Tag Archives: Hutch (Leslie Hutchinson)

Episode 151. Cole Porter [Pride 2022]

June 28, 2022African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlfred Drake, Annie Lennox, Bobby Short, Buddy Barnes, Cesare Siepi, Cole Porter, Cy Walter, Don Ameche, Donald Pippin, Eddie Ward, Eileen Farrell, Elisabeth Welch, Ethel Merman, Frances Langford, Fred Astaire, Gertrude Lawrence, Helen Merrill, Hutch (Leslie Hutchinson), Janet Blair, Johnny Green, Johnny Mathis, Jonathan Cohen, Joséphine Baker, Julie Wilson, Kaye Ballard, Kiss Me Kate, Lena Horne, Leo Reisman, Leslie Hutchinson, Lisa Kirk, Mabel Mercer, Nelson Eddy, Oscar Peterson, Patricia Hodge, Patricia Morison, Paul Weston, Pembroke Davenport, Percy Faith, Peter Matz, Roland Shaw, Skip Redwine, Tommy Dorsey, Virginia Bruce, William Roycountermelody

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Because I’m still on the road, I’m posting an old bonus episode in place of a new one this week, and I’m posting it early. This was originally published about two years ago, in tandem with an episode that did on Cesare Siepi, which highlighted Easy to Love, his 1958 album of Cole Porter songs. Among my listeners, most of whom adored that episode, there were a few naysayers, including my own not-boyfriend, who felt that Siepi did not do justice to Porter’s insouciant wordplay. So I decided, as one of my first bonus episodes, to offer an “antidote” to Siepi’s song stylings. This is the episode that resulted. It features a wide range of performers, from Mabel Mercer to kd lang (many of them coincidentally queer), offering their own distinctive take on Porter’s brilliant output. Many of the songs are offered in contrasting versions, including Fred Astaire singing “Night and Day” in his original recording from the 1930s, followed by his 1950s version with a jazz combo led by Oscar Peterson. Or Ethel Merman singing her original recording of “I Get a Kick out of You” from the time of the original production of Anything Goes, followed by her infamous version decades later from The Ethel Merman Disco Album. Please enjoy and I’ll see you again at the end of next week.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 130. Hutch (Black History Month 2022)

February 16, 2022African American Singers, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, Broadway, Great Baritones, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of ColorAndy Razaf, Arthur Schwartz, Bart Howard, Billy Rose, Bob Sharples, Cole Porter, Consuelo Velazquez, Dave Dreyer, Edmund Anderson, Eric Maschwitz, Fats Waller, George Gershwin, George Posford, Georges Auric, Harry Revel, Helen Morgan, Howard Dietz, Hutch, Hutch (Leslie Hutchinson), Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jack Strachey, Jackie Trent, Jerome Kern, Leslie Hutchinson, Lorenz Hart, Mack Gordon, Manning Sherwin, Richard Rodgers, Ruth Coleman, Sunny Skylar, Ted Grouya, Thomas Morris, Tony Hatchcountermelody

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Leslie Hutchinson (1900-1969), known universally as Hutch, rose from his beginnings in Grenada, to become the biggest music star in London in the 1930s. Though he is but little remembered today, he personified class and élan with his smooth, supple baritone and his relaxed yet buoyant pianistic stylings. His career spanned the years from 1923 to his death, and this episode samples recordings ranging over that entire period. His musical importance is overridden today by the many sexual exploits with both women and men that remain even today, legendary. This episode highlights not just the music of Cole Porter, Hutch’s mentor and lover, but covers the entire gamut of the Great American Songbook and beyond, including many near-definitive performances of works by Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Schwartz and Dietz, and Jerome Kern, as well as some classic British standards.

Episode 110. Black Crooners

October 10, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersArthur Prysock, Barry Gordy Jr., Barry White, Bert Williams, Billy Eckstine, Billy Porter, Bobby Short, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brock Peters, Brook Benton, Bruce Hubbard, Cole Porter, Cyndi Lauper, Francisco Araiza, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, George Goodman, Harry Belafonte, Hutch (Leslie Hutchinson), Ira Gershwin, Irwin Gage, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Hartman, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Mercer, Jon Hendricks, Joseph Kosma, Josh White, Lamont Dozier, Leonard Bernstein, Leslie Scott, Linda Ronstadt, Lou Rawls, Mabel Mercer, Marvin Gaye, Mills Brothers, Miriam Makeba, Nat King Cole, Nelson Riddle, Owen Williams, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr.countermelody

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Season Three of Countermelody begins with a potpourri episode of some of my favorite crooners of color. I begin with an example of Bert Williams, the first African-American superstar, and offer a few other examples of important precursors, but I focus on the heyday of the crooner, from the 1940s through the early 1960s, including such honey-voiced singers as Billy Eckstine, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis, Jr., Johnny Hartman, Lou Rawls, Brook Benton, and Arthur Prysock. Since I apply the term “crooner” fairly loosely, I am also able to present singers from outside the traditional repertoire of the standard crooner, including Josh White, Leslie “Hutch” Hutchinson, Harry Belafonte, Barry White, Bobby Short, and Lamont Dozier. The episode concludes with a tribute to Broadway baritones of color and with a stunning live performance of Jackie Wilson singing “Danny Boy” in honor of my birthday. Vocal guest stars include Miriam Makeba, Linda Ronstadt, and Mabel Mercer.