A Diller, A Dollar (1955) (continued)

[George Thompson]

I believe that the lyrics to "Shine" were written by Andy Razaf.  If
so, there is a biography of him: Black and Blue: The Life and Lyrics of
Andy Razaf, by Barry Singer; foreword by Bobby Short.  New York:
Toronto & New York: Schirmer Books; Maxwell Macmillan Canada; Maxwell
Macmillan International, c1992.  Razaf was the child of an black
American woman and a Madagascarene nobleman -- this sounds like a story
his public relations guy thought up after kicking the gong around, but
it is verifiable; he was raised in the U. S.  There is also a
biographical sketch in the American National Biography, and I dare say
one in the Grove Dictionary of Jazz and/or the Grove Dictionary of
American Music.  He wrote the lyrics to a number of Fats Waller's songs.

The version of Shine I know is the one Louis Armstrong made in the
1920s.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Fitzke <fitzke at MICHCOM.NET>
Date: Sunday, March 27, 2005 3:14 pm
Subject: Re: A Diller, A Dollar (1955) (continued)

> Dear Mr. Gray:
>
> I'm a 79 year old semi-retired lawyer and long-time ADS lurker.
> I'm also a
> long-time collector of jazz  records (since age 12) with something
> more than
> 1,000 albums. I recently bought a CD of Frankie Laine hits (he was
> big in my
> late teens/early twenties) that includes a cut of "Shine". In
> listening to
> it I think I really heard the lyrics for the first time. The
> thought ocurred
> that there must be something more behind these lyrics than it
> appears from a
> casual listen. Specifically it seems as if the lyricist has taken a
> collection of derogatory racial comments and turned them into
> compliments.
> You seem to have an interest in music and a knowledge of these
> matters. Do
> you happen to know anything about the background behind this song
> or if my
> impression is on or off target?
>
> Will appreciate your comments.
>
> Bob Fitzke
>