HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Phil Harris

Birth of Swing Jazz: Phil Harris

Phil Harris

Vocalist, bandleader and actor, Phil Harris, was born on 24 June 1904 in Linton, Indiana, to be raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career as a drummer in a circus band, his parents both circus performers. Harris was a popular entertainer of diverse capacity concerning which recording was a small portion, his not an especially huge or long-lasting fame in comparison to others. Harris' greater fame arrived as a radio star, first amidst the industry as musical director for the 'Jack Benny Program' from 1936 to 1946, then in public on the 'Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show' from 1947 to 1954. He did, however, place eight titles in the Top Ten from 'How's About It?' at #10 in 1933 to 'The Thing' at #1 in 1950, the latter his sole chart-topping issue.

DAHR finds Harris playing drums in the Henry Halstead Orchestra on four tracks including 'Panama' (Victor 19514) and 'Frantic' (Victor 19513) as early as 20 June of 1924 in Oakland, California. Harris hung with Halstead's outfit into 1927. It was September of 1927 that he married Australian actress, Marcia Ralston, in Sydney, he there on tour with an unidentified band. Upon returning to the States he and Carol Lofner formed an orchestra in San Francisco in which he performed as both a drummer and singer in residence at the St. Francis Hotel. The next year in 1929 he performed at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles. First recording with Lofner in 1931, upon the dissolution of their partnership in 1932 Harris put together his own orchestra with which he released his first records as a bandleader in 1933. He won an Academy Award that same year for the film, 'So This Is Harris!' (The Academy Awards or, Oscars, had been conceived in 1929.) All vocals herein are by Harris unless otherwise noted.

'It's Gonna Be You' Phil Harris Orchestra backing Leah Ray

Radio transcription 1933

Composition: Joe Young / Ira Schuster / Little Jack Little

'So This Is Harris' Phil Harris Film directed by Mark Sandrich

Released 13 August 1933

'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' Phil Harris Orchestra

Radio transcription 1935

Also recorded 27 Feb 1937 Vocalion 3565

Music: Harold Arlen 1935 Lyrics: Ted Koehler

First recorded by Cab Calloway 1931

'Riddle Me This' Phil Harris Orchestra

Radio transcription 1935

'Jelly Bean (He’s a Curbstone Cutie)' Phil Harris Orchestra

Recorded 17 Dec 1936 in Los Angeles Vocalion 3430

Composition: Jimmy Dupree / Joe Verges / Sam Rosen

In 1941 Harris married actress and singer, Alice Faye. In 1946 he became musical director for the radio program, 'The Jell-O Show Starring Jack Benny', with which he remained until 1952. It was also 1946 when he and Faye began 'The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show' which aired until 1954. In the latter sixties Harris began working as a voice actor on a number of Disney animated films, which he continued into the latter eighties. Per below, RCA Victor 20- series is 78 rpm shellac. RCA 47- series is 45 rpm vinyl.