Song Question: Bewitched, Bothered and bewildered
John Griffiths
Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of the charts for a number of weeks
in 1950?
I know the song was recorded by Doris Day and various other artists but
it is driving me mad trying to remember who the pianist was. Please help
before I go insane :-))
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
--
John Griffiths
Baxenden, Lancs,
http://www.baxlancs.demon.co.uk
Roger Ford
<jo...@baxlancs.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>I'm just trying again to find out who the pianist was who took 'Bewitched,
>Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of the charts for a number of weeks
>in 1950?
>
>I know the song was recorded by Doris Day and various other artists but
>it is driving me mad trying to remember who the pianist was. Please help
>before I go insane :-))
>
>Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
>--
A big hello to a fellow Brit!
John,the name you're looking for is Bill Snyder who did'nt quite reach
#1 in the USA with "Bewitched"----it made #3 on Tower 1473 in 1950.
However,research suggests that the number was probably a #1 hit here
in Britain on Parlophone (charts did'nt start until 1952)
ROGER FORD
----------
NOTE! SPAM FREE ZONE! In an attempt to stop robot spamming I've added an extra "d" in my e-mail
address (mari...@ddircon.co.uk).Please remove same to respond,thanks!
nancy g.
> I'm just trying again to find out who the pianist was who
> took 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of
> the charts for a number of weeks in 1950?
>
> I know the song was recorded by Doris Day and various
> other artists but it is driving me mad trying to remember
> who the pianist was. Please help before I go insane :-))
According to the charts at Lyrics World, it was the
Doris Day version of that song which reached, not
the top, but the number nine position in 1950.
No mention of who played piano on that hit recording.
An Alta Vista search using the words "bewitched", "pianist",
and "1950" turned up the following -- could this be the name
you're looking for?
Bill Snyder Orch.
Leader, composer, pianist.
Overview
A Chicago based "sweet" band best remember today for
their recording of Rodgers and Hart's "BEWITCHED, BOTHERED,
AND BEWILDERED", from the Broadway musical 'Pal Joey'.
The orchestra had some hit recordings into the 1950's,
after the big band era had ended.
Bob Moke
wrote:
>An Alta Vista search using the words "bewitched", "pianist",
>and "1950" turned up the following -- could this be the name
>you're looking for?
>
>
> Bill Snyder Orch.
> Leader, composer, pianist.
> Overview
> A Chicago based "sweet" band best remember today for
> their recording of Rodgers and Hart's "BEWITCHED, BOTHERED,
> AND BEWILDERED", from the Broadway musical 'Pal Joey'.
> The orchestra had some hit recordings into the 1950's,
> after the big band era had ended.
Bill Snyder was a Chicago pianist who had not "some," but only "one"
hit recording, that of "Bewitched" (the original "...Bothered and
Bewildered" was no longer included as part of the title on most
recordings of the song by 1950).
Though the song is now a standard, it first saw the light of day
during the early 40s ASCAP radio ban, so most of the public never
heard it when Rodgers & Hart first introduced it in "Pal Joey."
Studio arranger-conductor Lew Douglas heard Snyder playing in a
Chicago club and brought him into the recording studio to produce that
famous "one-finger melody" treatment of the song, and it (finally)
took off to become a major hit in 1950.
Several other versions were rushed out in wake of Snyder's
success....five of them made the Billboard sales chart:
Bill Snyder: #3 Sales (#5 Radio Play, #6 Juke Box)
Gordon Jenkins: #6 Sales (#4 Juke Box, #8 Radio Play)
Doris Day: #10 Sales (#9 Juke Box, #9 Radio Play)
Larry Green: #15 Sales (#13 Juke Box, #18 Radio Play)
Jan August & Harmonicats: #17 Sales (#8 Juke Box, #12 Radio Play)
Mel Torme's version also got some decent radio airplay, but didn't
sell well enough to register on the best-selling chart.
Other lesser versions that got limited radio and juke box play
included David Rose, Mindy Carson, and Roy Ross.
Columbia reissued their marvelous 1941 version by Benny Goodman and
Helen Forrest on their budget Harmony label.
B Moke
Larryd
Bob Moke <musi...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:BbDaN1RDasXiOO...@4ax.com...
That's pretty thorough information Bob, although you could have
mentioned that it was revived by the Betty Smith Group in 1958 on
London. Their version stalled in the middle of the chart, peaking at
#50.
My question, in light of all these earlier hits, concerns vocal versus
instrumental. We all know Day, Torme, Carson, and Forrest sing. We now
know Bill Snyder played piano. I assume Jan August plays harmonica
along with the rest of the cats. So what about Larry Green, and Gordon
Jenkins featuring Lou Williams, and Roy Ross? Instrumental or vocal?
I also have "Bewitched" by Freddy Martin and Merv Griffin on CD. Is
this from about the same year as Goodman/Forrest? Do you know label
and number information?
Thanks,
Larry Davis
Bob Moke
>My question, in light of all these earlier hits, concerns vocal versus
>instrumental. We all know Day, Torme, Carson, and Forrest sing. We now
>know Bill Snyder played piano. I assume Jan August plays harmonica
>along with the rest of the cats. So what about
Larry Green Orchestra, vocal by the Honeydreamers (RCA Victor)
Gordon Jenkins featuring Bonnie Lou Williams vocal (Decca)
Roy Ross...Instrumental (Coral)
(this is all in the Whitburn book "Pop Hits 1940-1954," which you may
have somewhere in your library....but I'm always happy to spew data
around, as you're no doubt aware by now :-)
>I also have "Bewitched" by Freddy Martin and Merv Griffin on CD. Is
>this from about the same year as Goodman/Forrest? Do you know label
>and number information?
No, Merv didn't join up with Freddy until 1948. As RCA already had
their band-with-vocal version out there in 1950, this would assumably
have to have been from an album. There is no record of any Martin
single of the song. And the Victor single from the earlier 1940-41
period was by Leo Reisman, vocal by Anita Boyer.
Bob
John Griffiths
<nan...@tiac.net> writes
>John Griffiths wrote:
>
>> I'm just trying again to find out who the pianist was who
>> took 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of
>> the charts for a number of weeks in 1950?
>>
>> I know the song was recorded by Doris Day and various
>> other artists but it is driving me mad trying to remember
>> who the pianist was. Please help before I go insane :-))
>
>
>According to the charts at Lyrics World, it was the
>Doris Day version of that song which reached, not
>the top, but the number nine position in 1950.
>No mention of who played piano on that hit recording.
>
>and "1950" turned up the following -- could this be the name
>you're looking for?
>
>
> Bill Snyder Orch.
>
That's him - Bill Snyder.
Thanks
John Griffiths
<musi...@mindspring.com> writes
Thanks Bob
>
>Bill Snyder was a Chicago pianist who had not "some," but only "one"
>hit recording, that of "Bewitched" (the original "...Bothered and
>Bewildered" was no longer included as part of the title on most
>recordings of the song by 1950).
>
>Though the song is now a standard, it first saw the light of day
>during the early 40s ASCAP radio ban, so most of the public never
>heard it when Rodgers & Hart first introduced it in "Pal Joey."
I didn't know it was from Pal Joey
>
>Studio arranger-conductor Lew Douglas heard Snyder playing in a
>Chicago club and brought him into the recording studio to produce that
>famous "one-finger melody" treatment of the song, and it (finally)
>took off to become a major hit in 1950.
It's the 'one finger melody' treatment that was so superb.
>
Thanks for a lot of interesting info
John Griffiths
<mari...@ddircon.co.uk> writes
>On Sat, 11 Sep 1999 16:55:13 +0100, John Griffiths
>
>>I'm just trying again to find out who the pianist was who took 'Bewitched,
>>Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of the charts for a number of weeks
>>in 1950?
>
>John,the name you're looking for is Bill Snyder who did'nt quite reach
>#1 in the USA with "Bewitched"----it made #3 on Tower 1473 in 1950.
>
>However,research suggests that the number was probably a #1 hit here
>in Britain on Parlophone (charts did'nt start until 1952)
>
>
>
>
>
>ROGER FORD
>
>----------
Thank the Lord for that !!!
Bill Snyder is the name I've been trying to remember. I think he did get
to #1 in the UK . He was in the top 20 for a few weeks - I know it was in
1950 because I was doing my basic RAF training at the time and it was
the favourite tune in the NAAFI.
I can sleep now.
Thanks again
wc humphrey
<jo...@baxlancs.demon.co.uk> wrote:
My favorite version of this is by the Platters on their first Mercury
LP.
Roger Ford
<jo...@baxlancs.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <37DAAD71...@tiac.net>, nancy g.
><nan...@tiac.net> writes
>>John Griffiths wrote:
>>
>>> I'm just trying again to find out who the pianist was who
>>> took 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' to the top of
>>> the charts for a number of weeks in 1950?
>>>
>>> I know the song was recorded by Doris Day and various
>>> other artists but it is driving me mad trying to remember
>>> who the pianist was. Please help before I go insane :-))
>>
>>
>>According to the charts at Lyrics World, it was the
>>Doris Day version of that song which reached, not
>>the top, but the number nine position in 1950.
>>No mention of who played piano on that hit recording.
>>
>>An Alta Vista search using the words "bewitched", "pianist",
>>and "1950" turned up the following -- could this be the name
>>you're looking for?
>>
>>
John
If you (or anyone else) wishes to contact me by e-mail I'll send you
an mp3 of what I suspect many people around here would consider a
great version of "Bewitched,Bothered And Bewildered"
From 1960 its a really nice vocal group version by The Mohawks