Here’s another interesting YouTube find: George E. Lee and his Novelty Singing Orchestra, doing “SJI” in a 1929 recording. Like the previously noted White Stripes “video” version, this one is just the song plus a sort of montage of images, mostly taken, I assume, from around the Web. (The image of the sheet music is actually from this site, I’m pretty sure. Which is fine with me. I’m just noting it.)
I made passing mention of Lee’s version as one that you can hear via the Red Hot Jazz Archive, in this earlier post.
In the comments to the YouTube video, there’s an interesting observation to the effect that Cab Calloway’s interpretation of “SJI” owes quite a bit to Lee’s. And while I’d never thought of that before, listening now, I see the commenter’s point.
Hi,
Influence of Cab Calloway over George E. Lee way of singing was so obvious at the time that he was billed as “The Cab Calloway from the Middle West” in the early 30’s.
But the truth (and chronology!) is that the poor George E. Lee recorded SJI in 1929, right before the unfamous Black Thursday. Brunswick didn’t make any promotion for Lee’s record who remained rare. His cover was very descriptive and solemnal and in fact, a year after George E. Lee, Cab Calloway recorded his own rendition, very close to Lee’s cover. And that time, Brunswick did much more for its protégé. As a result, the record sold very very well.
There’s more on this KC pianist, singer and leader (whose sister is more famous) in a short article I’ve posted on my site:
http://www.thehidehoblog.com/index.php?sujet_id=3394
Here’s a post on True Blue Sam about this version, and George Lee:
http://truebluesam.blogspot.com/2011/01/not-my-victrola.html