STORMY WEATHER
Music: Harold Arlen- Lyrics: Ted Koehler
Year: 1933
Origin of the song
Initially, Arlen wrote 'Stormy Weather' for Cab Calloway, who in February 1931 had replaced Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club in New York. But before Cotton Club Parade premiered, Calloway left the venue and returned to Ellington. A star was needed to play the song and it so happened that Ethel Waters, who had just recently divorced, had moved from Chicago to New York. Ethel accepted the invitation because the song seemed to be written for her, it was like the story of her life. Cotton Club Parade premiered on 6 April 1933 and 'Stormy Weather' was the singer's only performance in the show, but the success was so great that the premiere night had to repeat the song twelve times!
Before the show premiered, Harold Arlen proposed to his friend Leo Reisman to perform 'Stormy Weather' together. The album, which they recorded for the Victor label on 28 February 1933, was released immediately and soon reached the number one spot on the popularity charts, where it held for eight weeks. Ethel Waters also recorded the song for Brunswick with the Dorsey Brothers' orchestra and was number one for three weeks in mid-June of the same year.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1933.02.28 |
1933.03.25 |
19 |
1 (eight weeks) |
Harold Arlen (voc) |
|
|
1933.04.12 |
1933.04.29 |
10 |
2 (four weeks) |
Carmen Lombardo (voc) |
|
|
1933.05.02 |
1933.05.27 |
7 |
6 |
Shirley Jay (voc) |
|
|
Ethel Waters |
1933.05.03 |
1933.05.20 |
11 |
1 (three weeks) |
Ethel Waters (voc), Dorsey Brothers Orchestra |
|
Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra |
1933.05.16 |
1933.05.27 |
16 |
4 |
Instrumental |
|
Lena Horne |
1941.12.15 |
1943.09.04 |
1 |
21 |
Lena Horne (voc), Lou Busch Orchestra |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1933.05.16 |
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 (cl, as, bars), Fred Guy (g), Wellman Braud (b), Sonny Greer (d) |
|
|
Herman Chittison |
1934.06.?? |
Herman Chittison (p) |
|
1937.11.29 |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1949.??.?? |
Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Gianni Safred (p), Marco Pecori (b), Aurelio de Carolis (d) |
|
|
1949.06.20 |
Erroll Garner (p), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1954.12.?? |
Charles Mingus (b, p), Thad Jones (tp), John LaPorta (cl, as), Teo Macero (ts, bars), Jackson Wiley (vc), Clem DeRosa (d) |
|
|
1957.05.14 |
Curtis Fuller (tb), Red Garland (p), Sonny Red (as), Paul Chambers (b), Louis Hayes (d) |
|
|
1958.11.27 |
Red Garland (p), Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d) |
|
|
André Previn |
1960.05.04 |
André Previn (p) |
|
1960.10.20 |
Charles Mingus (b), Ted Curson (tp), Eric Dolphy (as), Dannie Ritchmond (d) |
|
|
1987.06.24 |
Woody Shaw (tp), Steve Turre (tb), Kirk Lightsey (p), Ray Drummond (b), Carl Allen (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1933.05.03 |
Ethel Waters (voc), Bunny Berigan, Sterling Bose (tp), Tommy Dorsey (tb), Jimmy Dorsey (cl, as), Larry Binyon (cl, ts), Fulton McGrath (p), Joe Venuti, Harry Hoffman, Walter Edenstein, Lou Kosloff (vn), Dick McDonough (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Stan King (d) |
|
|
1939.??.?? |
William Langford (voc, g), Henry Owens, Willie Johnson, Orlandus Wilson (voc) |
|
|
1940.02.14 |
Duke Ellington (p, dir), Rex Stewart (cnt), Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams (tp), Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), Barney Bigard (cl), Johnny Hodges (cl, ss, as), Otto Hardwick (as), Ben Webster (ts), Harry Carney (cl, as, bars), Fred Guy (g), Jimmy Blanton (b), Sonny Greer (d), Ivie Anderson (voc) |
|
|
1941.12.15 |
Lena Horne (voc), Mannie Klein (tp), Jack Mayhew, Mort Friedman, Archie Rosati (sax), Lou Busch (p), Mischa Russell, Nick Pisani (vn), Perry Botkin (g), Artie Bernstein (b) |
|
|
1944.12.03 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Billy Butterfield, Carl Poole, Melven Solomon (tp), S. Koty, William Rausch, Charles Small (tb), Karl Chlupse (tpa), Ernie Caceres, Nick Caiazza, Bernard Kaufman, Fred Pfeifer, Hymie Schertzer (sax), Dave Mann (p), Matty Golizio (g), Jack Kimmel (b), Johnny Blowers (d), string section, Axel Stordahl (dir) |
|
|
1952.03.24 |
Dinah Washington (voc), Walter Rodell Orchestra |
|
|
1952.07.27 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Joe Newman (tp), Paul Quinichette (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Freddy Green (g), Ray Brown (b), Gus Johnson (d) |
|
|
1958.12.?? |
Keely Smith (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
1959.07.29 |
Billy Eckstine (voc), Benny Carter (as), Justin Gordon (ts), Jimmy Rowles (p), Red Callender (b), Billy May Orchestra |
|
|
1960.08.30 |
Betty Carter (voc), Richard Wess Orchestra |
|
|
1960.10.?? |
Etta James (voc), Riley Hampton Orchestra |
|
|
1961.01.14 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Billy May Orchestra |
|
|
Nancy Kelly |
1997.??.?? |
Nancy Kelly (voc), Jeff Jarvis (tp), Bobby Militello, Joe Carello (sax), Brian Murphy (vib), Bobby Jones, John Nyerges, Dino Losito (tec), Steve Brown (g), Danny D’Imperio (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Stormy Weather' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
We're Not Dressing |
Música sobre las olas |
1934 |
Bing Crosby |
|
The Man with Two Faces |
El hombre de las dos caras |
1934 |
Mae Clarke |
|
Stormy Weather |
Tiempo tormentoso |
1943 |
Background music; Lena Horne; danced by Katherine Dunham Troupe |
|
All About Eve |
Eva al desnudo |
1950 |
Background music |
|
Bell, Book and Candle |
Me enamoré de una bruja |
1958 |
Jack Lemmon (drums) |
|
Amarcord |
Amarcord |
1973 |
Background music |
|
Cotton Club |
Cotton Club |
1984 |
Lonette McKee |
|
Intervista |
Entrevista |
1987 |
Background music |
|
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge |
Esperando a Mr. Bridge |
1990 |
Lena Horne |
|
Lolita |
Lolita de Adrian Lyne |
1997 |
Lena Horne |
|
Spider-Man 3 |
Spider-Man 3 |
2007 |
|
|
A Single Man |
Un hombre soltero |
2009 |
Etta James |