(The flip side, “I Ain’t Lazy, I’m Just Dreaming” with a vocal by Jack Teagarden, made the charts, too). It was his first really big hit, landing at number one in the charts for 15 weeks. (An interesting feature of this recording is the shuffle rhythm played by guitarist Benny Martel, quite possibly the first recording of this effect that became a huge part of rhythm ‘n blues music two decades later.) Goodman further streamlined Hudson’s arrangement, making trombonist Jack Teagarden the focus. In true Tin Pan Alley, song-plugger fashion, Hudson’s next stop was Benny Goodman, who, like Venuti, was planning to leave his successful freelance career behind to become a leader. Alto saxophonist Eddie Barefield is the star of the session, contributing an outstanding solo. Hudson tailored the arrangement by leaving spaces to spotlight Cab’s musicians. Venuti’s version contains a verse, which Hudson discarded before rearranging the tune and giving it to Cab Calloway, who recorded it in January, 1934. He managed to get the tune into the Broadway show Blackbirds of 1934 which opened in New York in December, 1933, and eventually played London in August, 1934. Undaunted, Hudson continued to push his song. Neither recording did much during the record buying doldrums of the Depression. (He’s on literally thousands of records from the period.) Joe liked the tune and recorded it twice-in September and October of 1933- prior to the number’s publication. Venuti had just formed a big band after years of work with top groups like Paul Whiteman and successful freelancing on radio and records. Hudson’s tune and arrangement were picked up by violinist Joe Venuti. So I wrote ‘Moonglow.’” Hudson’s band flopped, so he traveled to New York and was hired by promoter/publisher Irving Mills as an arranger and composer. Back in the early ‘30s, I had a band at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit, and I needed a theme song. Simon, while working on a compilation of music for The Big Band Songbook, contacted composer Will Hudson regarding “Moonglow,” and Hudson explained how the tune came about.
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