Dance Records and Theories...

I googled dance records. None of these three records I recently bought in thrift stores in Lufkin and Chicago were mentioned. In fact no one had ever mentioned these records to me but I found them, I knew they were something and now I can spin them any time I want and while listening I came up with a theory. 

If you are a student of music, the history and especially swing music and big bands you know there were a lot of great groups in the 1930s and into the 1940s. Couples went out and saw these big bands and danced the night away in clubs and ballrooms. I had an older woman tell me that at her college prom, University of Michigan, there were two bands at each end of the ballroom floor. Tommy Dorsey was one and Benny Goodman the other. When one took a break the other played.  World War II comes along, rationing of certain raw materials puts a halt to record production and guys that had been musicians were drafted as soldiers. After the war things never quite get started up like they were. Jazz players start playing a new expressive form, bebop. Some musicians start touring smaller groups and their music begins to rock, roll and boogie. Maybe most influential of all TV is invented and couples stay home watching instead of dancing. 

One of the records I found is Arthur Murry's Music for Dancing by the Arthur Murry Orchestra directed by Ray Carter. It's all the Latin dance styles with step patterns on the back of the record jacket. If you don't know Arthur he once had over 3000 dance studios, the oldest franchised business beside A and W Root beer. There's still about 270 of them worldwide. Looks like this late 50s record I gave a buck for is on Amazon used for $39. 

The second record dating from 1965 is Killer Joe's International Discotheque. Killer Joe won so many dance contests in Manhattan that someone finally hired him to teach dancing. By the mid 60s DJs spinning records in clubs had spread from Europe to America and this record has music to Watusi, Money, Swim, Frug and more to so you can rehearse the latest craze at home or simply throw your own party. The musicians, billed as the Killer Joe Orchestra is made up of players that went on the their own fame such as King Curtis, Tate Houston, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gales and Chuck Rainey. Killer Joe created a dance for Smirnoff Vodka called the "Mule" and though his 60s star declined he remained well known in the New York discos of the 70s and 80s. An MP3 is cheaper on Amazon but you can find this record for $39

The last record is Memo Bernabei's  Dancing on Air. Memo began his music career at age 12 in the Pittsburgh Orchestra and continued on the road with big bands, during the war as an Army Band Drum Major and USO show member and continued on as he settled in Los Angeles to play the ballrooms and hotels for those that still got out and danced. The record jacket mentions that professional instructors Gene and Milli De Wald were enlisted to help with "tempos, rhythms and stimulating moods."  Memo played sax and retired at age 89 and on Amazon his record is a bargain at $4.56.  

So here is the theory. We all know that in the past year due to the pandemic there has been no cheek to cheek ballroom dancing. We know that screens are bad, for kids, for adults but subscription services for TV have flourished and musicians have been able to sell tickets for online shows that you could watch on your phone. People have stayed home and watched all this. I know I did. 

Maybe in the 50s and 60s people were staying home also. Maybe this is what led Arthur, Joe and Memo to put out dance records. They simply said, if they won't come to the shows or sign up for lessons we will sell them a record. I don't know how many records they sold but certainly they were successful, dancing and playing gigs as long as they could.

Throw out your TV. It killed the big bands. It killed the dance studios and ballrooms. It killed good music. It will kill you.

Come to think of it that's really not a theory.