one shot thing for Standley, since
>I don't remember hearing of him before or after this record. No date
>or song writer listed on the record.
>
Paul Laughlin
Tom Mann wrote:
>
> Just found my old 45 of this. It's by Johnny Standley and is on
> Capitol F2249. He's backed by Horace Heidt and His Musical
> Knights. This must have been a one shot thing for Standley, since
> I don't remember hearing of him before or after this record. No date
> or song writer listed on the record.
>
>
routine worked up by Standley, himself. He performed it on the old
Horace Heidt Show and, I believe won the contest with it. Never heard
anything of him afterward either. Paul in Portland OR
amberas...@gmail.com
elisa...@gmail.com
>
> > Around 1952-53 there was a recording called "It's in the Book". Side
> > one was a hilarious (to my 10-11 year-old ears) parody of a revival
> > preacher using as the text of his sermon "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
> > them. Well, tell me this, where else *could* they wag them?
> > ((sound-track laughter)).)
> >
> > On the other side of the record the audience was invited to sing along
> > with a gospel-type song called, I believe, "Grandma's Lye Soap". One
> > verse was:
> >
> > Mrs. O'Malley, out the valley,
> > Suffered from ulcers, I understand.
> > Swallowed a cake of Grandma's lye soap --
> > Has the cleanest ulcers in the land!
> >
> > It was definitely a hit of at least modest proportions, at least on
> > the pop charts. I can't find any mention of it in Whitburn's Top
> > Country Singles 1944-1993 so it couldn't have made the country charts,
> > which is surprising since it's so obviously a country-type novelty
> > song. Whitburn's Pop Singles book only goes back to 1955 (or at least
> > my copy does), so there's no mention of it there either.
> >
> > Does anyone else remember this recording and can you give me the name
> > of the artist?
> >
> > Thanks, Hayford
>
> did them. I first heard them in Arkansas in 1958 or 59. To this day, I
> hear them occasionally on folk type FM radio shows (heard Mary had a
> little Lamb) just the other day). I'd say, try to get in touch with a
> local radio station folk show DJ. They may know.
>
> Dave