Oh You Have No Idea

[Discman]

Edison 52317 L, by Frankie Marvin
Recorded from the A250:

“Oh You Have No Idea”

Dave

[EdisonSquirrel]

Dave,

That's an awesome avatar! But the record doesn't indicate whether "Discman" is a foxtrot or a vocal.



Rocky

[Fredrik]

Judging by the uploaded file Discman is a "Novelty vocal with ukulele accompainment".

On a more serious note: that Frank Marvin fellow sounds quite a lot like Cliff Edwards. Good plagiarism or a pseudonym?

Fredrik

[Discman]

Fredrik,
Here's some information on the Marvin Brothers. They use that "novelty vocal" technique, sometimes annoyingly.
Dave

Although Johnny Marvin spent his own career as a musician and songwriter in the field of mainstream popular sounds during the 20’s and 30’s, his brother Frankie’s musical activity remained solidly in the Western field. When Johnny Marvin’s mother gave birth to her older of two musician sons in a covered wagon in Curtis County, Oklahoma Territory, the family was only a few miles from the ranch where they would soon settle. Johnny displayed more interest in show business than cow punching in his childhood, by age 12 he was providing guitar rhythm for his square dance, fiddling father. At that time, Frankie ran away to join the circus. He returned to Butler at age 14 and eventually learned the barbering trade, but later hit the entertainment trail again with the Royal Hawaiians. After U.S. Navy service in WWI, Johnny went on the vaudeville circuit billed as "Honey Duke and his Uke." In New York from the mid-20’s, Johnny had an early network radio show and recorded for such labels as Columbia, Edison, OKeh and especially Victor. His more notable hits included Breezin’ Along With The Breeze, Half A Moon, The Little White House (At The End Of Honeymoon Lane), and such numbers that became standards like Ain’t She Sweet and Side By Side, the latter a duet with Aileen Stanley. Later, younger brother Frankie came to New York and initiated his own recording work. Johnny and Frankie’s friendship and help to a young Gene Autry when he first came to the big city would later prove beneficial to both Marvins when their individual careers began to wane. In spite of his own place in the popular mainstream, Johnny apparently never totally abandoned his affinity for the West, as a photo of one of his touring groups in the early 30’s shows him and his wife, Gloria, in stage cowboy costumes. When Gene Autry hit the top in Hollywood as the original singing cowboy star in 1935, Johnny soon joined the Autry entourage as a songwriter. Over the next eight years, he wrote and/or co-wrote some 80 songs, largely for Autry films. Ironically, his most acclaimed composition, Dust, nominated for an Oscar as "Best Song," in 1938, had been done by Roy Rogers in his initial starring role, Under Western Stars. Johnny Marvin’s demise could be described as an unfortunate tragedy. While on a tour entertaining military forces in the South Pacific in 1943, he contracted a tropical disease known as dengue fever in the jungles of New Guinea. He never regained his health and succumbed to a heart attack the following year.

Frankie Marvin is best remembered today for his long association with Gene Autry. Born near Butler in what became Oklahoma, Frankie’s older brother had been in show business almost as long as the younger sibling could remember. By the time Frankie reached adulthood, Johnny was a radio and recording star and the younger Marvin learned all of his songs. In 1929, Frankie went to New York and soon had his own record contract doing numbers like Oh For The Wild And Wooly West, The Gangster’s Warning and Oklahoma, Land of the Sunny West, on labels such as Cameo and Melotone. He also did some of the first covers of Jimmie Rodgers’ songs and originals in the same vein, some under the pseudonym, "Frankie Wallace." His style tended to be more Country than that of his brother or the so-called “Citybilly” artists like Vernon Dalhart, Carson J. Robison and Frank Luther, but less so than the hard-core Country practitioners. He also worked up a comedy act with Ben "Whitey" Ford (later known as the Duke of Paducah), calling themselves, Ralph and Elmer. Frank’s steel guitar also provided instrumental support to other recordings stars as well. In 1934, when Gene Autry went to Hollywood, both Marvins soon joined him. Johnny wrote songs for his and other singing cowboy films, while Frankie backed Gene and had small parts in virtually all his films and radio programs. As cowboy song historian, Jim Bob Tinsley states, Marvin’s steel guitar-style was a distinctive part of the Gene Autry sound. Frank also wrote several songs for Gene, most notably Cowboy’s Heaven. As the years went by, Frankie’s contributions to the Autry organization receded into the background as the star made accommodations to modernization, although Marvin remained with him until 1955. After retiring, Frankie moved to Frazier Park, California. He either remained there or moved to Florida shortly before his death. A few of his recordings have appeared on anthologies, most notably, Oh For The Wild And Wooly West and Barber’s Blues. His steel guitar, however, can be heard on many of the re-issues of early Autry material.
Ivan M. Tribe

[Neophone]

Dave,

A great rendition of a great tune! Thank you for posting it. Also thanks for the info on the Marvin Bros.

Regards,
John

[1926CredenzaOwner]

!