ALL OF ME
Music and lyrics: Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons
Year: 1931
Origin of the song
The vaudeville star Belle Baker performed this song for the first time in 1931 during a radio emission broadcasted from the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. The singer had recently lost her husband and, touched by the sense of the lyrics, her voice cracked during the performance. The national press spread the news and, in little time, the song became a great hit. Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, with the voice of Mildred Bailey, were the first ones to record ‘All of Me’ in December 1931 for the Victor label.
The song was included in the film Careless Lady, produced in 1932 by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Kenneth MacKenna, and starring Joan Bennett, John Boles, and Minna Gombell. The film got very bad reviews.
Nor Marks neither Simons ever wrote a song comparable to ‘All of Me’ and in the year 2000 it received the ‘Towering Song’ prize given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. ‘Is It True What They Say About Dixie?’ (1936) and ‘That’s What I Want for Christmas’ (1936) are due to Marks. For his part, Seymour Simons is the author of ‘Breezin’ Along With The Breeze’ (1926), in collaboration with Haven Gillespie and Richard Whiting.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1931.12.01 |
1932.01.09 |
10 |
1 (three weeks) |
Mildred Bailey (voc) |
|
|
Ben Selvin Orchestra |
1931.12.18 |
1932.02.06 |
1 |
19 |
Unidentified (voc) |
|
Louis Armstrong Orchestra |
1932.01.27 |
1932.02.20 |
18 |
1 (two weeks) |
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc) |
|
Count Basie Orchestra |
1941.11.03 |
1943.07.03 |
1 |
14 |
Lynne Sherman (voc) |
|
Frank Sinatra |
1947.10.19 |
1948.05.01 |
3 |
21 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Axel Stordahl Orchestra |
|
Johnnie Ray |
1952.02.07 |
1952.07.26 |
8 |
12 |
Johnnie Ray (voc), Buddy Cole Quartet |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1940.11.19 |
Benny Carter (cl, as, dir), Russell Smith, Sidney De Paris, Bobby Williams (tp), Milton Robinson, Madison Vaughan, Benny Morton (tb), Chauncey Haughton (as), George James (as, bars), Stafford Simon, George Irish (ts), Sonny White (p), Everett Barksdale (g), Hayes Alvis (b), William Purnell (d) |
|
|
1945.02.02 |
Shorty Rogers (tp), Vernon Brown (tb), Don Byas (ts), Aaron Sachs (cl), Bill Rowland (p), Billy Taylor (b), Cozy Cole (d) |
|
|
1949.03.29 |
Erroll Garner (p), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1953.08.25 |
Jonah Jones (tp), Jimmy Archey (tb), Sidney Bechet (ss), Buddy Weed (p), Walter Page (b), Johnny Blowers (d) |
|
|
1956.01.13 |
Lester Young (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jo Jones (d) |
|
|
Lee Konitz Quartet |
1956.09.26 |
Lee Konitz (ts), Sal Mosca (p), Peter Ind (b), Dick Scott (d) |
|
1961.08.24 |
Lee Konitz (as), Sonny Dallas (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
1962.02.16 |
Sonny Stitt (ts), Jack McDuff (org), Eddie Diehl (g), Art Taylor (d), Ray Barretto (cng) |
|
|
Duke Ellington Orchestra |
1963.02.01 |
Duke Ellington (p, dir), Ray Nance (cnt), Cat Anderson, Roy Burrowes, Cootie Williams (tp), Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Johnny Hodges (as), Russell Procope (as, cl), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bars), Ernie Shepard (b), Sam Woodyard (d) |
|
Dick Hyman & Ralph Sutton |
1993.11.12 |
Dick Hyman (p), Ralph Sutton (p) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1932.01.27 |
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Zilmer Randolph (tp), Preston Jackson (tb), Lester Boone (cl, as), George James (cl, ss, as), Albert Washington (cl, ts), Charlie Alexander (p), Mike McKendrick (bjo, g), John Lindsay (b), Tubby Hall (d) |
|
|
1941.03.21 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Eddie Heywood (p, dir), Shad Collins (tp), Leslie Johnakins, Eddie Barefield (as), Lester Young (ts), John Collins (g), Ted Sturges (b), Kenny Clarke (d) |
|
|
1941.11.03 |
Count Basie (p, dir), Buck Clayton, Ed Lewis, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Al Killian (tp), Dicky Wells, Robert Scott, Eli Robinson (tb), Don Byas, Buddy Tate (ts), Caughey Roberts, Earle Warren (as), Jack Washington (as, bars), Freddie Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d), Lynne Sherman (voc) |
|
|
1947.05.?? |
Mildred Bailey (voc), Julian Work Orchestra |
|
|
Frank Sinatra |
1954.04.19 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
Dinah Washington |
1955.11.12 |
Dinah Washington (voc), Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Mannie Klein, Ray Linn (tp), Tommy Pederson, Frank Rosolino, Si Zentner (tb), Herb Geller, Skeets Herfurt (as), Georgie Auld, Babe Russin (ts), Chuck Gentry (bars), Wynton Kelly (p), Al Hendrickson (g), Keter Betts (b), Jimmy Cobb (d), Hal Mooney (dir) |
|
1957.02.14 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), Jimmy Jones (p), Richard Davis (b), Roy Haynes (d) |
|
|
1958.07.06 |
Dinah Washington (voc, vib), Terry Gibbs (vib), Urbie Green (tb), Wynton Kelly (p), Don Elliott (mel), Paul West (b), Max Roach (d)
In Newport Jazz Festival |
|
|
1960.04.14 |
King Pleasure (voc), Matthew Gee (tb), Teddy Edwards, Harold Land (ts), Gerald Wiggins (p), Wilfred Middlebrooks (b), Earl Palmer (d) |
|
|
1961.11.15 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Ronnie Lang (as), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
Chaka Khan |
1982.??.?? |
Chaka Khan (voc), Joe Henderson (ts), Freddie Hubbard (tp, fis), Chick Corea (p), Stanley Clarke (b), Lenny White (d) |
|
Susannah McCorkle |
1986.12.09 |
Susannah McCorkle (voc), Ben Aronov trio |
|
Dee Dee Bridgewater |
2009.06.05 |
Dee Dee Bridgewater (voc), James Carter (cl, fl, ss, ts), Edsel Gómez (p), Christian McBride (b), Lewis Nash (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'All Of Me' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFROMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Careless Lady |
La irreflexiva |
1932 |
|
|
What Price Hollywood? |
Hollywood al desnudo |
1932 |
Louise Beavers (a capella) |
|
Roman Scandals |
Escándalos romanos |
1933 |
Eddie Cantor (a capella) |
|
Meet Danny Wilson |
Te presento a Danny |
1951 |
Frank Sinatra |
|
Jazz on a Summer’s Day |
Jazz en un día de verano |
1960 |
Dinah Washington |
|
Strait-Jacket |
El caso de Lucy Harbin |
1964 |
|
|
Lady Sings the Blues |
El ocaso de una estrella |
1972 |
Diana Ross and Richard Pryor |
|
Looking for Mr. Goodbar |
Buscando al señor Goodbar |
1977 |
Sung in a television programn |
|
The Big Fix |
Un investigador insólito |
1978 |
|
|
All of Me |
Dos veces yo |
1984 |
Joe Williams |
|
Bird |
Bird |
1988 |
Charlie Parker, Monty Alexander, Ray Brown and John Guerin |
|
The Juror |
Coacción a un jurado |
1996 |
|
|
Sweet and Lowdown |
Acordes y desacuerdos |
1999 |
Carol Woods, Howard Alden, Bucky Pizzarelli, Kelly Friesen, Ken Peplowski and Ted Sommer |
|
Ginger & Rosa |
Ginger y Rosa |
2012 |
Les Paul |