I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem
"I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem" is a 1941 jazz and pop song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The song was released as a 78 single on RCA Bluebird by Glenn Miller.
Background
The music was written by composer and arranger Jerry Gray, Ben Smith, and Leonard Ware. The lyrics were written by Robert B. Wright, the pseudonym of Buddy Feyne, who also wrote the lyrics to "Tuxedo Junction". The instrumental was recorded on January 17, 1941 in the studio, but had been previously performed live during a November, 1940 NBC radio remote broadcast from the Cafe Rouge, Hotel Pennsylvania, in New York City. The instrumental features a trumpet solo by Billy May.
The single, released as an RCA Bluebird A side single, B-11063-A, reached number three on the Billboard Best Sellers charts on April 5, 1941, staying for five weeks on the charts.[1][2]
Personnel
The personnel on the 1941 Glenn Miller studio recording were: Dale McMickle, Ray Anthony, John Best, Billy May (tp), Glenn Miller, Paul Tanner, Jimmy Priddy, Frank D'Annolfo (tb), Hal McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl, as), Ernie Caceres (as, bar), Tex Benneke, Al Klink (ts), Chummy McGregor (p), Jack Lathrop (g), Trigger Alpert (sb), and Maurice Purtill (dm).
Other Recordings
The song was also recorded by the Delta Rhythm Boys, Erskine Butterfield and His Blue Boys on Decca Records, Herb Miller and His Orchestra, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, and the King Sisters. The Delta Rhythm Boys also performed the song in a 1941 soundie directed by Robert R. Snody.
Album Appearances
- The Complete Glenn Miller, Vol. 6 (1940-1941), Bluebird RCA, 1975
- Glenn Miller: The Popular Recordings (1938-1942), Bluebird RCA, 1989
- Glenn Miller: Reader's Digest: His Greatest Hits & Finest Performances, Reader's Digest Music, 1994
- Glenn Miller: Marvellous Miller Magic, Hallmark, 1995
- Glenn Miller: The 100 Greatest Titles, EMI Music Distribution, 2001
References
Sources
- Flower, John (1972). Moonlight Serenade: A Bio-Discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-161-2.
- Miller, Glenn (1943). Glenn Miller's Method for Orchestral Arranging. New York: Mutual Music Society. ASIN: B0007DMEDQ
- Simon, George Thomas (1980). Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. New York: Da Capo paperback. ISBN 0-306-80129-9.
- Simon, George Thomas (1971). Simon Says. New York: Galahad. ISBN 0-88365-001-0.
- Schuller, Gunther (1991). The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930–1945, Volume 2. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507140-9.
External links
- 1941 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recording on RCA Bluebird recorded January 17, 1941.
- 1941 recording by Erskine Butterfield and His Blue Boys recorded April 29, 1941.