1931 Music – Pop Standards and Artists

1931 Pop Standards and Artists

Cab Calloway and his Cotton Club Orchestra
Minnie the Moocher
This song would be song recorded and re-recorded by Cab Calloway. The song would be known for its skat lyrics which would have Callaway sing a phrase and then the audience would repeat the phrase. Calloway would make the phrases more and more complicated until the audience could no longer follow him. Max Fleischer would animate the song using Betty Boop as its main character.

The song would be used in many TV shows such as That Girl and Family Guy. In movies the song would be used in The Blues Brothers, Calloway would sing the song himself in the film. Cab Calloway would have a long and successful career. He would even star with Pearl Bailey in an all-black version of Jerry Herman’s Hello Dolly.

Ethel Waters
I Got Rhythm
This song would span the decades. Written by The Gershwin brothers, the song was originally sung by the great Ethel Merman in the show Girl Crazy. It would be used in An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly and made it to # 3 on the charts in 1967 when sung by The Happenings. Barbra Streisand and Brian Wilson also recorded the song and Merman would record a disco version in the 1970s.

Guy Lombardo
Goodnight Sweet Heart
The song was written by the British songwriting team of Ray Noble, Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, and performed by such artists as Rudy Vallée, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin, among others. The song appeared in two different films Stage Door Canteen and Holiday in Mexico.

Jacques Renard and his Orchestra
As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By was written by Herman Hupfeld and performed as hit by Jacques Renard and his Orchestra as well as Rudy Vallee that year. The song was performed first in the Broadway musical Everybody’s Welcome. This song would come into its full popularity in 1942 when it was sung in the film Casablanca. This song would appear on AFI’s 100 years 100 songs at #2.

Libby Holman
Love For sale
This was written in 1930 for the Broadway musical The New Yorkers. although it became popular it was considered scandalous at the time as it was sung by a prostitute describing her profession. The song was banned by radio stations at the time, but it would go on to be recorded many times in subsequent years.

Louis Armstrong
Lazy River
This song was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin and published in 1930. The song began making it’s mark in 1931 when it was recorded by Louis Armstrong. The song would be recorded over and over by such artists as The Mills Brothers and Harry Connick Jr. The song was sung as a duet by Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett in an episode of The Lucy Show.

Paul Whiteman
Cuban Love Song
This song was the title for a 1931 film that told the story of a U.S. soldier who returns to Cuba to seek his illegitimate child. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and produced at MGM in 1931, the film starred Lawrence Tibbett, Lupe Velez, Jimmy Durante.

Ray Noble
Lady Of Spain
This song was written in 1931 by Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell, and Henry Tilsley. It would continue to be recorded and gain in popularity over the next decade and more. Artists like Bing Cosby, Eddie Fisher. The song was a sort of signature song for Lawrence Welk’s Accordionist Myron Floren.