We’re celebrating another composer whose name you might not know but who is an important part of stage and screen musicals in the early part of the 20th century on this week’s Dress Circle (8/11 7:00 p.m.). The composer is James “Jimmy” McHugh who wrote over 500 songs, many of which are considered standards, for eight Broadway musicals, multiple films, and include many “pop” songs.
We’ve decided not to include a few of McHugh’s best-known works like “On the Sunny Side of the Street” so that we could focus on many songs that may not be familiar to you because that’s what we like to do: introduce or reintroduce our listeners to new or forgotten material or composers.
You will hear songs that you may know like “Doin’ the New Low Down” sung by its originator, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” from the film score to “Higher and Higher” as well as the wartime hit, “Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer,” but most of the songs may be new to you.
We’re including songs from film scores like “Bring on the Girls,” “Dancing Lady,” and “King of Burlesque” as well as the revue “Sugar Babies” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” as well as the studio cast recording of “Lucky in the Rain.”
We hope you’ll tune in to hear some wonderful songs by an American original who is sadly forgotten today.
