The Bob Bain Archives

January 26, 2024 is the centenary of Bob’s birth, and for our final podcast we’ll take one last walk with him. No playlist could possibly capture the fullness of his career or his life and character, but here in less than an hour we’ll hear both familiar and little-known highlights of his life in music and be reminded once again of his artistry, sophistication, taste, and humor. Listen not as background music, but rather to reflect upon the meaning and impact of Bob on each of us and our culture. Amour, Bob--you’ll always belong to our hearts…

Here from 1962 is an early instance of the wonderful Clark Family Christmas Eve parties. Bob and Judi were in attendance and may or may not be audible, but what is audible is the youthful exuberance of the cousins and good cheer of all. Our emcee, Uncle Derf, is by turns funny, kind, and long-suffering. Christmas is for children, and surely every cousin had a happy Christmas...

Let's celebrate Bob's birthday this year by listening to some beautiful music he made with his dear friend Nelson Riddle. The pair met as young bucks on the stand with Tommy Dorsey, and were lifelong friends through the many ups and downs of their personal and professional lives.

In a box marked "Ann Terry's Xmas Taping" without date, titles or any other identification, we find this holiday greeting for us in 2022: four tunes sung by pros that Bob undoubtedly knew and worked with at very least. Though we may not know all of their names (or who wrote the charts), their cheer and conviviality is as apparent as their skills. A very merry Christmas to you wherever you may be this season, and may this be a reminder of finer things...

Today, April 28, is Ann Clark Terry's birthday! We celebrate our favorite lead singer with just a few examples of how she and Bob combined talents to create exceptional music.

Tommy Todd was a brilliant musician who loomed large in Bob's early career, but sadly little record remains of his inventive and unconventional approach to music. Here are some very rare recordings Bob made with him back in the day.

January 26 is Bob's birthday--and he shares it with legendary trombonist Dick Nash. Here's a toast to them both, with music that featured them both by Henry Mancini.

Wally Brady, ersatz music executive and perennial publishing also-ran, was active in the 1950's and 1960's in a series of joint ventures and acquisitions. Pooling dollars and pounds from backers, he sponsored a series of singles and LPs, forever in search of that one big hit. Utilizing the time honored trick of claiming 50% of the composing and running all the music publishing through his own company (Blackhawk Music), Brady sponsored a few recording sessions with Bob at the helm. Released on Brady's own Montclare Records, the black text-only cover proclaimed "Guitars A La Mod" "Montclare Records Presents 12 Original Instrumentals 12", with the song titles listed beneath (and the same thing on both sides of the jacket!). With no documentation available, it's speculation as to when the sides were recorded, or who the musicians are. Bob only confessed under duress that this commercial attempt was in fact he and his friends "fooling around" in a studio. If we presume these are the same players as heard on Bob's King Jordan "The Phantom Guitar" record (a leap of faith), it would be Plas Johnson on tenor, Paul Smith and/or Don Trenner on organ and piano, Joe Mondragon on bass, Frank Flynn on drums and percussion, and Bob driving the rhythm and detuning when the mood struck. King Jordan rides again!

Submitted without voiceover, here is yet another insight into Bob Bain’s life. Today’s podcast is a recording made by Bob at his home in 1965 for one of the epic Clark Family Christmas Eve parties. This cherished memory starts with Bob accompanying the Bain and Henderson kids on his composition “Relatives”, then Aunt Jean leads the Friley, Terry, Branson and Schwartz kids through “Frosted Windowpanes”, “Nan’s Carol” (sung to the tune of Girl From Ipanema), and the legendary “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” (the Ting-A-Ling song). The recording paused, then picked up midway through the Clark Sisters incomparable version of “The Christmas Song” (regrettably, a noisy mic cable distracts here, but the performance is worth listening past that) and “Winter Wonderland”. Then we hear Pop Clark and Aunt Marguerite perform “Second Hand Rose” and “When It’s Circus Day Back Home”. Note Pop’s spot-on Fanny Brice accent, how cleverly he adapted the lyric gender, and his circus rap—pretty hip for a guy from North Dakota. Marguerite’s chops as accompanist are first rate. The music extravaganza continues with Pop and Mom Terry in the remarkably anti-war song “Not Me” and Pop runs through a couple of risqué jokes that would’ve played very well in vaudeville. These are the voices and songs of people now in the past, presented here for us to remember.

Found in Bob's personal LP collection, this singular recording reprises the style of the radio show: girl singer with Bob, Jud De Naut on bass, and (in this case) Don Beamsley on piano and tack piano. Though an accomplished and busy club singer, our research found this recording and no others available, making this a rare touchstone to an era of torchy chanteuses. The liner notes mention "clever special material written exclusively for her" which must mean Jud's two tunes were written with her in mind. Bob's copy was signed on the back by everyone: "To Bob-With deep appreciation for your wonderful efforts for us. Love, June", and "For Robert [struck through] Furnace Furniss Bain. Frankly, I'm a little bored with the big reputation you have built for yourself in music. Actually to me you are nothing but a run of the mill genius. XXX Jud" and finally "Me Too. Don". Clearly they had a good time making this record. There were a pair of Gourmet Restaurants, in Hollywood and in Beverly Hills, and the owners took a gamble and opened a third restaurant adjacent to Disneyland as part of the Disneyland Hotel complex in 1956. June Rudell had a long engagement in the lounge (which sat 650), and so this recording may reflect her many solid hours of dates there. Gourmet lovers rejoice!

Cy Coleman wrote a great score for this big studio picture, and for the album soundtrack, Bob plays and orchestrates.

In 2020, these are troubled times. It has not been a good year (yet). Offered here as a ray of light are some of Bob's recordings with his friends Eddie Carver and Frank Flynn. They're a postcard from a different time, an era when optimism was not foolhardy. These musicians were not naive by any means, but with their skills they were able to craft recordings that called upon the better angels of our nature. From our jaded perspective, these tunes may seem... hokey, kitschy, even zany. Let go of your ultra-hipness and allow your inner innocence to smile and laugh with these fun sessions from The Players!

Here we go with Season Three, our chance to hear a whole variety of recordings that Bob was involved in. Here he is as jazz sideman for three tracks recorded in 1978. A whole lotta fun with some old friends...

Here's a radio transcription for which we know nothing at all, save what we hear. The disk had lost its label, and with it went the hope of knowing where it fell in the chronology of the show. It's the longer nearly fifteen minute format, and Bob used "Lady Be Good" as both the intro and outro (not very long into the series, he went with "Sweet Georgia Brown" for the intro), so potentially it's early in the scheme of things. Let's table that for now, and check it out: Bob leading the quartet, with Ray Sherman playing piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums. First up "The Continental", followed by our old friend Margo Powers to sing "Tico Tico". Back to the quartet for the instrumental combo of "All The Things You Are" with "Someone To Watch Over Me". Margo comes back to croon the sweet tune "Sposin'", with a great solo by Bob. The quartet closes the set out with "Anitra's Boogie". Bob's holiday bonus for us all!

Presented here as another bonus episode is one of the very earliest of the transcriptions. Time was not kind to the disk, and indeed it is a scratchy, tough listen (almost so tough we didn't release it). Brace yourself though, and listen past the poor quality to hear "The Bob Bain Trio" (!). It's Bob on guitar and vocals, with Sheldon Smith on piano and Jimmie Stutz on bass. We get to hear Bob's interpolation of "Lady Be Good" as an intro, and for the first and only time, the announcer tells us the title. Next up, Cole Porter's immortal "Night And Day". That's followed by a popular tune of the time, "Managua Nicaragua" which had been recorded by Freddy Martin, Guy Lombardo, and Kay Kaiser. "The Anniversary Song" follows, with yet another of Bob's clever arrangements. Then, "a hillbilly tune" with Bob singing "That's How Much I Love You". The trio brings it home and really shines on a bop blues tune, "Mop Mop". "Velvet melody" indeed, with apologies for the Oxnard grit...

This is the last of our regular dated air checks, but we are going out with a bang. Not only did this transcription disk yield the show, but on the other side of the disk was a great surprise! Side One presents our broadcast, starting off with the "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro. Bob, Ray Sherman on piano, Jud De Naut on bass, and Frank Flynn on drums and percussion make up our quartet, who give us another listen to "Anitra's Boogie" (also heard on Season 1 episode 8). Then, Ruth Martin is introduced to sing "You're Breaking My Heart". The quartet comes back with the Rodgers and Hart classic "Lover", which begins sedately but then doubles up and showcases Frank Flynn's amazing work on vibes. Ruth Martin comes back once more for "Just One Of Those Things" (compare to Season 2 episodes 5 & 13) before the quartet saunters off with "Lady Be Good". But wait, there's more... Lost to history is how or why Bob got to record the band rehearsing this very show, but indeed this one transcription disk had been cut on both sides. We hear a different voice standing in for the announcer (perhaps an engineer in a booth?) off-mic, but Bob, Ruth, and the guys are all very clear, if not slightly looser than during the broadcast. Here and there the booth voice speaks to the band, in the middle of a performance, and the band talks to one another as well. A sharp ear may detect the clinking of a glass (it may be nothing more than Ruth's glass of water...). A rare chance to hear Bob and the band informally!

Season Two is winding down for us, but Bob and the band just keep getting better. Ray Sherman really anchors things melodically on piano, Jud De Naut provides the steady bass, and Frank Flynn shows just how many percussive sounds one man can make. Our "Sweet Georgia Brown" theme is followed by a tune we've heard many times before, but "Brazil" here sounds as fresh and lively as ever. Ruth Martin, our song star for the duration, sings a lovely version of "I Can Dream, Can't I" with Frank providing a glowing accompaniment on vibraphone. The next tune is Bob's original be-bop riff, "Ooh Bop Shbam". So great to hear Bob's vocal, and listen to how tight he and Ray are! Ruth comes back for a great rendition of "Gypsy In My Soul", a tune Bob had recorded with André Previn months earlier. Another great show closes out with Bob's seductive version of "Lady Be Good".

It's lost to time what transpired between May and September of 1949 for Bob-but we can surmise he wasn't just camped out in the NBC parking lot. Record and movie dates were coming with greater frequency, and Bob's keen ears and deft touch made him very much in demand in Hollywood. When the third Monday in September finally allowed him time for another ten-minute broadcast, his ease and facility were sharper than ever. Another mystery from this date, though, is where did Margo Powers depart to: for the rest of the series, Ruth Martin takes over as "girl singer". After our customary "Sweet Georgia Brown" intro, the band revisits "Coca Roca", then Hal and Ruth introduce a new song from a contemporary Disney movie: "Katrina". With music by Don Raye and lyrics by Gene De Paul, this was sung by Bing Crosby with Jud Conlon and his Rhythmaires in the animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Following this lovely tune is Frank Flynn's tour de force: "I Know That You Know". Ruth closes the set with "Where Are You When I Need You", before the quartet walks out with Bob's inversion of "Lady Be Good". Great radio!

The last of the existent consecutive radio shows for our perusal brings our familiar quartet (albeit in an also familiar truncated ten minute version): Bob, Jud De Naut on bass, Ray Sherman on piano and organ, and Ralph Collier on drums and percussion. Our "Sweet Georgia Brown" theme is followed the guys romping through "Hot Canary", with Jud playing arco bass for extra tone. John Storm introduces Margo Powers' sensitive second pass at "When Is Sometime" (with Ray switching over to organ and Ralph starting out on vibes before going back to the kit), then we get to hear Bob's spoken intro of Ray's "strictly moonlight arrangement" on Star Eyes (Ray's back to piano, but Ralph works the bongos and drums to great effect). Margo comes back to wrap our set with "Old Devil Moon" (Ralph switches back and forth effortlessly once again). Our "Lady Be Good" walkoff sounds extra soulful this week. Bob's collection of transcriptions has a gap following this show, the next air check is from September of '49. Likely his career was taking off and studio work proved more tempting than that ten-minute air slot. We'll hear the rest, plus other radio shows Bob was a part of, and sample recordings he made as both leader and featured sideman. Stay tuned!

"We're on the air!" says an anonymous voice right at the top, and so we are, once again. Bob took a couple of weeks off-recording in Les Paul's living room for one thing (more on that later!)-but he's back on his regular broadcast for at least a couple of weeks. We get a new announcer (John Storm?) but Bob, Ray Sherman, Ralph Collier, and Jud De Naut return once again, starting off with "Sweet Georgia Brown" and then into a samba, "Tymbales" with Ralph's propulsive percussion killing it on congas. Dear Margo Powers returns once again and this time sings a lovely new ballad, "Again", with Ray doubling on organ. The quartet plays the bop version of "Honeysuckle Rose" (and listen to Ralph on vibes!). Margo comes back for "A Wonderful Guy" (Ray back to the organ) to close out our ten minute piece of beauty. Soon Bob's career takes off and he will leave the comfy confines of the radio studio behind, but don't worry: we'll have a whole new season's worth of rare recordings, outtakes, acetates, and guest appearances. Stay tuned!