Also that month, Lee participated in a massive recording undertaking for a Capitol album called Jerome Kern’s Music, featuring a host of other artists. Lee recorded “She Didn’t Say Yes” for this project, which was originally released in 78-rpm format on four discs. It was later released as a 10-inch LP disc and as an EP (three 45-rpm discs). Johnny Mercer, Martha Tilton, The Nat Cole Trio, Margaret Whiting, The Pied Pipers, and Paul Weston were among the stars called in for this album, which may have been an effort by Capitol to proactively produce music by their top artists in anticipation of another recording ban.
Indeed, in October the American Federation of Musicians once again engaged in disputes with record companies over wages and contractual agreements, threatening a second debilitating strike. This caused the studios to schedule far more recording dates than usual for artists on their rosters. Fortunately, by October twentieth the parties had reached a settlement, and the recording schedule relaxed again. Four songs were recorded during this period by Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour: “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Birmingham Jail,” “Don’t Be So Mean to Baby” (again), and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Recording masters of the first and last in this list were cast aside and never released until many decades later. Without the urgent need for new material, Capitol may have simply dismissed these recordings and moved on toward new, contemporary material. This session’s version of “Don’t Be So Mean to Baby” was released in 1948 (the previously recorded version was not released until sixty years later), and “Birmingham Jail” went public in 1951.
“Birmingham Jail” boasted an easy swinging rendition of this traditional American folk song. A refreshing new take on this well-known song lent the arrangement some historical value. The bouncing swing beat and Lee’s down-to-earth style lent new contemporary American relevance to the folk song genre as interpreted by the best swing musicians of the time period. “Don’t Be So Mean to Baby” was recorded again, replacing the horn section featured in the July recording with a guitar solo in October. The couple had booked a recording session in New York during a string of concerts at the Paramount Hotel and hired an unknown combo of performers. Both versions of this original song were vocally similar, although Lee presented the melody in a naturally expressive speech-like manner appropriate for the song’s moderately slow swing style, so each version inhabited its own unique character. Lee’s extemporaneous approach to recording jazz and blues possessed much freedom and originality by this point in her career, making the recording of identical iterations of the same song highly unlikely. Thus, the song versions possess differences, both in arrangement and in vocal delivery.
The couple recorded eight masters (all jazz or blues) during the New York recording session in October 1946. Four were ballads and four exhibited a medium swing feel. Music historian Iván Santiago-Mercado has asserted that these eight songs may have been intended for a Lee-Barbour album, as eight tracks often comprised a full album in the 1940s. However, no such album ever transpired for these masters, so some were stored in the Capitol vaults until their eventual release in 2008. These songs included: “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues (Nuages),” “You Can Depend on Me,” “Trouble Is a Man,” “Music, Maestro, Please,” “Birmingham Jail,” and “Don’t Be So Mean to Baby.”[9]
Upon returning to Los Angeles, the Barbours lost no time in commencing with the recording routine. Recorded in November 1946, “Everything Is Movin’ Too Fast” hit the Billboard charts in February, peaking at number twenty-one, and gave the Barbour-Lee songwriting team their third hit. This medium-fast swing tune relied heavily on the blues and displayed clever lyrics about the ever-increasing pace of modern society. With its catchy melody and relevant words, the song found its niche in the canon of late 1940s swing music. It also may have served as a harbinger of trends to come—rock and roll was around the corner, and swing’s days were numbered. “Everything Is Movin’ Too Fast” sent the clear message that Lee wished the world would slow down to a more easygoing, comfortable pace.
In January 1947 Lee recorded “Speaking of Angels,” a romantic ballad played by Dave Barbour and His Orchestra, featuring the gentle accompaniment of flutes, clarinets, other subtle woodwinds, and muted horns. At the same session, they recorded the Gershwin/Buddy DeSylva classic “Somebody Loves Me” for a Capitol compilation album titled The Beloved Songs of Buddy DeSylva. Several other recording stars appeared on this album, including Johnny Mercer, Martha Tilton, The King Cole Trio, The Pied Pipers, and Margaret Whiting. This 78-rpm album contained four discs of music by some of the finest Capitol recording artists of all time, yet, unfortunately, it has never been released on compact disc for twenty-first-century aficionados to enjoy.
In March of that year, Peggy reunited with Benny Goodman to create a recording of “Eight, Nine, and Ten,” a simple swing tune with a melody consisting of a repeated tonic note. This time Goodman and Lee recorded with a smaller combo rather than with their previous eighteen-piece jazz orchestra. The Benny Goodman Sextet, featuring Dave Barbour on the guitar, proved to be in line with the trend of downsizing bands. This trend continued through the late 1940s and beyond, both for financial reasons and due to the fact that big bands generally were becoming less popular in favor of small jazz combos and rock bands. A simple rhythm section—guitar, bass, drum set, and a horn or singer—soon replaced the larger ensembles. Goodman later recorded another version of this song with his own voice providing the vocal part.
In April, Lee recorded “Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba” (also known as “My Bambino, Go to Sleep”), which climbed to number ten on the popular music charts. Perry Como’s version of this song reached number one. Lee’s version began with a gentle swing reminiscent of a rocking cradle; it then transitioned to a fast and furious double-time section, returning again to a lullaby-like finish with male backup singers providing support, singing the song title while Lee spoke a mixture of Italian and English to the infant receiving this serenade. At the same recording session Lee performed “Ain’tcha Ever Comin’ Back?” which was also recorded by Frank Sinatra. Both Sinatra’s and Lee’s versions spent one week on the Disc-Hits Box Score music chart.
On July 3, 1947, Lee and Barbour recorded another original collaboration, “Just an Old Love of Mine,” a slow ballad with a melancholic nostalgia for days and relationships gone by. Lee’s tender, unhurried, soft vocal approach to this musically rewarding piece left the listener in a reverie of blissful relaxation, as if she lulled her audience to sleep—something she was truly capable of doing, whether in a live performance room filled with people or in a recording studio. Other versions of this popular Lee-Barbour song were recorded for Columbia Records by Doris Day, for RCA Victor by Tommy Dorsey, for MGM by Billy Eckstine, and for Majestic by Dick Farney. Lee’s take on this ballad reached number thirty-four in the popular music charts and stayed for two weeks during the month of October. “Just an Old Love of Mine” and its popularity among studios and recording artists furthered the Barbour-Lee songwriting team’s credibility and clout in the pop songwriting business.
Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour in rehearsal. Photofest.
Although Peggy was in wonderful voice during this recording date, her lovely performance of another song, “Why Should I Cry Over You,” remained locked in Capitol’s vaults until the album Rare Gems and Hidden Treasures was finally released in 2000. Joined as usual by Dave Barbour (this time with a group of unknown musicians billed as the Dave Barbour All-Stars), Lee displayed exuberant swing in full-voiced style.
Why so many seemingly high-quality masters remained unreleased for over five decades seemed peculiar, indeed. Lee, however, had little decision-making power