the1920sand30s | Rudy Wiedoeft - Valse Vanité [Vanity Waltz] (1925) @the1920sand30s | Uploaded August 2021 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
Performed by: Rudy Wiedoeft
Full Song: Valse Vanité
Recorded in: New York, NY - August 12th 1925
Flip side of: youtu.be/b65wbm2nauE
Rudolph Cornelius Wiedoeft (born January 3, 1893 – died February 18, 1940) was an American saxophonist of the 1920's and 30's.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of German immigrants, at a young age Wiedoeft started playing with his family orchestra, first using a violin, then a clarinet. He relocated to New York City and, after a series of successful clarinet recordings with his Frisco Jass Band, switched to saxophone, then still an unusual instrument. He became known as a virtuoso saxophonist during the 1910s, made more than 300 recordings for many different record companies, and did much to popularize the saxophone as an instrument in both the U.S. and overseas. His main instrument was the C melody saxophone, a variety which was immensely popular from the 1910s until about 1930. He also played and recorded sometimes using E-flat alto and B-flat soprano saxophones as well.
His style was noted for very rapid runs of well-articulated notes in between long legato phrases in a ragtime influenced style. The rapidly articulated notes were made possible by the advanced techniques of double-tonguing and triple-tonguing, similar to those used by brass (trumpet, trombone, etc.) players and flutists. He was also known for his style of vibrato, which was very wide during the later years of his playing. During his earlier years, Wiedoeft's use of vibrato was quite spare. Wiedoeft employed several other 'sound effects,' such as slap tonguing and "laughing" (altering/bending the pitch of the note) through his horn, and alongside his very distinguishable vibrato, became a part of his musical repertoire. While he incorporated some elements of early jazz into his playing, he remained stylistically a pre-jazz artist. Some of his original compositions were successes, notably Valse Erica, Valse Llewellyn, Saxema, Saxophobia, and Sax-o-Phun.
He remained a very popular entertainer into the 1920s and performed regularly by radio, but his style started to sound more and more dated to the public as his career continued into the 1930s. He worked for a while in Rudy Vallee's band, then for a while in France. From the mid-1930s on, he essentially stopped playing and was involved in several mining investments that were not successful.
Rudy and his wife Mary Wiedoeft had a difficult relationship partially due to difficulties of maintaining their rather flamboyant lifestyle and alcohol abuse. During 1937, he was nearly killed when he was stabbed by his wife. The couple reconciled, however, and during the same year, Rudy made his last radio performance.
He died in Flushing, New York, on February 18, 1940, from cirrhosis of the liver.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
______________________
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.
Performed by: Rudy Wiedoeft
Full Song: Valse Vanité
Recorded in: New York, NY - August 12th 1925
Flip side of: youtu.be/b65wbm2nauE
Rudolph Cornelius Wiedoeft (born January 3, 1893 – died February 18, 1940) was an American saxophonist of the 1920's and 30's.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of German immigrants, at a young age Wiedoeft started playing with his family orchestra, first using a violin, then a clarinet. He relocated to New York City and, after a series of successful clarinet recordings with his Frisco Jass Band, switched to saxophone, then still an unusual instrument. He became known as a virtuoso saxophonist during the 1910s, made more than 300 recordings for many different record companies, and did much to popularize the saxophone as an instrument in both the U.S. and overseas. His main instrument was the C melody saxophone, a variety which was immensely popular from the 1910s until about 1930. He also played and recorded sometimes using E-flat alto and B-flat soprano saxophones as well.
His style was noted for very rapid runs of well-articulated notes in between long legato phrases in a ragtime influenced style. The rapidly articulated notes were made possible by the advanced techniques of double-tonguing and triple-tonguing, similar to those used by brass (trumpet, trombone, etc.) players and flutists. He was also known for his style of vibrato, which was very wide during the later years of his playing. During his earlier years, Wiedoeft's use of vibrato was quite spare. Wiedoeft employed several other 'sound effects,' such as slap tonguing and "laughing" (altering/bending the pitch of the note) through his horn, and alongside his very distinguishable vibrato, became a part of his musical repertoire. While he incorporated some elements of early jazz into his playing, he remained stylistically a pre-jazz artist. Some of his original compositions were successes, notably Valse Erica, Valse Llewellyn, Saxema, Saxophobia, and Sax-o-Phun.
He remained a very popular entertainer into the 1920s and performed regularly by radio, but his style started to sound more and more dated to the public as his career continued into the 1930s. He worked for a while in Rudy Vallee's band, then for a while in France. From the mid-1930s on, he essentially stopped playing and was involved in several mining investments that were not successful.
Rudy and his wife Mary Wiedoeft had a difficult relationship partially due to difficulties of maintaining their rather flamboyant lifestyle and alcohol abuse. During 1937, he was nearly killed when he was stabbed by his wife. The couple reconciled, however, and during the same year, Rudy made his last radio performance.
He died in Flushing, New York, on February 18, 1940, from cirrhosis of the liver.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
______________________
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.
![Rudy Wiedoeft - Valse Vanité [Vanity Waltz] (1925)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sGIQztUy13E/hqdefault.jpg "Rudy Wiedoeft - Valse Vanité [Vanity Waltz] (1925)
Performed by: Rudy Wiedoeft
Full Song: Valse Vanité
Recorded in: New York, NY - August 12th 1925
Flip side of: https://youtu.be/b65wbm2nauE
Rudolph Cornelius Wiedoeft (born January 3, 1893 – died February 18, 1940) was an American saxophonist of the 1920s and 30s.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of German immigrants, at a young age Wiedoeft started playing with his family orchestra, first using a violin, then a clarinet. He relocated to New York City and, after a series of successful clarinet recordings with his Frisco Jass Band, switched to saxophone, then still an unusual instrument. He became known as a virtuoso saxophonist during the 1910s, made more than 300 recordings for many different record companies, and did much to popularize the saxophone as an instrument in both the U.S. and overseas. His main instrument was the C melody saxophone, a variety which was immensely popular from the 1910s until about 1930. He also played and recorded sometimes using E-flat alto and B-flat soprano saxophones as well.
His style was noted for very rapid runs of well-articulated notes in between long legato phrases in a ragtime influenced style. The rapidly articulated notes were made possible by the advanced techniques of double-tonguing and triple-tonguing, similar to those used by brass (trumpet, trombone, etc.) players and flutists. He was also known for his style of vibrato, which was very wide during the later years of his playing. During his earlier years, Wiedoefts use of vibrato was quite spare. Wiedoeft employed several other sound effects, such as slap tonguing and laughing (altering/bending the pitch of the note) through his horn, and alongside his very distinguishable vibrato, became a part of his musical repertoire. While he incorporated some elements of early jazz into his playing, he remained stylistically a pre-jazz artist. Some of his original compositions were successes, notably Valse Erica, Valse Llewellyn, Saxema, Saxophobia, and Sax-o-Phun.
He remained a very popular entertainer into the 1920s and performed regularly by radio, but his style started to sound more and more dated to the public as his career continued into the 1930s. He worked for a while in Rudy Vallees band, then for a while in France. From the mid-1930s on, he essentially stopped playing and was involved in several mining investments that were not successful.
Rudy and his wife Mary Wiedoeft had a difficult relationship partially due to difficulties of maintaining their rather flamboyant lifestyle and alcohol abuse. During 1937, he was nearly killed when he was stabbed by his wife. The couple reconciled, however, and during the same year, Rudy made his last radio performance.
He died in Flushing, New York, on February 18, 1940, from cirrhosis of the liver.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
![Walter Kollo - Am schönsten ist´s bei Muttern! [Theres no place like mothers!] (1915)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sQADJyAQTgA/hqdefault.jpg "Walter Kollo - Am schönsten ist´s bei Muttern! [Theres no place like mothers!] (1915)
Performed by: Walter Kollo
Full Song Title: Am schönsten ist´s bei Muttern!
Recorded in: October 23, 1915 Berliner Theater, Berlin - Imperial Germany
Flip side of: https://youtu.be/fj2XIKzoQcs
Walter Kollo ( born 28 January 1878 – died 30 September 1940) was a German composer of operettas, Possen mit Gesang, and Singspiele as well as popular songs. He was also a conductor and a music publisher.
Kollo was born in Neidenburg, East Prussia. His best known work, the operetta Wie einst im Mai (1913), was the basis of a 1917 Sigmund Romberg operetta in America entitled Maytime.
A merchants son, he was originally supposed to take his fathers trade, but was able to devote himself to the study of music in the Königsberg Sondershausen music conservatory with his mothers help. He became a theater conductor for a brief time in Königsberg before going to Berlin in 1899. In Berlin, he turned towards popular / light music, and from 1908, wrote music for the popular musical theater. It was in 1910 with Willy Bredschneider that he composed his first great success, Große Rosinen, produced on New Years Eve 1911. Somewhat prolifically, he continued composing musical comedies, farces and operettas, notably, with among other pieces, Wie einst im Mai (1913; with the songs Es war in Schöneberg im Monat Mai and Die Männer sind alle Verbrecher), Der Juxbaron (1916), Drei alte Schachteln (1917) and Die Frau ohne Kuß (1924).
Kollo also emerged as a composer of revues and sound films in 1915, was one of the founders of the performers rights organization GEMA, and had his own music publishing company. Later he made successful concert tours as a conductor of his own works.
With Jean Gilbert and Paul Lincke, Kollo was a founder of the Berliner Operette.
His son Willi Kollo was also a composer of light music and his grandson is the celebrated Wagnerian tenor René Kollo.
Walter Kollo died in Berlin.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
![Emilio De Gogorza - La Golondrina [The Swallow] (1926)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ulF_ypRPFlU/hqdefault.jpg "Emilio De Gogorza - La Golondrina [The Swallow] (1926)
Performed by: Emilio De Gogorza
Full Song Title: La Golondrina
Recorded in: 1926
Flip side of: https://youtu.be/wIoV_clHo1M
Emilio Eduardo de Gogorza (born May 29, 1872 – died May 10, 1949) was an American baritone of Spanish parentage.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, but brought up and trained musically in Spain. He returned to the USA in his early 20s. He sang in many languages, including French, Italian and English, as well as Spanish. Owing to pronounced near-sightedness, he did not appear on the operatic stage but became a renowned concert and recital artist instead.
De Gogorza recorded prodigiously for the Victor Talking Machine Company. His records display the intelligence and sensitivity of his singing, as well as a polished vocal technique. Victor released many recordings not only under his own name but under various aliases such as Carlos Francisco and Herbert Goddard. He used these pseudonyms for records issued on Victors lower priced black label instead of the premium priced Red Seal label for which he usually recorded. In addition to recording, he also served as an early A&R man for Victor. He helped persuade other well-known opera singers to record for the company, including Enrico Caruso who signed with the label in 1904. Curiously, De Gogorza and Caruso made only one published recording together, a Spanish song entitled A la luz de la luna (In the moonlight) in 1918. In 1928, De Gogorza recorded the song again, with tenor Tito Schipa.
During this time he also was a professor of voice and music for the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Among his students was Wilbur Evans who in December 1927 won the first Atwater Kent National Radio Audition, winning first prize out of 50,000 contestants. Evans would become a well-known baritone on Broadway and radio, as well as co-starring in Londons South Pacific opposite Mary Martin.
De Gogorza also taught in retirement; among his pupils were the American composer Samuel Barber and the noted Philadelphia music critic, Max de Schauensee, who left many affectionate reminiscences of him.
He died in 1949 in New York City, from lung cancer at the age of 74.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
![Aldo Visconti - Tornerai [You will return] (1937)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v-TKXcpPS7M/hqdefault.jpg "Aldo Visconti - Tornerai [You will return] (1937)
Performed by: Aldo Visconti con orchestra dir. dal M.o Mariotti
Vocalist: Aldo Visconti
Full Song Title: Tornerai
Recorded in: 1937
B-Side: https://youtu.be/HLePKlUmZVw
Emilio Renzi, also known by the stage names Aldo Visconti and Marcello Ferrero (born Faenza, November 2, 1908 - died Turin, October 3, 1990), was a popular Italian tenor of the 1930s.
A light lyric tenor with a small but well-projected voice and remarkable musicality, he studied singing and score reading with tenor Andrea Toscani and maestro Emilio Piccoli.
He made his debut on December 28, 1932, at the Teatro Martinetti in Garlasco, where he played the leading role in Gounods Faust under the direction of maestro Ghiglia. In 1937, at the Teatro Carignano in Turin, he performed as the Contino del Fiore in Crispino e la comare with Afro Poli, followed by the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with Mercedes Capsir and Carlo Galeffi, Zorzeto in Il campiello with Magda Olivero and Poli, and Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Capsir, Ernesto Badini, and Italo Tajo.
He sang multiple times at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and in the main Italian theaters, receiving acclaim from the audience. Thanks to his particularly phonogenic voice, he performed in various opera and operetta productions at EIAR (now Rai), the Italian radio broadcasting company.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Renzi gained great popularity, known not only to opera enthusiasts (he took part in the recording of the first complete opera on 78 rpm records for Cetra, Norma, conducted by Gino Marinuzzi) but also in the field of popular music. Under the pseudonym Aldo Visconti, he became famous for recording hundreds of songs, including a rich series of so-called regime songs.
In 1939, he married the young soprano Marcella Ferrero.
At the conclusion of World War II, the tenor from Faenza encountered closed doors in Italian theaters as a result of his sympathies towards the fascist regime. It wasnt until the early 1950s that he made a comeback to singing, securing a chorus role at Rai in Turin, where he remained for sixteen years. Despite being able to continue performing in concerts even at the age of seventy, he was never able to recapture the same level of success he had once attained.
He died in Turin late at night on October 3, 1990, from a heart attack.
Mario Mariotti, (born 1899 in Paris, France - died 1975 Milan, Lombardy, Italy) was a multi-talented artist. In addition to being a composer, he excelled as a conductor and a songwriter.
In 1931, he married Meme Bianchi, an exceptional soprano renowned for her vocal abilities (1907-2000), and they were blessed with a daughter named Marcella Mariotti, who later pursued a career as an actress.
One of Marios notable roles was as the director of the Odeon record label, where his wife Meme recorded her songs. While he had an accomplished career, Mariottis involvement in scoring Euro-westerns was limited to just one film from the 1950s, The Little Sheriff, which he co-scored alongside Federico Bergamini.
Sadly, Mario Mariotti passed away in Milan, Italy, in 1975.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
![Eric Helgar - In die unbekannte Ferne [Into the unknown distance] (1937)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vDniAT-ovRo/hqdefault.jpg "Eric Helgar - In die unbekannte Ferne [Into the unknown distance] (1937)
Performed by: Teddy Stauffer mit seinen Original-Teddies
Vocalist: Eric Helgar
Full Song Title: In die unbekannte Ferne
Recorded in: 1937
Flip side of: https://youtu.be/vGpa-o8h6sQ
Ernst Heinrich Teddy Stauffer (born 2 May 1909 – died 27 August 1991) was a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner, and restaurateur. He was dubbed Germanys swing-king of the 1930s. He formed the band known as the Teddies (also known as the Original Teddies or the International Teddies), which continued after he left in 1941.
Annual trips to St. Moritz and Arosa, and also a guest appearance in London, were responsible for the international fame of the Teddies band. Until 1939, he appeared with his Original Teddies-Band especially in Berlin and Hamburg. With his jazzy swing music, however, Stauffer increasingly got in trouble with the Reichsmusikkammer.
Teddy Stauffer passed away in 1991 in Acapulco. Following his death, his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, as per his last wish.
Eric Helgar (born February 8, 1910, in Regensburg – died June 14, 1992, in Munich) was a popular German singer, stage, film actor & composer of the 20th century.
Born during his fathers tour, Swiss opera singer Gustl Helgar, Eric Helgar came into the world in Regensburg in 1910. He grew up in Zurich. At the age of 17, he moved to Berlin to live with his grandmother. There, he met Herbert Grenzebach, a friend of his father & the artistic director of the Ultraphon record company. Optimistically, Grenzebach said to Eric Helgar, [...] if your father has such a magnificent voice, you should be able to sing as well!, & invited him for a trial recording. Grenzebachs assumption was correct, Helgar secured his first record contract.
Eric Helgar owed his film career primarily to his popularity as a young record & radio tenor. His initial recordings were made for the Ultraphon label in December 1930 in Berlin, & thereafter, from 1932 onwards, almost exclusively for the newly established record label of Telefunken. However, during the early years, until about 1935, Helgar also worked, sometimes anonymously, for numerous other Berlin record companies. Helgars interesting, diverse, & versatile repertoire was carried by a pleasant, clear, expressive, & easily recognizable voice. It ranged from simple hits to tangos & sophisticated operetta melodies - such as those by Ralph Benatzky (e.g., Telefunken A 1702, 1934); & included equally demanding chansons & cabaret recordings to big-band swing from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. He made his film debut in 1933 with Was Frauen träumen & a year later, he played the lead role in Der Springer von Pontresina The song Wir wollen Freunde sein fürs ganze Leben from this film became a popular hit. From the mid-1930s, Eric Helgar became one of the main vocal interpreters of Adalbert Lutters popular dance orchestra for Telefunken, including at least one propaganda piece for the National Socialists (e.g., 70 Millionen - ein Schlag 1937).
Helgar is occasionally credited as the composer of his own songs, such as the summer tango Wo Meereswogen rauschen (TO Lutter, Telefunken A 2513, 1938, see the list below). He continued to appear in films until the end of World War II, including Gauner im Frack (1937), Friedemann Bach (1941), & Romanze in Moll (1943). In addition, he lent his voice to less musically talented actors like Karl Schönböck in the film Der Blaufuchs (1938). In 1944, Helgar was listed in the Gottbegnadeten-Liste (God-gifted List) of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment & Propaganda.
Eric Helgar recorded well over 1000 records with many leading German dance orchestras, making him one of the most significant German-language vocal interpreters of the shellac record era.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
![Eric Helgar - Dreaming Of The South Seas [Träumen von der Südsee] (1937)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vGpa-o8h6sQ/hqdefault.jpg "Eric Helgar - Dreaming Of The South Seas [Träumen von der Südsee] (1937)
Performed by: Teddy Stauffer mit seinen Original-Teddies
Vocalist: Eric Helgar
Full Song Title: Träumen von der Südsee
Recorded in: 1937
Ernst Heinrich Teddy Stauffer (born 2 May 1909 – died 27 August 1991) was a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner, and restaurateur. He was dubbed Germanys swing-king of the 1930s. He formed the band known as the Teddies (also known as the Original Teddies or the International Teddies), which continued after he left in 1941.
Annual trips to St. Moritz and Arosa, and also a guest appearance in London, were responsible for the international fame of the Teddies band. Until 1939, he appeared with his Original Teddies-Band especially in Berlin and Hamburg. With his jazzy swing music, however, Stauffer increasingly got in trouble with the Reichsmusikkammer.
Teddy Stauffer passed away in 1991 in Acapulco. Following his death, his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, as per his last wish.
Eric Helgar (born February 8, 1910, in Regensburg – died June 14, 1992, in Munich) was a popular German singer, stage, film actor & composer of the 20th century.
Born during his fathers tour, Swiss opera singer Gustl Helgar, Eric Helgar came into the world in Regensburg in 1910. He grew up in Zurich. At the age of 17, he moved to Berlin to live with his grandmother. There, he met Herbert Grenzebach, a friend of his father & the artistic director of the Ultraphon record company. Optimistically, Grenzebach said to Eric Helgar, [...] if your father has such a magnificent voice, you should be able to sing as well!, & invited him for a trial recording. Grenzebachs assumption was correct, Helgar secured his first record contract.
Eric Helgar owed his film career primarily to his popularity as a young record & radio tenor. His initial recordings were made for the Ultraphon label in December 1930 in Berlin, & thereafter, from 1932 onwards, almost exclusively for the newly established record label of Telefunken. However, during the early years, until about 1935, Helgar also worked, sometimes anonymously, for numerous other Berlin record companies. Helgars interesting, diverse, & versatile repertoire was carried by a pleasant, clear, expressive, & easily recognizable voice. It ranged from simple hits to tangos & sophisticated operetta melodies - such as those by Ralph Benatzky (e.g., Telefunken A 1702, 1934); & included equally demanding chansons & cabaret recordings to big-band swing from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. He made his film debut in 1933 with Was Frauen träumen & a year later, he played the lead role in Der Springer von Pontresina The song Wir wollen Freunde sein fürs ganze Leben from this film became a popular hit. From the mid-1930s, Eric Helgar became one of the main vocal interpreters of Adalbert Lutters popular dance orchestra for Telefunken, including at least one propaganda piece for the National Socialists (e.g., 70 Millionen - ein Schlag 1937).
Helgar is occasionally credited as the composer of his own songs, such as the summer tango Wo Meereswogen rauschen (TO Lutter, Telefunken A 2513, 1938, see the list below). He continued to appear in films until the end of World War II, including Gauner im Frack (1937), Friedemann Bach (1941), & Romanze in Moll (1943). In addition, he lent his voice to less musically talented actors like Karl Schönböck in the film Der Blaufuchs (1938). In 1944, Helgar was listed in the Gottbegnadeten-Liste (God-gifted List) of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment & Propaganda.
Eric Helgar recorded well over 1000 records with many leading German dance orchestras, making him one of the most significant German-language vocal interpreters of the shellac record era.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.")
