Russell Davies - 06/09/2009

The name Billy Rose is on many familiar songs, from Great Day and Don't Bring Lulu to More Than You Know and It's Only A Paper Moon. In The Song Show this week, Russell Davies investigates the real extent of his contribution, dipping into Rose's biography by Earl Conrad and listening to evidence on some historic recordings. These include Perry Como (Without A Song) Lonnie Donegan (Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight?) Bobby Darin (There's A Rainbow Round My Shoulder) and Whispering Jack Smith (Me And My Shadow). Along the way, we also hear Marty Bloom, one of Rose's collaborators, playing "effects" on a 1926 Jelly Roll Morton recording; Madeleine Peyroux in 2004 with Back In Your Own Backyard; Frank Sinatra singing My Kind Of Town; Mel Torme in a Rodgers & Hart song that mentions Billy Rose; Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett and much more.