by Don Voorhees and his Earl Carroll's "Vanities" Orchestra
Earl Carroll, whose career on Broadway began by writing some lyrics for the musical farce "Over the River" in 1912, began producing the "Vanities" revues in 1923. They were known for their scantily-clad showgirls, secondarily
the music, and they did extremely well at the box office: opening night tickets for the 1926 version of the review, featuring Moran and Mack (known on record as the "Two Black Crows"), sold for $100.00 each; an extremely heady
price when a Ford Model "T" sold new for $285.00 (info courtesy of "IBDB.com"). Don Voorhees was a musical director for Broadway shows, including
the 1925 version of the "Vanities" revue. He conducts the pit band here on this disc recorded for Edison Labs on February 28 of 1927. This is take "A." The vocalist is Harold Yates, who was also in Earl Carroll's 1925 "Vanities,"
so this recording session was definitely among familiar company. The tune was written by Joe Burke (co-wrote the classic "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips" as well as "Dancing with Tears in my Eyes") and Benny Davis (co-authored "Goodbye
Broadway Hello France" and also "Yearning Just For You"), both of whom worked for Earl Carroll's various reviews at one time or another. The disc from which this sample was taken had been treated roughly but still sounded good
despite wear in the louder passages.
