Gene Austin

Gene Austin

Source: Gene Austin Blog

Among the earliest of crooners was Gene Austin. "Crooners" were (are) vocalists who sang at a natural low volume as compared, for example, to later blues shouters. Vocals were a lot of yelling before successful development of microphone technology in 1925, needing to being heard throughout an auditorium or distinctly from the rest of a band. Enter the megaphone. Not that one couldn't croon in a tavern for a few snoring sailors having drank themselves to slumber, but large halls and acoustic recording were a pain in the neck. Soft crooning for the masses comfortably arrived only with the microphone, an instance of major musical style sprung of technology.

Born on 24 June 1900 in Gainesville, Texas, Austin ran away from home to Houston at age fifteen where he was hired as a vaudeville singer. At age seventeen he joined the Army, serving both for General Pershing in his unsuccessful hunt after Pancho Villa and in Europe during World War I. In 1919 Austin began singing in Baltimore taverns. The earliest session to issue found for Austin was on 5 April 1924 in NYC for 'A Thousand Miles From Here' (Vocalion 14821 / lyrics), a duet with Roy Bergere with Austin at piano as well. Flip side was 'All Day Long'.

'A Thousand Miles From Here'   Gene Austin (piano) w Roy Bergere (sax)

Recorded 5 April 1924 NYC   Vocalion 14821

Composition: Austin / Bergere

Austin's first of six titles to land in the Top Ten as a composer was 'How Come You Do Me Like You Do?' written with Bergere and released by Marion Harris on Brunswick 2610 to reach #5 in August 1924. His first recording to reach the Top Ten was 'Yearning' at #2 in June of 1925.  Austin released nigh forty titles that found the Top Ten to as late as 'When Your Lover Has Gone' at #10 in 1931. Nine of those topped the charts at #1:

   Yes Sir! That's My Baby   1925
   Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue   1926
   Bye Bye, Blackbird   1926
   Forgive Me   1927
   My Blue Heaven   1927
   Tonight You Belong to Me   1927
   Jeannine, I Dream of Lilac Time   1928
   Ramona   1928
   Carolina Moon   1929

Of the above, Austin's best-selling titles had been 'Bye Bye, Blackbird', 'My Blue Heaven' and 'Yes Sir! That's My Baby' in that order. In addition, Austin and Carson Robison issued 'Way Down Home' in 1925, that reaching the #9 tier.

Among duets with Aileen Stanley was 'When My Sugar Walks Down the Street' recorded in January of 1925 in NYC with composition by Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh and Austin. McHugh was a major composer behind numerous popular titles, some in collaboration with Dorothy Fields from 'Diga Diga Doo' (1928) to 'Sunny Side of the Street' (1930) to 'I'm In the Mood for Love' (1935). Others w whom Austin performed include Candy & Coco (Johnny Candido at bass and Otto Heimel at guitar) with whom he entertained from 1932-34 on the 'California Melodies' radio program for CBS affiliate radio station, KHJ, in Los Angeles. Likely documented on radio transcriptions as well, that trio later issued 'Dear Old Southland' with 'China Boy' on Decca 1656 in 1938. They toured together to as late as 1940.

'Yes Sir! That's My Baby'   Gene Austin w Billy “Yuke” Carpenter (Ukulele)

Recorded 24 April 1925 in NYC   Victor 19656   Charts: #1 Aug 1925

Music: Walter Donaldson   Lyrics: Gus Kahn

'Bye Bye, Blackbird'   Gene Austin

Recorded 29 April 1926 in NYC   Victor 20044   Charts: #1 July 1926

Music: Ray Henderson   Lyrics: Mort Dixon

'My Blue Heaven'   Gene Austin

Recorded 14 Sep 1927 in NYC   Victor 20964-A   Charts: #1 1927

Music: Walter Donaldson   Lyrics: George A. Whiting

'Sweetheart of Sigma Chi'   Gene Austin

Recorded 16 Sep 1927 in NYC   Victor 20977   Charts: #8 Dec 1927

Music: F. Dudleigh Vernor   Lyrics: Byron D. Stokes

'St. Louis Blues'   Gene Austin w Benny Goodman (clarinet)

Recorded 6 June 1928 in NYC   Victor 21714

Composition: W.C. Handy   1914

'Sonny Boy'   Gene Austin

Recorded 7 Nov 1928 in NYC   Matrix BVE-48134-3   Victor 21779   Charts: #12 1929

Composition: Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson / Lew Brown / Al Jolson

'She's Funny That Way'   Gene Austin

Recorded 7 Nov 1928 in NYC   Matrix BVE-48135-3   Victor 21779   Charts: #3 1929

Composition: Neil Morét / Richard Whiting

'A Garden In the Rain'   Gene Austin backed by the Nat Shilkret Orchestra

Recorded 13 March 1929 in NYC   Victor 21915   Charts: #15 1929

Composition: Carroll Gibbons / James Dyrenforth

'You're Driving Me Crazy'   Gene Austin

Recorded 29 Dec 1930 in NYC   Victor 22601

Composition: Walter Donaldson

Austin had written the lyrics to 'The Lonesome Road' with music by Nathaniel Shilkret in 1927, that used in the 1929 film, 'Showboat'. IMDb has him performing uncredited in the 1934 films, 'Sadie McKee' and 'Gift of Gab'. Austin co-authored several songs for the 1936 Mae West film, 'Klondike Annie', including 'Mr. Deep Blue Sea' with James P. Johnson.

'Blue Sky Avenue'   Gene Austin   Film: 'Gift of Gab'   Released 1 Sep 1934

Candy: Johnny Candido (bass)   Coco: Otto Heimel (guitar)

Director Karl Freund   Musical Director: Edward Ward

Music: Albert von Tilzer / Con Conrad / Charles Tobias

'Songs and Saddles'   Gene Austin   Film   Released 1 June 1938

Directed by Harry L. Fraser

Austin's career entered its decline come the forties. During that time he traveled the circuit of a large tent show operation needing fourteen trucks. He retired to Palm Springs in the latter fifties, then unsuccessfully ran for Nevada governor as a Democrat in 1962 (failing receive nomination). Austin died on 24 Jan of 1972 in Palm Springs, California, having been through five wives from 1924 to 1972 that produced two children.