Each week, Sam Waldron hosts “45 RPM, Music of the 40s and 50s” a musical journey back to the days when he was young. Each one-hour show combines stories and recordings centered on a theme.
Examples from early shows include Songs about Dancing, World War II Love Songs, Elvis Presley, Top Hits of 1953, Music of Cole Porter, Songs About Cities, The Perfect Country Song, Doo-Wop Groups, and The Forgotten Fifties.
Upcoming themes include Country music of the early '50s, Elvis Presley's gospel songs, interesting "B" sides of single releases, and the music of Johnny Mathis.
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RSSEpisode 317, My Favorite Christmas Music
In Episode 317, My Favorite Christmas Music, Sam Waldron presents 17 recordings from six previous holiday episodes of 45RPM, Music of the 40s and 50s. Performers include Ernest Tubb, Dean Martin, Julie London, Nat King Cole, The Ray Conniff Singers, Jim Reeves, Dolly Partin and Peggy Lee.
Episode 316, My Favorite Big Band Music
Episode 316, My Favorite Big Band Music, features 19 of Sam Waldron’s favorite recordings by bands and orchestras, presenting a variety of sounds, from a 1930s ballroom dance floor to a 1950s Saturday afternoon college football field. Performers include Lester Lanin, Louis Armstrong, Percy Faith, Liberace, Ray Noble, Billy Vaughn, Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, Ray Conniff, and eight more.
Episode 315, Songs About Sunday and Monday
Episode 315, Songs About Sunday and Monday, uses these two days of the week to feature 17 recordings by performers including Merle Haggard, Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, The Chordettes, Bing Crosby, Hank Williams, Fats Domino, The Mamas & The Papas plus 10 more.
In Episode 314, 1951 My Way, Sam Waldron presents a unique selection of music and stories, painting an interesting picture of life back then. Performers include Eddy Arnold, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Merle Haggard and George Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and seven more.
Episode 313, Signature Songs, presents the songs most associated with 17 performers including The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, the bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, Connie Francis, Tony Bennett, Brenda Lee, Gene Autry, and nine more.
Episode 312, Come Fly With Me 2
Episode 312, Come Fly With Me 2, continues the music that Sam Waldron’s phone picked out for him during a red-eye flight to Europe. Performers include Paul Anka, The Ink Spots, The Fifth Dimension, Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Dinah Washington and 11 more.
Episode 311, Come Fly With Me Part 1
Episode 311, Come Fly With Me Part 1, features 17 recordings picked at random from a playlist on Sam Waldron’s phone during a long red-eye flight. Performers include Matt Monro, Jimmy Durante, Barbara Cook, Robert Goulet, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Noel Paul Stokey, Pee Wee King, and Bobby Darin.
Episode 310, Music of Harold Arlen
Episode 310, Music of Harold Arlen, features songs from one of the 20th century’s lesser-known songwriters. Titles include Over the Rainbow, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Stormy Weather, Let’s Fall in Love, Blues in the Night, That Old Black Magic, and I’ve Got the World on a String.
Episode 309, My Favorite Albums
Episode 309, My Favorite Albums, samples a dozen LPs that were Sam Waldron’s favorites when he was young. Performers include Tommy Sands, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, The Platters, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, and The Beatles.
Episode 308, Bill Haley and His Comets
Episode 308, Bill Haley and His Comets, explores the music of the group most responsible for ushering in the era of 1950s rock and roll. Included are a few of Haley’s very early recordings from the 1940s. Songs include Rock Around the Clock, Forty Cups of Coffee, Skinny Minnie, Rip It Up, Shake Rattle and Roll, See Ya Later Alligator, and a dozen more.
Episode 307, 1960 My Way, presents Sam Waldron’s unique perspective on music styles and trends in that year. The episode includes pop, rock-and-roll, country, doo-wop and adult-oriented jazz. Performers include Elvis Presley, Bobby Vee, Tony Bennett, Dion and the Belmonts, Jim Reeves, The Fleetwoods, and six more.
Episode 306, 1950s Dance Crazes
Episode 306, 1950s Dance Crazes, tracks popular music about the waltz, the mambo, the rhumba, rock and roll, the cha-cha-cha and five other popular dance styles. Performers include Elvis Presley, Patti Page, Bill Haley & His Comets, Sam Cooke, The Crickets, Tony and Joe, The Diamonds, plus 11 more.
Episode 305, Ned Washington, explores music written by a man who created 140 songs in motion pictures and won two Best Original Song Grammy Awards. Performers include Frankie Laine, Jack Jones, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt, Nat King Cole, and 11 more.
Episode 304, The Four Lads, features hit records and album tracks by this popular singing group. Performances include Moments to Remember, No Not Much, Standin’ on the Corner, Moonlight Bay, I’ll Never Stop Loving You, Istanbul, The Bus Stop Song, and 12 more.
Episode 303, The Great American Songbook
Episode 303, The Great American Songbook, features males performing 17 songs from Broadway and Hollywood productions, including Kismet, The King & I, South Pacific, Do Re Mi, and Pal Joey. Performers include Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Louis Armstrong, Matt Monro, The Platters, Jerry Vale, Pat Boone, and 10 more.
Episode 302, The Roots of Rock & Roll
Episode 302, The Roots of Rock & Roll, presents 18 recordings, from the 1920s to 1958, that were important in shaping this genre. Songs include Statesboro Blues, Keep on theSunny Side, TV is the Thing This Year, Be Bop a Lula, Down Hearted Blues,Rumble, I Know Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well, How I Got Over, Wabash Cannon Ball, andSmokestack Lightnin’.
Episode 301, Favorite 1950s Love Songs
Episode 301, Favorite 1950s Love Songs, presents 18 love songs that are among Sam Waldron’s most treasured. Artists include Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Doris Day, Jerry Vale, The Platters, Betty Ann Blake, Pat Boone , Tony Bennett, and 10 more.
Episode 300, Percy Faith, showcases the surprising range of music produced by one of the 20th century’s most important orchestra leaders. Recordings include Theme From A Summer Place, The Theme From Moulin Rouge, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, It’s Magic, Anchors Aweigh, and 13 more.
Episode 299, Songs of Joy, presents 20 feel-good recordings likely to put smiles on the faces of even the grumpiest listeners. Performers include Rosemary Clooney, Jim Reeves, Jerry Keller, Jerry Vale, k d lang, Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Peggy Lee and The Ink Spots.
Episode 298, Four Songs, presents five recordings each of four old songs: For Me and My Gal, Back in Your Own Back Yard, Deep Purple, and Ragtime Cowboy Joe. Performers include Bing Crosby, The Biscuit Brothers, Eydie Gorme, Nino Tempo & April Stevens, Jean Louisa Kelly, actor Jimmy Stewart, The Andrews Sisters, and the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra.
Episode 297, My Favorite Doo-Wop Music
Episode 297, My Favorite Doo-Wop Music, presents 19 of Sam Waldron favorites, including sweet harmonies like The Fleetwoods’ The Great Imposter, raunchy street songs like Love Potion #9, and no-holds-barred recordings like Whispering Bells, She Say, Donna the Prima Donna, and Remember Then.
Episode 296, Fats Domino, features 17 recordings by a musician once described by Elvis Presley as “the real king of rock and roll.” Songs include Blue Monday, Whole Lotta Lovin’, Blueberry Hill, Walkin’ to New Orleans, Slow Boat to China, Ain’t That a Shame, My Blue Heaven, and 10 more.
Episode 295, Hidden Gems, presents lesser-known items from The Great American Songbook, including You Were Meant For Me, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Lulu’s Back in Town, A Ship Without a Sail, and more than a dozen others. Performers include Neil Sedaka, Eddy Arnold, Jack Jones, Bing Crosby, Mary Coughlan, Peggy Lee, and Frank Sinatra.
Episode 294, Cindy Walker, features 17 songs from the pen of one of the most prolific behind-the-scenes songwriters of the 20th century. Performers include Bing Crosby, Jerry Wallace, Kitty Wells, Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, Roy Orbison, Eddy Arnold, and Cindy Walker herself.
Episode 293, Steve & Eydie, presents the music of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme and their 55-year partnership. Songs include Go Away Little Girl, If He Walked Into My Life Today, Where or When, Party Doll, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, I Remember It Well, plus nine more.
Episode 292, Steve & Eydie, presents the music of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme and their 55-year partnership. Songs include Go Away Little Girl, If He Walked Into My Life Today, Where or When, Party Doll, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, I Remember It Well, plus nine more.
Episode 291, Top Hits of 1960, features 17 best-selling songs from that year plus a few memories of pop culture in 1960. Performers include Elvis Presley, Connie Francis, Chubby Checker, Ray Charles, The Ventures, The Orchestra of Percy Faith, Brenda Lee, Larry Verne, and eight more.
Episode 290, Strictly 1940s, features 18 recordings that would have been familiar to most adults in the 1940s. Performers include Dinah Shore, Buddy Clark, Lester Lanin, Guy Lombardo, Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, Margaret Whiting, Mel Torme, Tex Ritter, and nine more.
Episode 289, Midnight, presents 15 recordings about what goes on “when the clock strikes 12.” Subject matter includes rainbows, hanky-panky, walking, and of course lots of love and the blues. Performers include The Andrews Sisters, The Mills Brothers, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, George Hamilton IV, Judy Garland, Neil Diamond and Nat King Cole.
Episode 288, Sam Cooke, presents the life, the music, and the legacy of one of the most highly regarded singer-songwriters of the late 50s and early 60s. Recordings include Unchained Melody, Cupid, Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha, You Send Me, Chain Gang, Twistin’ the Night Away, and 11 more, including Cooke’s first recording ever, Lovable.
Episode 287, Richard Rodgers, features music written by one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Songs include Some Enchanted Evening, He Was Too Good to Me, It Might As Well Be Spring, Blue Moon, Love Look Away, I Have Dreamed, and eight more.
Episode 286, “Halloween! II” reveals Sam Waldron’s version of “the real truth” about the origin of Halloween and presents 17 pieces of music about ghosts, boogiemen, murder and other frightening themes. Recording artists include The Kingston Trio, Bing Crosby, Boris Karloff, Rosemary Clooney, Ethel Waters and Little Richard.
Episode 285, Rare 1940s Records
Episode 285, Rare 1940s Records, presents long-forgotten recordings by Bing Crosby, Yvonne King, Frank Sinatra, The Andrews Sisters, Eddy Arnold and many more. Songs include Bumble Boogie, Pig Foot Pete, Idaho, The House I Live In, Pennsylvania Polka, Sweet Georgia Brown, Cigareetes, Whusky and Wild Wild Women, plus 10 more.
Episode 284, Buddy Holly, focuses on the brief and intense career of one of the architects of 1950s rock and roll. Songs include Oh Boy!, Looking for Someone to Love, Raining in My Heart, Rave On, Maybe Baby, Peggy Sue, It’s So Easy, That’ll Be the Day, and 12 more, including a rare cover of Carl Perkins’ and Elvis Presley’s Blue Suede Shoes.
Episode 283, The Kitchen Sink, is an eclectic assortment of recordings that didn’t fit into specific themes but are worthy of remembering. Performers include Max Morath, Peter Howard, Jimmie Rodgers, Kermit the Frog, Dinah Washington, Carlos Gonzaga, George Morgan, Carmen McRae and Peter Nero.
Episode 282, After Dark Part 2,
Episode 282, After Dark Part 2, presents 20 recordings about romantic goings-on after the sun goes down. Performers include Dorothy Collins, Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Dinah Washington, Jo Stafford, Hank Locklin, The Everly Brothers, and Dodie Stevens.
Episode 281, After Dark Part 1
Episode 281, After Dark Part 1, explores songs about things that happen after dark. Eighteen recordings include performances by The Andrews Sisters, The Ink Spots, The Fleetwoods, Rosemary Clooney, Patsy Cline, Sammi Smith, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Matt Monro.
Episode 280, Celebrating Tony Bennett
Episode 280, Celebrating Tony Bennett, presents 18 recordings from his long career, including the demo disc that first landed him a contract with Columbia Records. Also, some of Bennett’s #1 hit records and three 21st century duets with female superstars Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.
Episode 278, Broadway 1940s, presents songs from prominent musicals of the decade including On the Town, Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, Carousel and several others. Songs include I Hate Men, There is Nothing Like a Dame, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, and Cock-Eyed Optimist.
Episode 277, 1950s Jazz, celebrates a decade of outstanding jazz singers including Mark Murphy, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Eydie Gorme, plus eight others. Also included: two outstanding jazz instrumentals.
Episode 276, Ella Fitzgerald
Episode 276, Ella Fitzgerald, features 17 songs from her ground-breaking Great American Songbook albums of the 1950s, with music written by Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer.
Episode 275, "Academy Award Losers,"
Episode 275, "Academy Award Losers," presents songs nominated for Best Song that didn't win. Performers include Steve Lawrence, Patsy Cline, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire and 10 more.
Episode 274, Moonlight
Episode 274, Moonlight, features Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Wall, Mario Lanza and a dozen other performers singing moonlight-oriented love songs.
273, Blue and The Blues
273, Blue and The Blues features songs about blue men, blue women, blue clothing, a blue holiday and a blue world, followed by songs about The Blues from Dinah Shore, Ray Price, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and several more performers.
Episode 272, Sing Boy Sing
Episode 272, Sing Boy Sing, focuses on Tommy Sands’ 1958 motion picture and what it did for his career. Songs include Your Daddy Wants to Do Right, Soda Pop Pop, Blue Ribbon Baby, Teenage Crush, Worrying Kind, Kissin’ Ain’t No Fun, and 14 more.
Episode 271, World War Two Love Songs
Episode 271, World War Two Love Songs, presents timeless classics performed by Mildred Bailey, Perry Como, Benny Goodman, Helen Forrest, Lester Lanin, Judy Garland and many more.
Episode 270, Back to Rock & Roll
Episode 270, Back to Rock & Roll, plays 22 famous 1950s rock-and-roll recordings by Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, The Coasters, Brenda Lee, LaVerne Baker, Danny & The Juniors, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and more than a dozen other performers.
Episode 269, Jazz 1935-1949
Episode 269, Jazz 1935-1949, presents 15 famous jazz standards. Performers include Julie London, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzterald, The Duprees, Merle Haggard, Judy Garland, and a dozen more.
Episode 268, Gene Autry
Episode 268, Gene Autry, focuses on one of the most popular recording artists and movie stars of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Songs include Who is Gene Autry, Red River Valley, Home on the Range, I Wish My Mom Would Marry Santa Claus, On Top of Old Smokey, Back in the Saddle Again, and 14 more.
Episode 267, 1950s Broadway
Episode 267, 1950s Broadway, highlights popular music from 10 Broadway musicals, including The Music Man, Damn Yankees, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, and Bells Are Ringing. Performers include Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Brook Benton, Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, and 13 more.
Episode 266, Swing
Episode 266, Swing, hits some instrumental and vocal highlights of popular swing music from the late 1930s into the early 1960s. Performers include Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Noble, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Bobby Darin, Judy Garland, and eight more.
Episode 265, Smoking and Exercise
Episode 265, Smoking and Exercise, presents nine recordings about the former and 10 about the latter. Performers include Peggy Lee, Chet Atkins, The Andrews Sisters, Tex Williams, Elvis Presley, and 13 more.
Episode 264, Alice Faye
Episode 264, Alice Faye, traces the career and music of one of Hollywood’s most popular actresses in the late 1930s and early 40s. Songs include Alexander’s Ragtime Band, You’ll Never Know, This Year’s Kisses, Honeymoon Hotel, Rose of Washington Square, Wake Up and Live.
Episode #263, Breaking Up
Episode #263, Breaking Up, presents 17 songs about the bitter end of romantic relationships. Performers include Roy Clark, Kitty Wells, Guy Lombardo, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and 11 more.
Episode 262, Rockabilly
Episode 262, Rockabilly, explores this early iteration of rock-and-roll music with performances by 10 male singers and eight relatively unknown females. Performers include Bill Haley & His Comets, Johnny Burnette, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hal Willis, Wynona Carr, Janis Martin, Alis Lesley, and Barbara Pittman.
Episode 261, Technicolors
Episode 261, Technicolors, features 20 recordings with colors in the song titles. Performers include Wanda Jackson, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Fats Domino, Winifred Atwell, The Delicates and 14 more.
Episode 260, Buddy Clark,
Episode 260, Buddy Clark, presents the music of a popular 1940s crooner who was known as “the voice of romance,” and whose life was cut short at age 37 in a plane crash. Songs include Linda, Peg O’ My Heart, May I Have the Next Romance with You, South America Take it Away, A Dreamer’s Holiday plus 11 more.
Episode 259, Rare 1940s Records
Episode 259, Rare 1940s Records, presents seldom-played recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Herb Jeffries, The Buchanan Brothers, Kitty Wells, Al Dexter, Louise Massey, Zeke Manners, George Morgan, and nine more.
Episode 258, Lazy & Jealous
Episode 258, Lazy & Jealous, focuses on songs depicting two of the Seven Deadly Sins: sloth and envy. Songs include Everybody Works But Father, It’s My Lazy Day, The Laziest Gal in Town, Hey! Jealous Lover, Somebody Else is Taking My Place, and Jealousy.
Episode 257, Who Are They?
Episode 257, Who Are They? features obscure performers whose names most people probably would not recognize. Examples include Roy Cordell, Stanley Drucker, Anita Gordon, Ilene Woods, Georgia Holt, Conny Froboess, Charlie Gracie and Lasse Lonndahl.
Episode 256, Brenda Lee
Episode 256, Brenda Lee, presents 19 recordings by the singer who broke into the Billboard Hot 100 at the age of 12 and earned the nickname Dynamite. Songs include “I’m Sorry,” “Break It to Me Gently,” “The End of the World,” “Back in Your Own Back Yard,” “I Wanna Be Around,” and 14 more, including a rare recording of “Hound Dog” performed live in 1956.
Episode 255, About Coffee,
Episode 255, About Coffee, is filled with music and commentary about the world’s most popular hot beverage. Performers include Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, Johnny Cash, The Bluegrass Student Union, Eugene Ormandy, Garrison Keillor, Mary Mack, and Marlene Dietrich.
Episode 254, Rolling Stone (2)
Episode 254, Rolling Stone (2) presents 19 recordings ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Performers include Chuck Berry, The Dells, Hank Williams, Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and 12 more. This is the second of two episodes with this theme.
Episode 253, Rolling Stone (1)
Episode 253, Rolling Stone (1) presents 19 recordings ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Performers include Elvis Presley, The Platters, LaVerne Baker, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Fats Domino and 11 more. This is the first of two episodes with this theme.
Episode 252, Harry Belafonte
Episode 252, Harry Belafonte, explores the life and music of the extraordinarily long career of a Jamaican-American who once earned his living as a janitor’s assistant. Songs include Those Three Are On My Mind, Four Strong Winds, Man Smart (Woman Smarter), Jamaica Farewell, Brown Skin Girl, Judy Drowned, The Drummer and the Cook, plus nine more.