Kay Kyser and His Kollege of Musical Knowledge

'You’d Be Surprised'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 29 May 1936   Brunswick 7701

Vocal: Ish Kabibble

Composition: Irving Berlin for the 1919 'Ziegfeld Follies'

Kyser and His Orchestra began to populate the upper tiers of the popularity charts when '(I've Grown So Lonesome) Thinking of You' issued on Brunswick 7449 rose to #20 in 1935. Forty-one of his issues penetrated Billboard's Top Ten from 1936 to 1948 beginning with 'Did You Mean It?' reaching #6. At least five of those rang the bell at #1 starting with 'The Umbrella Man' in 1938 followed by 'Three Little Fishes' in 1939, 'Jingle Jangle Jingle' in 1942, 'Ole Buttermilk Sky' in 1946 and his best-selling title overall, 'The Woody Woodpecker Song' in 1948 [TsorT]. Kyser's Top Ten releases with his orchestra according to Music VF which differ from Beasley who has eleven issues reaching #1:

   1936   #6   Did You Mean It? w vocals by Bill Stoker
   1938   #3   Cry, Baby, Cry
   1938   #5   Music, Maestro, Please!
   1938   #6   Stop Beatin' Around the Mulberry Bush
   1938   #7   Two Sleepy People
   1938   #9   Ya Got Me
   12/1938   #1   The Umbrella Man w vocals by Ginny Simms / Harry Babbitt
   1939   #6   (Gotta Get Some) Shut-Eye
   1939   #10   Concert in the Park
   1939   #5   Cuckoo in the Clock
   1939   #7   I Promise You
   1939   #4   Stairway to the Stars
   1939   #5   The Tinkle Song
   1939   #1   Three Little Fishies w vocals by Ginny Simms / Harry Babbitt / Sully Mason / Ish      Kabibble
   12/1939   #4   The Little Red Fox w vocals by Kyser / Little Audrey / Harry Babbitt as Pokey
   01/1940   #6   Chatterbox w vocals by Harry Babbitt
   05/1940   #2   Playmates w vocals by Sully Mason & His Playmates
   05/1940   #4   With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair w vocals by Ginny Simms
   11/1940   #6   Ferry-Boat Serenade w vocals by Simms / Babbitt / Martin / Williams
   04/1941   #3   Alexander the Swoose w vocals by Simms / Babbitt / Martin / Williams
   07/1941   #6   'Til Reveille w vocals by Simms / Babbitt / Martin / Williams / Mason
   01/1942   #7   (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover w vocals by Harry Babbitt
   03/1942   #8   A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal) w vocals by Sully Mason
   04/1942   #2   Who Wouldn't Love You
   06/1942   #8   Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in Ireland
   07/1942   #1   Jingle Jangle Jingle w vocals by Harry Babbitt
   08/1942   #2   He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings w vocals by Harry Babbitt
   10/1942   #5   Strip Polka w vocals by Jack Martin & the Glee Club
   10/1942   #2   Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition! vocals by the Glee Club
   06/1943   #4   Let's Get Lost
   01/1945   #7   There Goes That Song Again w vocals by Georgia Carroll
   06/1945   #3   Bell Bottom Trousers w vocals by Dolly Mitchell
   07/1945   #10   Can't You Read Between the Lines w vocals by Dolly Mitchell
   08/1945   #10   Rosemary w vocals by Dolly Mitchell
   04/1946   #5   One-Zy Two-Zy (I Love You-Zy) w vocals by the Moonbeams
   09/1946   #1   Ole Buttermilk Sky w vocals by Michael Douglas & the Campus Kids
   11/1946   #8   Huggin' and Chalkin'
   11/1946   #3   The Old Lamp-Lighter w vocals by Michael Douglas & the Campus Kids
   02/1947   #6   Managua, Nicagagua w vocals by Jack Martin & the Campus Kids
   06/1948   #1   Woody Wood-Pecker w vocals by Gloria Wood
   10/1948   #2   On a Slow Boat to China w vocals by Gloria Wood / Harry Babbitt
  

'Did You Mean It?'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Brunswick 7759   1936

Vocal: Bill Stoker

Composition: Mort Dixon / Jesse Greer

'The Umbrella Man'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 1 Sep 1938   Brunswick 8225

Vocals: Ginny Simms / Harry Babbitt

Composition: Vincent Rose / Larry Stock / James Cavanaugh

'Three Little Fishies'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 8 or 10 April 1939   Brunswick 8358

Vocals: Ginny Simms / Harry Babbitt / Sully Mason / Ish Kabibble

Music: Saxie Dowell / Josephine Carringer   Lyrics: Josephine Carringer

'The Little Red Fox'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 17 Oct 1939   Matrix LA 2035A   Columbia 35295

Vocals: Kay Kyser / Harry Babbitt as Little Audrey and Pokey

Composition: Cole Porter / Jerome Kern / Jimmy Heath / Johnny Lange

Kyser was also well-known for his 'Kollege of Musical Knowledge' radio broadcasts beginning in 1938 for Mutual Radio, then NBC from 1939 to 1949. This was a music quiz show with prizes for contestants. Kyser first appeared in film in 'That's Right You're Wrong' premiering 24 November 1939. It was 'You'll Find Out' the next year also directed by David Butler, and starring horror film actors, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Peter Lorre. Kyser married the singer, Georgia Carroll, in June of 1944, she fifteen years younger than he. The vocalist in a couple tracks further below is Mike Douglas of 'The Mike Douglas Show' on television from 1965 to 1981.

'Fit to Be Tied'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

From the RKO Radio Pictures film 'That´s Right, You´re Wrong' released 24 Nov 1939

Vocal: Ginny Sims

Composition: Walter Donaldson

'Like the Fella Once Said'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

From the film 'You'll Find Out'   Filmed 8 August - 11 October 1940   Released 22 Nov 1940

Vocals: Sully Mason / Harry Babbitt / Ginny Simms / Ish Kabibble

Music: Jimmy McHugh   Lyrics: Johnny Mercer

'Alexander the Swoose'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 13 March 1941   Matrix HCO 239   Columbia 36040

Vocals: Harry Babbitt / Ginny Simms / Jack Martin / Max Williams

Composition: Ben Forrest / Leonard Kewller / Glenn Burrs / Frank Furlett

'How Do I Know It’s Real?'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 16 Jan 1942 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 621   Columbia 36526

Vocal: Dorothy Dunn

Composition: Dan Shapiro / Jerry Seelen / Lester Lee

'Who Wouldn't Love You?'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 20 Jan 1942 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 632   Columbia 36526

Vocals: Harry Babbitt / Trudy Erwin   Whistling: Elmo Tanner

Composition: Bill Carey / Carl Fischer

'Pushin' Sand'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 4 May 1942 in Chicago   Matrix CCO 4236-2   Columbia 36676

Tenor sax: Herbie Haymer  Vocals: Dorothy Dunn / Trudy Erwin

Composition: Norman Simmons / Roc Hillman

'Jingle Jangle Jingle'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 21 May 1942 in NYC   Matrix CO 32826   Columbia 36604

Vocals: Harry Babbitt / Julie Conway and The Group

Composition: Joseph Lilley / Frank Loesser

'Praise the Lord & Pass the Ammunition'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 31 July 1942 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 904-1   Columbia 36640

Vocals: Glee Club

Composition: Frank Loesser 1942

'Can’t You Read Between the Lines?'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 2 April 1945 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 1334-A   Columbia 36801

Vocal: Dolly Mitchell

Composition: Jule Styne / Sammy Cahn

'Kay Kyser Kollege of Musical Knowledge'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Radio program aired 29 Aug 1945

'Kay Kyser Kollege of Musical Knowledge'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Radio program aired 21 Nov 1945

'Ole Buttermilk Sky'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 18 July 1946 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 1912-1   Columbia 37073

Vocals: Mike Douglas & the Campus Kids

Composition: Hoagy Carmichael / Jack Brooks

'The Old Lamp-Lighter'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 18 July 1946 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 1921-1   Columbia 37095

Vocals: Mike Douglas & the Campus Kids

Music: Nat Simon   Lyrics: Charles Tobias   1946

'Managua, Nicaragua'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 15 Nov 1946   Matrix HCO 2153   Columbia 37214

Vocals: Gloria Wood & the Campus Kids

Music: Irving Fields   Lyrics: Albert Gamse

Also singing with Kyser's orchestra after World War II in 1946 were Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore with whom he put away 'It's All Up to You' in Hollywood on 7 November 1946 (matrix HCO 2136-1 / Columbia DO-3104). The actress, Jane Russell, joined Kyser on his radio program in 1947, also recording 'Boin-n-n-ng' on 3 April toward release on Columbia 37338. As indicated above, he topped the Billboard charts one last time with 'Woody Wood-Pecker' in 1948 followed by 'On a Slow Boat to China' reaching #2.

'On a Slow Boat to China'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 6 Nov 1947 in Hollywood   Matrix HCO 2765   Columbia 38301

Vocals: Harry Babbitt / Gloria Wood

Composition: Frank Loesser

'Woody Wood-Pecker'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 6 Nov 1947   Matrix HCO 3108-1C   Columbia 38197

Vocals: Harry Babbitt / Gloria Wood

Composition: George Tibbles / Ramey Idriss

'Get Me One of Those'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded sometime 1949   Matrix HCO 3724   Columbia 38506

Vocals: Bob Carroll / Gloria Wood

Music: Don Rodney   Lyrics: Hal David

'Dime a Dozen'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded June 1949   Matrix HCO 3824   Columbia 38549

Vocal: Gloria Wood

Composition: Cindy Walker

'Let's Choo Choo Choo to Idaho'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded 24 Feb 1950   Matrix CO 42899   Columbia 38849

Vocals: Sue Bennett & the Campus Kids

Composition: Al Rinker / Floyd Huddleston

'Six Times a Week'   Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Recorded Nov 1950   Matrix RHCO 3916   Columbia C1413

Vocals: Michael Douglas and Boys

Kyser surprised everybody when he suddenly retired with his wife (Carroll) back to his home state of North Carolina in December of 1950. About 1955 he became a Christian Scientist, of which he became honorary President in 1983. He died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on 23 July 1985. Having had three children, his wife, Georgia, lived until 14 January 2011.