"I Had Someone Else Before I Had You"

by the Radio Franks

Frank Wright and Frank Bessinger, who sometimes sang to piano accompaniment by Frank Banta making it three franks, were a staple of early radio programming on WMCA in New York. Bessinger also opened a bar in the same city in 1929, also called "Radio Franks," which remained open until the late 40s (see this blog post at "arcane radio trivia"). This is an acoustic recording for Brunswick, made in April of 1925 just when the electrical equipment was being phased in. The song, a very strong seller that became a staple of Western Swing bands in later years, was written by Harry Harris (co-wrote "Out of Nowhere" and "I Can't Read a Menu"), Jack Stanley (co-writer of "I'm Knee-Deep in Daisies" as well as "They Needed a Song Bird in Heaven so God Took Caruso Away"), and Joe Darcy (co-wrote "You're a Real Sweetheart" and "Childhood Days"). The performance is a little ragged, probably because these guys were used to the microphone and they had to shout into a horn for this record, but it's got good energy and is a good rendition of the tune. The disc had been played a few times but not too much, and responded well to standard noise reduction.
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