Search - Charlie Palloy :: Vocals & Guitar

Nobody is quite sure what happened to Charlie Palloy, the mysterious bandleader, guitarist, and baritone who recorded for the bargain-priced Crown Records label between 1932 and 1933. Was he a better-known musician working under a stage name or just a good Bing Crosby impersonator destined for obscurity? Regardless, these 23 tracks capture one of the Depression-era's most enigmatic and talented bandleaders in fine form. His budget-priced 78s (sold through Woolworth's for a quarter) were forged on the repertoire of Crosby's latest hits, but Palloy's single-note guitar solos--a hint at the sounds of jazz guitar to come--make these interpretations utterly fascinating. From the stripped-down arrangement of "Young and Healthy" to the full-bodied swing of "Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia," Palloy shines. His slightly ragged voice is somehow endearing and his talent on the frets is unmistakable. What other bandleader in the '20s or '30s would sing, scat, and do a guitar solo on "Forty-Second Street"? Guitarist-bandleader Nick Lucas may be a better-known figure than Palloy (after all, he did popularize "Tip Toe Through the Tulips"), but that's a shame: Palloy is every bit as interesting and his playing is just as remarkable. --Jason Verlinde