“Stardreams”
Composed by Sonny Burke, Charlie Spivak and Sylvia Dee; arranged by Sonny Burke.
Recorded by Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra for Okeh on October 14, 1941 in New York.
Charlie Spivak, trumpet, directing: Buddy Yaeger, Tris Hauer and Legh Knowles, trumpets; Nelson Riddle, Bill Mustarde and Ben Long, trombones; Benny Lagasse and Jerry Florian, alto saxophones; Michael “Peanuts” Hucko and Don Raffell, tenor saxophones; Hal Tennyson, baritone saxophone; Dave Mann, piano; Kenny White, guitar; Jerry Middleton, bass; Norris Edwin “Bunny” Shawker, drums.
NOTE: With the posting of this lovely melody, which was the theme song of trumpeter Charlie Spivak, we inaugurate another category here at swingandbeyond.com, “Theme Songs.” During the swing era, before the widespread use of television, radio was the most important mass medium for the presentation of music. Swing era bands vied with each other to appear on radio, and when they did, they needed a musical calling card that would identify them even before the radio announcer introduced them using words. As we present more theme songs, you will discover that many of them are not only beautiful musically, they are memorable. That was the reason they were created.
The story: Charlie Spivak (1907-1982) was a fine musician who made his reputation among musicians by playing lead trumpet in many bands during and before the swing era. Spivak, who became known for his warm, resonant trumpet sound, worked his way through the bands of Paul Specht (1924-30), Ben Pollack (1931-34), and the Dorsey Brothers (1934-35). Starting in 1935, Spivak worked with Ray Noble, but he also found time to work with an old friend of his from the Pollack band, Gil Rodin, making recordings. This continued through 1936. Spivak worked through 1937 in the New York radio and recording studios. But he found that work to be confining, and was induced to return to working with Bob Crosby’s touring band by that group’s actual leader, Gil Rodin. In August of 1938, Tommy Dorsey, who then had a sponsored radio show and the money that went with it, made Spivak an attractive financial offer which lured him away from Crosby/Rodin.
Spivak’s first steps toward being a bandleader came at the beginning of 1939 when trombone wizard Jack Teagarden, after many years with Paul Whiteman, formed his own big band. Teagarden chose Spivak to be his first trumpeter, and the new band’s “strawboss,” who dealt with many of the issues involving the musicians in the Teagarden band. But Spivak made it known to Teagarden that he wanted to form his own band as soon as that would be possible. By November of 1939, Spivak had left Teagarden (replaced by Frank Ryerson), and began organizing his own band. (Above right: Charlie Spivak plays a solo with Jack Teagarden’s band in 1939. Fellow trumpeter Aniello Castaldo (Lee Castle) listens.)
Details about the first Spivak band are lacking, but the band debuted in St. Paul, Minnesota, probably late in 1939, and worked unsteadily through 1940. The band had no recording contract, and basically played widely-scattered one-night dance jobs. By the end of 1940, Spivak was exhausted. It is unknown how much money he lost while trying to keep his first band going, but it would not be unreasonable to say he lost a lot. He broke up his band and returned to New York and tried to untangle the reasons why his band had been a failure.
It is unclear if Glenn Miller was involved in any way with the first Spivak band. At the time that band was being organized, Miller was still very much involved in building his own band’s success. It is clear however that Glenn Miller definitely became involved in the management of the second Spivak band, the one Charlie gradually reorganized. That band had previously been led by Bill Downer, later a successful music publisher and Decca Records executive. Miller and Spivak had been friends for many years. They had worked together in Ray Noble’s band, and Spivak had helped Miller out by playing lead trumpet on Miller’s very early recordings. Miller liked Spivak, and thought that he could be a successful bandleader. That, however, required superior management on the business side of this second Spivak band, something that Charlie’s failed first band did not have.
Glenn Miller talks, Charlie Spivak listens. Their business relationship was win-win for both of them.
Without getting ensnarled in too many details, in early 1941, Glenn Miller essentially directed his management team to begin to manage the Spivak band. This was not entirely an act of altruism on Miller’s part. It was a business transaction. Miller undoubtedly loaned money to Spivak’s band operation, as needed. In exchange, the Spivak band was used to cover for the Miller band at the Cafe’ Rouge at Hotel Pennsylvania when the Miller band had to broadcast their sponsored network radio show, and as a substitute on other gigs when there was a scheduling conflict. The ploy used by Miller’s management to persuade reluctant venue operators was: if you want the Miller band sometime in the future, you will take the Spivak band now. Slowly, venue operators came to know that the Spivak band was a good, solid dance band that generally pleased customers. Miller also made sure that Spivak obtained a recording contract, with one of Columbia’s subsidiary labels, Okeh. When Spivak made records, a good many of them were of tunes that Miller’s music publishing operation, Mutual Music Society, owned.
Spivak followed Miller’s directions to the letter in business matters. “(Glenn) was constantly giving advice and making suggestions to Charlie, and retaining as much control as he could over the (Spivak) band. The dependent Spivak seemed to like Glenn’s active interest, sometimes contacting Miller for advice even before he had decided to offer it.” (1) At the same time, Charlie made sure that the music side of his band was solid. Gradually, Spivak was able to pay Miller back for whatever loans had been made, and his band became a profitable then commercially successful operation.
The music:
At the same time that Charlie Spivak was shaping-up his second band in early 1941, the ASCAP- radio dispute began, lasting through much of 1941. He had previously been using “Let’s Go Home” (2) as a theme song. It is unclear whether this song was an ASCAP song, and therefore could not be broadcast on radio for the duration of the ASCAP – radio dispute. What is clear however, is that Spivak got a new theme song in the summer of 1941, “Stardreams,” and that it was published by Mutual Music Society. It does not require a large speculative leap to assume that Glenn Miller had something to do with this.
Spivak later recalled: “Sonny Burke and I were messing around one day, he on piano and me on horn, and we just came up with ‘Stardreams.’ It’s brought me a lot of luck.” (3) It might be more accurate to say that the greatest stroke of luck that Charlie Spivak was ever the beneficiary of was that he met and befriended Glenn Miller.
“Stardreams”
Composed by Sonny Burke, Charlie Spivak and Sylvia Dee; arranged by Sonny Burke.
Recorded by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra for Capitol in April, 1958 in Hollywood.
Glen Gray, directing: Conrad Gozzo, first trumpet; Pete Candoli, Cappy Lewis, and Manny Klein, trumpets; Shorty Sherock, solo trumpet; Si Zentner, first trombone; Francis “Joe” Howard, Pullman “Tommy” Pederson, Murray McEachern and Milt Bernhart, trombones; Arthur “Skeets” Herfurt, first alto saxophone; Arcuiso “Gus” Bivona, alto saxophone; Irving “Babe” Russin and Plas Johnson, tenor saxophones; Chuck Gentry, baritone saxophone; Ray Sherman, piano; Jack Marshall, guitar; Meyer “Mike” Rubin, bass; Nick Fatool, drums.
The story and music:
This high fidelity/stereo recording presents “Stardreams” in crisp, clear sound, performed beautifully by Glen Gray’s studio orchestra. Trumpeter Shorty Sherock plays Charlie Spivak’s melodic solos with great skill and verve. This recording allows the saxophone section passages, led by Skeets Herfurt, and the brass passages, led by Conrad Gozzo, to be heard in all their glory. This performance and recording is truly an exaltation of a beautiful melody.
The recordings posted above were digitally remastered by Mike Zirpolo.
Notes and links:
(1) Glenn Miller and His Orchestra …America’s Most Unforgettable Bandleader by George T. Simon (1974), 264.
(2) “Let’s Go Home” was composed by trumpeter Peanuts Holland and trombonist Sandy Williams, and was first recorded by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra on April 24, 1941.
(3) The Swing Era 1942-1944 (1971), notes on the music by Joseph Kastner, 61.
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