Annie's Cousin Fanny
Encyclopedia
Annie's Cousin Fannie, which is sometimes listed as "Annie's Cousin Fanny", is a 1934 song composed by Glenn Miller
and recorded by The Dorsey Brothers
Orchestra for Brunswick and Decca Records. The Dorsey Brothers released two versions of the song in 1934 and 1935.
The song was recorded three times, first on June 4, 1934 in New York and released under the title "Annie's Cousin Fannie is a Sweetie of Mine" on Brunswick
as 6938 b/w "Judy". Glenn Miller's name was misspelled on the 78 record label as "Glen". Take 2 was recorded on August 15, 1934 in New York for Decca
. Take 3 was recorded on August 23, 1934 and was released in a second version of the song under the title "Annie's Cousin Fannie" on Decca as the A side to the Decca 117 78 that featured "Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jibe" as the B side. The lyrics were sung by Kay Weber, one of the first female singers of the Big Band Era, and Glenn Miller, who had discovered her. The song was reportedly banned by some radio stations because of the risque double entendre lyrics.
Tommy Dorsey, Don Mattison, Glenn Miller, Skeets Herfurt, and Kay Weber are on vocals. The recording was produced by David Lennick.
The 1934 Brunswick recording appears on the 1992 Sony compilation Best of Big Bands: Dorsey Brothers, The Dorsey Brothers: Stop, Look & Listen, Original 1932-1932 Recordings, 2005, Naxos Jazz Legends, and on the 2004 collection by Avid The Glenn Miller Story, Vols. 1-2. The song is also on the 2006 compilation The Dorsey Brothers, Vol. 4 on Jazz Oracle and the 2006 various artists collection Beat the Band to the Bar on ASV Living Era.
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and recorded by The Dorsey Brothers
The Dorsey Brothers
The Dorsey Brothers were a studio group fronted by musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording under their name in 1928 with a series of studio recordings for the OKeh label...
Orchestra for Brunswick and Decca Records. The Dorsey Brothers released two versions of the song in 1934 and 1935.
Recording History
Annie's Cousin Fannie, also released as "Annie's Cousin Fannie is a Sweetie of Mine", was written for the Dorsey Brothers Band in 1934 by Glenn Miller, who was an arranger and trombonist in the band. The composition featured double entendre lyrics.The song was recorded three times, first on June 4, 1934 in New York and released under the title "Annie's Cousin Fannie is a Sweetie of Mine" on Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
as 6938 b/w "Judy". Glenn Miller's name was misspelled on the 78 record label as "Glen". Take 2 was recorded on August 15, 1934 in New York for Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. Take 3 was recorded on August 23, 1934 and was released in a second version of the song under the title "Annie's Cousin Fannie" on Decca as the A side to the Decca 117 78 that featured "Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jibe" as the B side. The lyrics were sung by Kay Weber, one of the first female singers of the Big Band Era, and Glenn Miller, who had discovered her. The song was reportedly banned by some radio stations because of the risque double entendre lyrics.
Tommy Dorsey, Don Mattison, Glenn Miller, Skeets Herfurt, and Kay Weber are on vocals. The recording was produced by David Lennick.
The 1934 Brunswick recording appears on the 1992 Sony compilation Best of Big Bands: Dorsey Brothers, The Dorsey Brothers: Stop, Look & Listen, Original 1932-1932 Recordings, 2005, Naxos Jazz Legends, and on the 2004 collection by Avid The Glenn Miller Story, Vols. 1-2. The song is also on the 2006 compilation The Dorsey Brothers, Vol. 4 on Jazz Oracle and the 2006 various artists collection Beat the Band to the Bar on ASV Living Era.
Other Recordings
The song was recorded by Dick Pierce, Russ Carlton and his Orchestra, Marshall Royal and Maxwell Davis on the album Studio Cuts, which features two takes of the song, and in 2000, by Mora's Modern Rhythmists Dance Orchestra, a ten-piece ensemble that plays jazz and swing from the 1920s and 1930s.Personnel
The members of the Dorsey Brothers' Orchestra in 1934 included: Ray McKinley on drums; Skeets Herfurt on tenor sax; Delmar Kaplan on bass; Bobby Van Epps on piano; Roc Hillman on guitar; Don Mattison on trombone; Kay Weber on vocals; Jack Stacey on alto sax; George Thow on trumpet; Tommy Dorsey on trombone; Jimmy Dorsey on sax; and, Glenn Miller on trombone. Glenn Miller was also an arranger in the band. Charlie Spivak and Bob Crosby were also members of the band at various times. The band broke up in late 1935.Sources
- Simon, George Thomas. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. NY: Crowell, 1974.
- Levinson, Peter J. Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way: a Biography. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-306-81111-1
- Stockdale, Robert L. Tommy Dorsey: On The Side. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-8108-2951-0
- Stockdale, Robert L. Jimmy Dorsey: A Study in Contrasts. (Studies in Jazz Series). Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999.
- Arnold, Jay, ed. Jimmy Dorsey Saxophone Method: A School of Rhythmic Saxophone Playing. Warner Bros Pubns, 1999.
- Sanford, Herb. Tommy and Jimmy: The Dorsey Years. (Introduction by Bing Crosby). DaCapo Press, 1980.
- Jazz Connection Magazine, October, 2005, Stephen Fratallone, "Remembering Kay Weber Sillaway".
External links
- The 1934 Brunswick recording is available online on the Red Hot Jazz website: http://www.redhotjazz.com/dorseybros.html