'So, This Is Harris!', a comedy short about band leader Phil Harris, won the 1934 Academy Award for best short subject. See the film, hear Phil Harris from the Cocoanut Grove in 1933 radio transcriptions, read his story and see the Phantom Dancer swing jazz mixtape play list here. The Phantom Dancer is mixed and presented by 1920s - 1930s singer, Greg Poppleton. Read More
Double bassist Harold Rumsey was a byword in jazz in the 1950s. Leaving the Stan Kenton Orchestra after an argument, he formed his Lighthouse All-Stars, creating a new jazz venue and introducing audiences to the newest champions of modern jazz all at the same time. He's this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton feature artist. Read his story, see him on 1960s TV, see the play list, hear the Phantom Dancer non-stop swing jazz radio show. Read More
Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson is this week's Phantom Dancer feature artist with Greg Poppleton. The stride and boogie pianist claimed to have invented the word 'hipster'. His stellar career nosedived in 1946 after he released the drug song 'Who Put The Benzedrine in Mrs Murphy's Ovaltine?'. That same song brought him out of obscurity when 'discovered' by Dr Demento in 1985 after which he released three albums. Read More
The first woman to play swing harp was Adele Girard. We hear her and 1950s jazz harpist Betty Glamann as the Phantom Dancer feature artists on this week's non-stop live 1920s-60s radio mix. Read More
On this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton we hear from the world's first electric guitarist, Alvino Rey, at the peak of his popularity in 1942. He invented the world's first amplified guitar at age 15 in 1923. He also introduced 'Stringy' the electronic talking guitar in 1941. Read the story, see photos, read the play list, hear the show after 29 January right here. Read More
Marcelle Bordas, simply known as Bordas in French theatrical tradition, was a theatre milliner whose voice was discovered by French pop singer, Mistinguett. We hear her on shortwave radio from 1939 with a mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio Read More
On this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton - swing and jazz from live 1920s - 60s radio - you'll hear a set of 1930s-40s Australian swing by Jim Davidson and his ABC Orchestra and George Trevare, both based in Sydney Read More
One of the curiosities on this week's Phantom Dancer is part of a weekly broadcast from 1933 of one of the last of the 1920s commercial brand orchestras. In this case, the orchestra is the AandP Gypsies. There's also a set from the exceptional 1940s Sydney swing band led by George Trevare. Produced and presented by 1920s - 1930s singer and band leader, Greg Poppleton. Read More
Your New Year's Phantom Dancer is choc-a-bloc full of New Years swing and jazz from live 1936 – 1966 radio and Wynn the Astrologer's predictions for 1937. Presented by myself, Greg Poppleton, since 1985 on 107.3 2SER Sydney, the show is now re-broadcast over 24 stations of the Community Radio Network across Australia. Hear the show online from midday 1 January (AEST). Read More
The Phantom Dancer is on Christmas Day this year. Greg Poppleton brings you a mix of Christmas Day and Christmas themed swing and jazz from live 1930s-50s radio & TV. On your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio you'll hear plenty of Jingle Bells by Fats Waller, The Delta Rhythm Boys, Benny Goodman, Paul Baron and more. Lena Horne, Frances Langford, The Three Sisters and Chiquita also bring some Christmas cheer. And in the first set of the show we hear this week's Phantom Dancer feature artist, Oliver Wakefield. Read More
Despite Italy being under the Fascist regime of Mussolini, jazz and swing was available on radio in Italy. Names had to be Italianised. Louis Armstrong became Luigi Braccioforte. St Louis Blues was Le Tristezze di San Luigi. We'll hear a set of 1930s-40s Italian swing on this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton. Read More
This week's Phantom Dancer includes: - a set of Duke Ellington trombonist's Juan Tizol compositions, - a set of Cuban rhythms by Xavier Cugat and Desi Arnez, - 2 sets of rare mid-1930s swing and more from live 1920s-60s radio and TV broadcasts. Read More
One of the more ambitious US radio shows of the 1930s was NBC Blue Network's 'The Magic Key of RCA', 'unlocking a world of entertainment', as announcer Milton J Cross would intone. It was a show that featured opera, symphony, critique, comedy, swing and hillbilly and was 'Hi-Brow'. Parodying that show from 1940 was NBC Blue's 'Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street', 'showcasing the 3 B's - barrelhouse, boogie woogie and the blues'. It was 'Lo-Brow'. For a short time in 1944, it too was narrated by Milton J Cross. We hear these shows side-by-side on this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton. Read More
Prague, the Czech capital, was one of the swing hubs of Europe up until the Communists came in 1948. And since we had Texan Western Swing sung in Czech on last week's Phantom Dancer, this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton features a small set of Czech swing from the Ultraphon label 1931-45. Read More
Guy Lombardo led the world's leading 'sweet' band from 1924 - 1977. Guy became known as 'Old Father Time' because his band brought in New Years in the US on radio and later TV from 1929 to 1976. Guy Lombardo is November 20 Phantom Dancer feature artist. See the full swing playlist, Guy Lombardo video and story here. Read More
Trumpeter and singer Valaida Snow told many stories about herself. She was a huge star in the 1930s. A set of sides she recorded in 1936-37 London is this week's Phantom Dancer radio feature with Greg Poppleton. Read her story, see the play list, see her 1946 video and hear the radio show here. Read More