Michael Pitts - The Rise of the Crooners: Gene Austin, Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin and Rudy Vallee

Many subject experts, collectors, and fans of the pioneer recording industry have contributed in some manner to this work. Don Peak, a leading authority on Gene Austin, donated much time to proofing various prepublication drafts. Tor Magnusson, a discographer based in Goteborg, Sweden, provided resource material regarding Austins recordings and public appearances. His monograph devoted to Austin remains one of the finest discographical studies ever produced. Miles Krueger, head of the Institute of the American Musical, Inc., supplied valuable guidance throughout the project. The institute, founded in 1972 and based in Los Angeles, is one of the largest known archives devoted to cinematic and staged musicals; it also includes materials on theatrical productions in general, the film industry, broadcasting, and worlds fairs.

Tim Gracyk, on-line entrepreneur, researcher, writer, and journal editor specializing in the field of pioneer recording, contributed contacts and recording data. George Blau, an Atlanta-based judge, supplied a wealth of recordings and factual information on Art Gillham. Blaus dedication to the preservation of the Gillham legacy runs in the family; his father was the architect of Gillhams home in Atlanta.

Contemporary recording artists greatly assisted in the research process. Ray Campi, early rockabilly and roots music stylist, offered a wealth of anecdotal insights. Paul Dandy contributed an enormous amount of recordings and printed material on all of the books featured artists. Carrying on in the rich musical tradition of Cliff Edwards, Johnny Marvin, Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby, and Gene Austin, twenty-year-old Dandy has recorded several albums, including Vaudeville (SDG, 1998) and Wizard Oil (Unit Three, 1999; distributed by Atlantic Records). They feature many of the classic songs of these artists as sung, yodeled, and crooned by Dandy. Accompanying himself on guitar and ukulele, as well as with a hot jazz band, his releases are highly recommended for all who love vaudeville, ragtime, hot jazz, and Dixie blues.

Many thanks go out to my fellow collaborators. Ian Whitcomb generously devoted time and energy that would otherwise have gone into his varied writing, recording, and performing projects. His career as an interpreter of ragtime, crooner standards, and vintage Tin Pan Alley pop music now spans five decades. Jim Bedoian, record collector and head of Take Two Records, provided information on a wide range of recordings from the crooning era. Michael Pitts, a longtime author and expert on film and popular music history, contributed essays on three of the crooners covered in this book. Dick Carty is well known to many record collectors and enthusiasts as a facilitator of research and publication concerned with furthering our understanding of pioneer recording. His selfless dedication within this fieldincluding literature searching, chasing down valuable contacts, and the dissemination of rare recorded materialis legendary to those who share similar interests.

Others contributing recordings and background information on key artists included Mike Kieffer, Jeff Sherman, Way Clark, Bob Henderson, Gary Dial, Bob Pye, and Marc Friend. A special thanks to all family members and other close associates of these people, who have long provided the support necessary to carry out the project.