Rudy Vallée & the Connecticut Yankees

Rudy Vallée

Source: Song Facts

Born Hubert Prior Vallée on 28 July 1901 in Island Pond, Vermont, though Rudy Vallée was a bandleader and sax player he was more famous as among the first crooners. Among his major rivals in crooning were Gene Austin and Bing Crosby. In 1917 Vallée dropped out of school at the age of fifteen to assist in the World War I effort. Discovered to be too young for service, he was sent back home. As a result he graduated from high school a couple years late in 1920. In the meantime he had switched from clarinet to sax.

Vallée began to go by "Rudy" around the time he matriculated into the University of Maine in 1921, that after his favorite saxophone player, Rudy Wiedoeft. He is often said to have made his first recordings that year per the obscure 'A Dream' and 'Nola', neither issued insofar as no record of either matrix or release is found. He was a freshman on school break when he went to New York City and paid Columbia fifty hefty dollars for studio time to record sax on 'Japanese Sunset' (matrix 91308) on 31 March of 1922, there no documentation found of that getting released either. He was a student at Yale when he made a couple more unissued recordings on sax in 1923 (Victory/Columbia). During summer break from Yale he took a cruise across the Atlantic to play sax with the Savoy Havana Band at the Savoy Hotel. His first appearance on a commercial issue is believed to have been in 1924 with the Havana Band.

In 'Adrian Rollini' of 2020 Ate van Deldon has Vallée recording above 40 titles with the Havana Band as of September 1924 but doesn't say which. The only sessions I've uncovered of Vallée with the Havana Band were in 1925. Both Brian Rust and Tom Lord have Vallée on clarinet and sax with the Havana Band on 12 March of 1925 for 'Show Me the Way to Go Home' (HMV B-1997), 21 April for 'When My Sugar Walks Down the Street' (HMV B-2013) and 6 May for 'I Like You Best of All' (HMV B-2032). Rust documents the band's next session as of November 1925 with Vallée replaced by Howard Jacobs.

'Show Me the Way'   Rudy Vallée on clarinet and/or sax with the Savoy Havana Band

Recorded 12 March 1925 at the Savoy Hotel in London   HMV B-1997

Drums: Laurie Huntington   Composition: Irving King

Before arriving to Vallée the vocalist it is apt to mention his situation as a crooner with a soft style that didn't carry in large venues, necessitating use of a megaphone. The process of solving the amplification problem had begun with early sound transmitters invented for telephone in the previous century. Johann Philipp Reis had worked on his invention in Germany from 1854 to 1862. Then Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone in 1876. The first patent for the microphone proper was awarded to Thomas Edison in 1877 for the carbon microphone, though David Edward Hughes is said to have invented it first in England as well as coined the term "microphone". The carbon microphone was the one used during the very first radio broadcast in 1910, a performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera House. Electromagnetic microphones were introduced in 1923 by Captain H. J. Round and Harry F. Olson working independently. Victor wrought a boom in the record industry when it began recording electronically in 1925, putting the acoustic era to its demise. Now even classical composers could assume an actual interest in recording. Heretofore it had been an obligation to add your paw print to the wet cement of technology, to record at least something only because acoustic technology said one could. Though poor fidelity didn't make popular artists any the shier, being better than nothing, for many it was an aside to better things to do like perform for real audiences in real sound. But now, to make of recording a major focus of one's career, particularly with radio to advertise, only made sense. Not only did it sound good, but it sold well that way, too.

Continuing at Yale, on 26 March of 1926 Vallée privately recorded 'You’ll Do It Some Day, So Why Not Now?' and 'April Fool' toward Columbia Personal 87-P sold at Yale. Those were probably with the Yale Collegians, a band he joined as a junior. Brian Rust has him directing, playing alto sax and clarinet, and singing for what appears the first time on that date. On 27 March Vallée's sax solo, 'Kiss Me Again', went down toward Columbia Personal 93-P with 'You'll Do It Some Day' flip side also sold at Yale.

Vallée acquired a degree in philosophy from Yale in 1927. Later that year he reformed the Yale Collegians into his own operation and acquired a residency at the Heigh Ho Club at 35 E 53rd Street in New York City where radio station, WABC, recorded performances. One of those was a radio broadcast of 'The Whiffenpoof Song'. The Whiffenpoofs were (are) a Yale a capella group emerging out of the Yale Glee Club in 1909, first performing at Mory's Temple Bar adjacent to Yale in New Haven. Consisting of seniors only, Vallée isn't thought to have been a member though he made their theme song famous. He first recorded 'The Whiffenpoof Song' sometime in 1927 for radio, ten years later on 11 August 1937 toward issue on Bluebird B-7135. The tune had first been published in Marshall Bartholomew's 'Songs of Yale' 1935. Howsoever, Vallée's Yale Collegians weren't popular with the owner of the Heigh Ho Club and managed to get terminated if not before then after the Yale Collegians recorded 'You'll Do It Some Day' on 26 September 1927 toward release on Edison 52108. The Yale Collegians on that were a trio filled by Les Laden, Dick Webster and Vallée. Numerous titles with the Collegians went down for Columbia in 1928 as well.

'The Whiffenpoof Song'   Rudy Vallée w the Yale Collegians

Radio broadcast sometime 1927 prob for WABC at the Heigh Ho Club in Manhattan

Music: Tod Galloway 1 Jan 1908   Lyrics: Meade Minnegerode

'You'll Do It Someday'   Rudy Vallée w the Yale Collegians

Recorded 26 Sep 1927 in NYC   Edison 52108

Collegians: Les Laden / Dick Webster / Vallée   Trumpet: Leroy Morris

Composition: Allie Wrubel

It was 1928 when Vallée formed the band that was the supergroup called the Connecticut Yankees (CY), putting down their first of several tracks in on 10 October for 'Doin' the Raccoon' / 'Bye and Bye, Sweetheart' (Harmony 759-H) and '(I Love You—I Love You—I love you) Sweetheart of All My Dreams' (Harmony 811-H) [DAHR]. ODP (Online Discographical Project) has the same session and issue numbers as Frank Mater & the Collegians [Discogs].

DAHR has the CY commencing in 1929 with a session on 10 January toward 'If I Had You' and 'Makin' Whoopee!' (Harmony 825-H). They reigned the charts that year with 13 Top Ten titles including 'Honey' at #1. The Connecticut Yankees positioned nearly fifty titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'Oh, Ma, Ma' at #5 in 1938. Three of those topped the charts: 'Stein Song' (1930), 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' (1932) and 'Vieni, Vieni' (1937). His solo release of 'As Time Goes By' reached #2 as late as April 1953. TsorT lists Vallée's best-selling titles in the order of 'As Time Goes By' of 1943, 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' of 1932 and 'Stein Song' of 1930. Vallée also placed numerous titles on the charts as a composer, his first to reach the Top Ten being 'Deep Night' by the CY reaching #2 in 1929, that written in collaboration with Charlie Henderson.

'If I Had You'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 10 Jan 1929 in NYC   Harmony 825-H   Charts: #7 1929

Composition: Irving King / Ted Shapiro   (Irving King = Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly)

'My Time Is Your Time'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 2 Feb 1929 at Liederkranz Hall in NYC   Victor 21924   Charts: #8 1929

Music: Leo Dance   Lyrics: Eric Little

'The One in the World'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 29 April 1929   Victor 21998

Arrangement: Domenico Savino   Music: Leo Dance   Lyrics: Eric Little

It was also 1929 when Vallée began hosting the 'Fleischmann's Yeast Hour' radio program. Also known as the 'The Rudy Vallée Show', it became the 'The Royal Gelatin Hour' in 1936 until 1939. Vallée had also starred in his first feature film in December of 1931: 'The Vagabond Lover'. He and his Connecticut Yankees had already featured in titles like 'Deep Night' in the short film, 'Rudy Vallée and His Connecticut Yankees' released in May.

'Heigh Ho Everybody!'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

'The Fleischman Hour'   NBC radio broadcast 3 Jun 1929

Composition: Harry Woods

'A Little Kiss Each Morning'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 6 Nov 1929 in NYC   Victor 22193   Charts: #3 1930

For the film 'The Vagabond Lover'

Composition: Harry Woods

'I'm Just a Vagabond'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees   Film

'Glorifying The American Girl' released 7 Dec 1929

Composition: Leon Zimmerman / Vallée

Amidst the phenomenal success of the CY in 1929 Vallée published his memoir, 'Vagabond Dreams Come True', the same year. Chapter 1 describes the earliest part of his career. Chapter 16 concerns his early recordings. In keeping with one of the common themes in early popular music since ragtime that was the collegiate song, Vallée recorded the University of Maine's 'Stein Song' on 10 February 1930 toward Victor 22321 [45 Worlds] which topped the charts that year. Vallée originally recorded 'Kitty from Kansas City' on 4 April 1930 toward issue on Victor 22419 and HMV B-5867 in 1930. This song was recorded again for the animated film featuring the Betty Boop character, 'Kitty from Kansas City', released in November 1931.

'Maine Stein Song'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Song of the University of Maine

'The Fleischman Hour'   NBC radio broadcast 10 Feb 1930

Music: E. A. Fenstad's march 'Opie' of 1901   Lyrics: Lincoln Colcord 1902

'Kitty from Kansas City'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 30 April 1930 in NYC   Victor 22419   HMV B-5867

Composition: Jesse Greer / George Bronson / Harry Rose / Vallée

'Betty Co-Ed'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 25 June 1930   Victor 22473-A   Charts: #4 1930

Composition: Paul Fogarty / Vallée

'You're Driving Me Crazy'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 25 June 1930   Victor 22572   Charts: #3 Dec 1930

Composition: Walter Donaldson

'Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 7 August 1931 in NYC   Victor 22783   Charts: #3 1931

Music: Ray Henderson   Lyrics: Lew Brown

'The Thrill Is Gone'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 8 August 1931 in NYC   Victor 22784-B   Charts: #10 1931

Music: Ray Henderson   Lyrics: Lew Brown

IBDB has Vallée appearing on Broadway as early as 'George White's Scandals' in Sep 1931-32, again in Dec 1935-36. The animated film, 'Kitty from Kansas City' (Betty Boop above), was released on 1 November 1931.

'Kitty from Kansas City'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Betty Boop animated film released by Paramount 1 Nov 1931

Composition: Jesse Greer / George Bronson / Harry Rose / Vallée

'Let's Put Out the Lights'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 9 Sep 1932   Columbia 2715-D   Charts: #2 1932

Composition: Herman Hupfeld

'Orchids in the Moonlight'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Recorded 8 Nov 1933   Victor 24459 / 32042   Charts: #4 1934

Composition: Herman Hupfeld

During World War II Vallée put his career on hold to join the Coast Guard from 1941 to 1944. He had appeared on television numerously since 1931. Discogs has Vallée issuing his first album, 'Songs of a Vagabond Lover', on both 10" and two 7" in 1954.

'The Whiffenpoof Song'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees   Television

'Ed Sullivan Show'   13 Feb 1949

Music: Tod Galloway 1 Jan 1908   Lyrics: Meade Minnegerode

'Songs of a Vagabond Lover'   Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees

Album issued 1954

Vallée's first LP was 'Drinking Songs' in 1954 with Ken Darby & the Kings Men. Vallée starred in the Broadway musical, 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying', from 1961 to 1965. That was also his last feature film, released in 1967. Vallée also recorded his last album, 'Hi Ho Everybody', in 1967. Having published another autobiography, 'My Time Is Your Time', in 1962, he died of cancer on 3 July 1986 in Hollywood. His wife, Eleanor, wrote the memoir, 'My Vagabond Lover', published by Taylor in 1996.