Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Tom Glazer


Delving into the archives I found this that I havent uploaded before - probably for good reason! Anyway I feel I have to broaden my outlook to include these dodgy bargains - even at 89 pence it seemed a bit steep! It has a certain charm though and reminds me of the Wally Whyton records of my youth and later - singing along with my young son to similar ditties on the radio and television.

"Best-known for authoring the children's classic "On Top of Spaghetti," folksinger and songwriter Tom Glazer was born in Philadelphia on September 2, 1914. After the death of his carpenter father four years later, he and his siblings were raised by their mother and assorted relatives, sometimes living in an orphanage. At school, Glazer studied a variety of musical traditions and instruments (among them guitar, bass, and tuba) before relocating at 17 to New York City, where he worked at Macy's department store while finishing high school at night. After three years at New York City College, he relocated to Washington, D.C., accepting a job at the Library of Congress and befriending the legendary musicologist Alan Lomax. Upon learning a handful of folk songs from Lomax, Glazer soon began a performing career, even appearing at a small White House function organized by Eleanor Roosevelt before making his formal public debut in early 1943 at Manhattan's Town Hall. Two years later, he launched the ABC radio series "Tom Glazer's Ballad Box," which aired through 1947; he also appeared on radio programs including "We the People," "Listening Post," "True Story," and "Theatre Guild on the Air." Glazer used his radio broadcasts not only to expand his audience, but also to disseminate his political beliefs -- songs like "Because All Men Are Brothers," "When the Country Is Broke," "Talking Inflation Blues" (sometimes covered by the young Bob Dylan), and "Citizen C.I.O." plainly articulated the populist leanings at the heart of much of his music."


Tom Glazer - Come In And Join The Game

Tom Glazer - The Dickie Bird Song

Tom Glazer - Eentsy Weentsy Spider

Tom Glazer - Eye Winker, Tom Tinker, Chin Chopper

Tom Glazer - Five Little Ducks

Tom Glazer - Go In And Out The Window

Tom Glazer - He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

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