Vincent Lopez was a band leader for most of his life, beginning in 1917! In 1921, he was one of the first bands to utilize the latest thing in technology called radio; his trademark opening for all broadcasts was "Lopez speaking!"
Throughout the 1920s, he had one of the top bands in America. It didn't hurt that he had talented musicians in his band like Artie Shaw, Xavier Cugat, Glenn Miller, and two brothers named Dorsey before they went out on their own. Lopez's piano stylings were flamboyant - influencing younger pianists such as Eddy Duchin and Liberace!
He also discovered talents such as the blind whistler himself Fred Lowery and a young girl who made her debut with Lopez right here in my hometown of Fort Wayne, IN - Betty Hutton. Both Fred and Betty were featured in this musical soundie from 1939:
In 1941, Lopez and his orchestra played an engagement at the Taft Hotel in New York City and didn't leave for twenty years. They were the house band and every Wednesday through Sunday, Lopez had the ballroom jumping. He helped the USO during World War II, made more soundies, and continued his appearances on radio.
As the 1950s began, Lopez found another young talent. Miss Gloria Parker helped write songs for Lopez, appeared with him on a radio show called "Shake The Maracas" from the Taft Hotel, and sang and played the musical glasses with Lopez and Co..
They even co-wrote a Christmas song entitled "My Dream Christmas" that Lopez recorded (but not on this album or on Parker's Christmas album) possibly as a single (?). When this album was recorded in 1957, Lopez was nearing the end of his career and decided to go out in a blaze of Christmas glory.
There are 21 songs total and the covers are excellent listens. But the original songs are the winners here - fun, festive, bouncy, and bright! "Whistling Otto", "Here Comes The Fattest Man In Town", "Christmas Rush", "I'd Like To Find You In My Stocking" and others just get better especially in repeat mode.
I found this on eBay in mid-2006. It was sent to me by a seller who had absolutely no clue how to ship an album - two pieces of cardboard taped around the album doesn't constitute a "package". What's worse is that when it arrived at my home, the mailman left it on the front porch in the middle of a rainstorm.
Thankfully, no major damage was done. I quickly got a P.O. Box and never again had to worry about the elements.
Fred Lowery was blinded by scarlet fever at the age of two and sent to the Texas School for the Blind at the age of seven. A music teacher at the school encouraged Lowery to develop his unique talent of whistling as a way of making a living in the sighted world.
Soon, his talents led him to the new audio medium of radio. He was soon signed onto WFAA in Dallas and became a star on one of its many variety shows, picking up the nickname "The Texas Redbird".
In the late 1930s, he decided to try his chances in New York. A blind whistler was more novelty than artistry in New York and the jobs were scarce. A bandleader by the name of Vincent Lopez came around, heard his act, and asked him to join his orchestra.
After four years with Lopez, Fred was lured away by Horace Heidt, who had a national audience and a bigger bankroll. He returned to Lopez briefly, until nightclub owner Billy Rose told Lopez that his patrons didn't want to see "a blind guy whistling when they're eating." Luckily, Heidt soon hired him back.
Lowery usually performed in one or two spots in Heidt's show as a featured soloist, and he can be seen and heard as part of the Musical Knights' appearance in the 1941 film, Pot of Gold. Fred decided to go single in the early 1940s, in partnership with singer Dorothy Rae, another Heidt vet. They soon had a busy schedule of appearances on national and local radio shows and at clubs and concert halls.
His single of "Indian Love Call," still popular from its association with the Nelson Eddy-Jeannette MacDonald film, "Rose Marie," was a one-hit wonder of the war period and the tune most people from that era remember him for. He also won spots on many of the variety shows that played in the first years of network television.
During the 1950s, Fred made some of the most memorable whistling records ever, forever cementing his status as possibly the greatest whistler of all time:
"Whistling For You" (Columbia CL-6091)
"Whistle A Happy Tune" with Anita Kerr (Decca DL-8995)
"Walking Along Kicking The Leaves" (Decca DL-8476) (considered by some to be the greatest whistling record ever)
Lowery was a deeply religious man who moved away from popular music to focus almost exclusively on religious melodies in his later years. His venues changed from nightclubs to churches and recorded a number of albums for the Christian market. His first were on Gra-Low (as in Gra(cie), his wife, and Low(ery)), his own label, and these records were mostly sold at his church appearances.
When I came across this seven day auction on eBay with one day left and no bidders, I could scarcely believe my eyes. I thought for sure it would sell but, as any good collector would, I kept a watch on it. On the final hour of the final day, not one bid. I kept watching, knowing this would sell for around $30 to $45. Into the final minute, nothing. With 20 seconds to go, I liked my chances and readied a bid.
Sure, I got a copy of this years ago from Basic Hip (no back cover) but this was too good to let go. At the end of the auction, I had a genuine Fred Lowery Christmas album!
There was a small scribble in permanent marker atop the front cover so with my fair to good skills with a PhotoShop program, I managed to get a majority of this airbrushed out - a trace remains.
