MOONGLOW
Music: Will Hudson, Irving Mills- Lyrics: Eddie De Lange
Year: 1933
Origin of the song
As Will Hudson, the composer of the song, tells, around the 30’s, he used to lead a band that was playing in the Graystone Ballroom of Detroit and needed a music theme. That’s why he wrote ‘Moonglow’. When the orchestra broke up, Hudson travelled to New York where the promoter and editor Irving Mills hired him as an arranger and compositor.
Joe Venuti had just set up a big band after various years working with small ensembles and some important orchestras, such as Paul Whiteman’s orchestra. By then, he already had great reputation and had made many recordings, of which twenty nine reached first place. As he liked the melody and arrangement of ‘Moonglow’, he recorded the theme in 1933. The disc didn’t get into the hit charts, but other four recordings did the following year, one of them, Benny Goodman’s orchestra’s, reached the first position.
In November 1955 the film Picnic was released, produced by Columbia Pictures, directed by Joshua Logan and starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell and Betty Field. The compositor George Dunning included ‘Moonglow’ in the score, which provided the theme with a new youth.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
Cab Calloway Orchestra |
1934.01.22 |
1934.08.18 |
4 |
7 |
Instrumental |
|
Benny Goodman Orchestra |
1934.05.14 |
1934.06.16 |
15 |
1 (one week) |
Instrumental |
|
The Casa Loma Orchestra |
1934.07.19 |
1934.08.11 |
4 |
8 |
Kenny Sergeant (voc) |
|
Duke Ellington Orchestra |
1934.09.12 |
1934.10.06 |
7 |
2 (two weeks) |
Instrumental |
|
Benny Goodman Quartet |
1936.08.21 |
1936.09.26 |
3 |
8 |
Instrumental |
|
1955.??,?? |
1956.04.14 |
27 |
1 (three weeks) |
Instrumental |
|
|
1956.??.?? |
1956.04.14 |
22 |
4 |
George Cates (p), The Stan Wrightsman Quartet |
|
|
The McGuire Sisters |
1956.??.?? |
1956.05.05 |
20 |
13 |
Christine, Dorothy & Phyllis McGuire (voc) |
|
Ralph Marterie Orchestra |
1956.??.?? |
1956.05.19 |
7 |
64 |
Instrumental |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1934.01.22 |
Cab Calloway (dir), Lammar Wright, Doc Cheatham, Edwin Swayzee (tp), DePriest Wheeler, Harry White (tb), Eddie Barefield (cl, as, bars), Arville Harris (cl, as), Walter Thomas (cl, ts, fl), Bennie Payne (p, cel), Morris White (bjo, g), Al Morgan (b), Leroy Maxey (d) |
|
|
1934.05.14 |
Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Charlie Teagarden, George Thow (tp), Jack Teagarden (tb), Hank Ross (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Benny Martel (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Ray McKinley (d) |
|
|
1934.08.22 |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1934.09.12 |
Duke Ellington (p, dir), Freddy Jenkins, Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams (tp), Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), Barney Bigard (cl, ts), Johnny Hodges (cl, ss, as), Otto Hardwick (as), Harry Carney (bars, as, cl), Fred Guy (g), Wellman Braud (b), Sonny Greer (d) |
|
|
1935.10.21 |
Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt, Pierre Ferret (g), Tony Rovira (b) |
|
|
1936.08.21 |
Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Lionel Hampton (vib), Gene Krupa (d) |
|
|
1941.01.23 |
Artie Shaw (cl, dir), Billy
Butterfield, George Wendt, Jack Cathcart (tp), Jack Jenney, Ray Conniff, Vernon Brown (tb), Les Robinson, Neely Plumb (as), Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome (ts), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Al
Hendrickson (g), Jud DeNaut (b), Nick Fatool (d), string section |
|
|
1946.04.22 |
Benny Carter (as), Sonny White (p), unidentified (g, b, d) |
|
|
1949.07.?? |
Erroll Garner (p), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1952.04.07 |
Earl Bostic (as, dir), Joe Mitchell (tp), Pinky Williams (as, bars), John Coltrane (ts), Gene Redd (vib), Joe Knight (p), Jimmy Shirley (g), Ike Isaacs (b), Charles 'Specs' Wright (d) |
|
|
Lionel Hampton Quartet |
1954.04.12 |
Lionel Hampton (vib), Oscar Peterson (p), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d) |
|
Lionel Hampton Quartet |
1955.07.31 |
Lionel Hampton (vib), Teddy Wilson (p), Red Callender (b), Gene Krupa (d) |
|
1959.02.17 |
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Junior Mance (p), Les Spann (g, fl), Sam Jones (b), Lex Humphries (d) |
|
|
1961.02.28 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Ronnell Bright (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Ron Carter (b), Andrew Cyrille (d) |
|
|
Gene Ammons Quintet |
1961.10.17 |
Gene Ammons (ts), Walter Bishop Jr. (p), Art Davis (b), Art Taylor (d), Ray Barretto (cng) |
|
Benny Green & Russell Malone |
2004.??.?? |
Benny Green (p), Russell Malone (g) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1934.07.19 |
Glen Gray (as, dir), Grady Watts (tp), Sonny Dunham (tp, tb), Pee Wee Hunt, Billy Rauch (tb), Clarence Hutchinrider (cl, as), Kenny Sargent (ts, voc), Pat Davis (ts), Mel Jenssen (vn), Joe Hall (p), Jack Blanchette (g), Stanley Dennis (b), Tony Briglia (d) |
|
|
1934.08.20 |
Ethel Waters (voc), George Thow, Jerry Neary, Charlie Spivak (tp), Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Don Mattison (tb), Jimmy Dorsey (as), Jack Stacey, Skeets Herfurt (ts), Bobby van Eps (p), Roc Hillman (g), Delmar Kaplan (b), Ray McKinley (d) |
|
|
1945.12.27 |
June Christy (voc), Ray Wetzel (tp), Gene Roland (vtb), Boots Mussulli (as), Fred Zito (p), Dave Barbour (g), Eddie Safranski (b), Eddie Spanier (d) |
|
|
1952.04.01 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1962.02.?? |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), Quincy Jones Orchestra |
On cinemas
The song 'Moonglow' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Hi Gang! |
Amor en onda corta |
1941 |
On a radio by Benny Goodman Trio |
|
Picnic |
Picnic |
1955 |
Instrumental |
|
The Benny Goodman Story |
La historia de Benny Goodman |
1956 |
|
|
Inserts |
Insertos |
1974 |
Joe Venuti Orchestra |
|
September |
Septiembre |
1987 |
Bernie Leighton |
|
Stealing Home |
Más que un recuerdo |
1988 |
Instrumental |
|
The Fabulous Baker Boys |
Los fabulosos Baker Boys |
1989 |
Benny Goodman Quartet |
|
Havana |
Habana |
1990 |
|
|
Alice |
Alice |
1990 |
Artie Shaw Orchestra |
|
My Girl |
Mi chica |
1991 |
Artie Shaw Orchestra |
|
Casino |
Casino |
1995 |
Instrumental |
|
Private Parts |
Partes privadas |
1997 |
Benny Goodman |
|
Center Stage |
El ritmo del éxito |
2000 |
|
|
Melinda and Melinda |
Melinda y Melinda |
2004 |
Dick Hyman |
|
The Holiday |
Vacaciones |
2006 |
Claude Bolling Big Band with Stéphane Grappelli |
|
Idlewild |
Ritmo salvaje |
2006 |
Cab Calloway Orchestra |
|
Amelia |
Amelia |
2009 |
Ethel Waters |
|
Legend |
Legend |
2015 |
Starsound Orchestra |