David Allyn's Birthday

Today is the 83rd birthday of the wonderful and still-singing David Allyn. Here's what I wrote about him in a 12/15/05 blog entry:

"Next to Allyn, who began recording on his own in 1946, and since 1940 as a featured vocalist (with Jack Teagarden) on disc, most everyone else who springs to mind is an absolute piker, Crosby, Como, Bennett, Sinatra et al. Inasmuch as Allyn was still recording as recently as this year, that makes a grand total of 65 years. And 59 years as the main "artist of record" on the label, as opposed to "with." Ellington vocalist Herb Jeffries began recording a few years before Allyn, in '34 (with Earl Hines) , but did not head into the studio under his own name until 1945.

Hate to get all hair-splitting and Jesuitical about all of this, but Jeffries' last---to the best of my knowledge--- album, The Duke and I, was recorded in 2002. Giving him a 58-year span. . .assuming that nothing was released after that album. But Allyn is still in the studio working on new material even as of the writing of this. Don't know what Jeffries is up to in the studio these days? Oh, what the hell, they are both such great guys and fine singers, let's let them split the Guinness trophy. Still, it is interesting to contemplate.

My heart has always gone out to stereotyped ballad singers like David Allyn, Vic Damone and Johnny Hartman who have had to labor under the false notion, "Yeah, but can they swing?" It feels like Allyn, with his great new CD with the Terrassa band, has set out to redress that mistaken notion, when it comes to him, once and for all time. Takes a lot to keep up with that wonderful outfit, and Allyn does it! Nearly every track is a flagwaver.Allyn also published his memoirs this year. . .available here " End of 12/15/05 blog entry.

And here is perhaps another Allyn record? The longest period of time passed between an artist's original recording of a song and his or her remake. The first half of this recording of Picnic in the Wintertime (or howzabout a "Sleighride in July"?) by Allyn ---with the Boyd Raeburn band---was cut in 1946; the second half in 2002 with the Barcelona big band.

There's also a nice new Japanese reissue of Allyn's (aka Allen) Lucky Day on SSJ Records, Japan.