I'm no expert on
song poem artists and their songs, but I'm reasonably certain that the story of Chicago musician William Indelli (1924-1986) is the exception to the song-poem rule, and then some. To call him a song-poem artist is almost unfair, really, given that he started his career working with such big names as ex-Harry-James-vocalist Buddy Di Vito and arranger/conductor/songwriter Lew Douglas (arranger and conductor for Joni James, among others, and A&R man at Mercury's Wing label and, later, Carlton). At least seven of his songs received legitimate releases (most on Chicago labels Chance and B and F). By contrast, only three Indelli titles--
I Mustn't,
Don't Cry My Heart, and
A Miracle of Love--show up in the discographies at Phil's Milstein's song-poem site (link above).
But... William did a great deal of (what definitely appears to be) song-poem publishing, as opposed to s-p recording, through an outfit called Tin Pan Alley Publications, which may be (but probably isn't) the
Tin Pan Alley outfit mentioned at Phil's site. Phil is of the opinion that the two are not one and the same, though he believes Indelli's music was indeed published by way of some song poem company or another. I agree. These images (from the single Indelli sheet music example in my collection)--
1 and
2--will give you an idea why. (The brown spots are a result of brightness/contrast enhancement.) Indelli put quite a number of his songs into print through/with Tin Pan Alley, including several we'll be hearing today.
In the five years since I first featured Indelli's
Elementary, My Dear Watson (1960), I've heard from two people who knew Indelli, including a younger cousin--and the archives of
Billboard magazine have gone on line. The information I've gained has allowed me to find, over the months, four Indelli titles at Addictedtostuff.com, a.k.a. eBay. Speaking of
Billboard, I'm almost completely certain that this
Bill Indelli is our man. Praised in 1944 as a trombonist who "hits the high notes in a style that rivals Tommy Dorsey"--how many song poem clients can boast that kind of resume?
There's much to love here--the Miller quotes inserted into
Glenn Miller, for instance; the dreamy
Weeping Winds (a retitling of
Dame Fortune, the previous number in the B and F label's catalog!), the delightful novelty number (and MY(P)WHAE favorite)
Elementary, My Dear Watson, and
Heavenly, which Billboard described as "a bright, medium-beat tune" which "comes in for a listenable go" by Lew Douglas' orchestra.
Thanks to Christopher, Dick, and to Phil Milstein for all of their help in getting William Indelli some deserved Internet attention. To the Indelli.
(
Click on title to hear selections, or click on zip file link for the entire set.)
GLENN MILLER (Wm. Indelli)--Buddy Di Vito, 1954 (Chance 3011).
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON (William Indelli)--William Indelli and His Orch, 1960 (B and F 1328).
DAME FORTUNE--Same.
WEEPING WINDS (William Indelli)--Lew Douglas and His Orch., 1960 (
B and F 1329).
MARY ANN'S ROCK (Roberts-Indelli)--Same.
HEAVENLY (W. Indelli-K. Roberts-A. Lavere)--Lew Douglas and His O. (B and F 1331).
ZIP FILE
Further info on William, including song titles and/or recordings (besides the on-line copyright info regarding Tin Pan Alley Publications), would be most welcome and appreciated.
Lee
