Evening star., 1952-02-20
By Horry MocArthur


secret.b
frankie Laine was one of the
leaders in this movement away
from the relaxed approach which
gave the impression that sing
ing wasn't really difficult and
could even be enjoyed by the
singer. Mr.. Lame is one Of the
top men among the rhythm
singers. all right. and his fans
will please keep the hatchets
sheathed. 1t must be admitted,
though, that it is hard work to
watch him at length. since he
always seems to be trying to
suppress this seething song, then
gives it an additional punch when
it explodes from him.
This singing which sounds like
a sentence at hard labor rather
than a pleasure afflicts the radio
more than it does television, of
course. but enough Of it turns
up on the living room screens
to be regarded with alarm.
The Guilty-The record COM
panies, which like to make mil
lions from such vocal cataclysms
as Johnny Rays Little White
Cloud" probably are more to
blame than any one else for the
new approach. One singer who
places the blame on their door,
step is Curt Massey, who is heard
on more radio stations than any
other man, with programs five
times a week on both CHS and
Mutual.
Recording companies are 60
ing to be the death of singers yeti"
Mr.. Massey complains. He is not
really angry with the platter
Ipressers. because he likes his roy
Ialties, too, but he does deplore the
trend.
"It used to be that a singer re-
corded strictly for home consump-
ton, nice and quiet and easy, but
not any more. The recording COM
panies keep telling you to punch
the daylights' out of a song. They
claim we have to do it nowadays
because Of the big sale of records
for the juke boxes. And where
are most of the juke boxes? In
noisy bars and restaurants. There
fore. to put over a song, YOU have
to punch it with everything you've
got to be heard above the din"
There is one viewer who wishes
to go on record today as hoping
someone will advise the singers to-
keep their juke box styles for the
juke points. The competitive din
isn't quite that bad when they
come riding television into the
parlor.
+ \ X 4
It's the Phrasing - One man
standing steadfast against this
trend is Frank Sinatra, who con-
tinues to do all right, on television
with "The Frank Sinatra Show"
(WTOP-TV-Tuesday, 8 pm). in
such movies as Meet Danny Will
son" and in sundry kindred fields
of endeavour. Both he and his
arranger since 1914, Ken Lane,
think the romance is taken out
of popular music by the plugging
of such things as "Old Smokey" I"
Sound OFF" and worse.
They have aligned themselves
firmly with the ballad and the
blues song and Lane wouldn't
think of arranging a novelty tune
for Sinatra any more than Sinatra
would think of singing it, he re-
ports stoutly. He, Lane that is,
thinks in fact that young would
be singers could do a lot worse
than study frankie Boys phrasing.
"A great portion of Franks sue
cess as a singer" Lane says. "is
due to the fact that he knows how
to phrase his melodies, how to
give words and notes proper
emphasis at the proper time. Lis
ten closely and you'll find that his
phrasing tells story"
| The real secret Of Sinatra's sue
cess, according to Lane (who ar
ranged such Sinatra hits as "All
of Me" and BLACK Magic" is that
he can "bend a note" This is
about all the help the arranger is
going to be, however, If you are
sitting there wondering how to
emulate Sinatra (vocally, that Isl
Don't ask me to give you a
definition of bending a note," he
says. "It's just something that
Frank does, a certain stylized
something that makes people
Iquiver all over when he sustains
a long one"
/ Bending note. anyhow, is bet
ter than jumping up and down
and stomping all over it, the way
some of these new boys do.
u u Il 4
Network Spreads-The teleview-
ers of the South and Southwest
will have ringside seats at this
years political conventions in Chi
Icago if the A. T. g. T. extends its
microwave relay and coaxial cable
links according to schedule. Unless
material shortages prevent, this
summer will see network televisior
going into Miami, Fla; New
Orleans. La; Houston, Dallas ane
Fort Worth, Tex, and Oklahoma
lefty, Okla. This will bring tht
lTV network, now covering 95 sta
ltions in 54 cities, to 102 stations
lin 60 cities. San Antonio ant
Tulsa will have to do withou
political conventions and live OF
kinescope. movies and local far,