The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Can you help me build a list of hot dance songs from the 30's and 40's? I'll be DJ'ing some small events this summer where most music is electronic dance music, but I've been welcomed in the past to play (good songs on modern equipment) music from 1920's, as well as electro-swing.

This year I intend to bring a good mix of the hot tunes from the past 100 years (almost anyway, 1925 to 2020). While I have a good idea as to what I'll bring for the 20's, I'm not generally crazy about much of the 30's or 40's and therefore don't have a great idea as to what's good.

If anyone is willing to share some good quality MP3's of these, that would be even better. I'd be happy to share my 20's transfers in return.

Thank you.

Some bands to look into for the 30s:
Dorsey Brothers Orch up to 1935
Tommy Dorsey Clambake 7
Charlie Barnet (early records as "Charles Barnett")
Bob Pope Orchestra
Willie "The Lion" Smith and his Cubs- Decca
Tempo King
Willie Bryant
Les Brown Duke Blue Devils
Glenn Miller Columbia, Brunswick, Decca
Sharkey and his Sharks of Rhythm
Casa Loma Orch on OKeh and Brunswick up to about 6500
Benny Goodman Victors
Bunny Berigan and his Boys- Vocalion and Brunswick
Jack Teagarden- Columbia, Crown, Brunswick
Frankie Trumbauer Victor and Brunswick (often with Teagarden)
Fats Waller and his Rhythm
Louis Armstrong- Victor
Artie Shaw- about anything
Ben Selvin Columbias from 1930-34 can be quite hot and often have future swing stars as sidemen
Roger Wolfe Kahn Columbias and Brunswicks
Isham Jones late Brunswicks (from about 4300) and Victors are fantastic
Billie Holiday and her Orchestra
The Duke from the 24000 series Victors through the 20-1000 series in the mid 40s
Joe Haymes pumped out some incredible stuff on Columbia, Victor, ARC
Jimmie Lunceford and Cab Calloway on 24000 series Victor
Teddy Wilson Orch. with Billie Holiday
Fletcher Henderson on Victor and Melotone (sometimes as "Connie's Inn Orch.")
Erskine Hawkins and his Bama State Collegians on Vocalion
Chick Webb- pre Ella, early 1930s Columbia and OKeh
Late Bennie Moten (Victor), which later became "Jones- Smith Inc." and then Count Basie's band on early Decca
Tom Gerun with Woody Herman, Brunswick, '31-32
Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy

Good bathroom break extended numbers: Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing" from the Carnegie Hall concert on 1950s Columbia LP and Artie Shaw's incredible "Man From Mars" from his 1938 Blue Room appearances on RCA 1958-ish LPs.

Most of this is on YouTube.

Not everything from the 40s is Glenn Miller and Lawrence Welk, either. Lots of hot sides were issued into the postwar period. When you get done with the '30s ask me.