Scott Ellsworth's guest is Johnny Mercer, American lyricist, songwriter, and singer.
Some variations in sound quality, transferred from a rare sole existing Electronic Transcription Disc exhibiting "noise/clicks" effect.
However, the audio on this air check is clean and very discernable for enjoyable listening. Most importantly this rare broadcast interview of Johnny Mercer by Scott Ellsworth, who conducts a brilliant interview, is the most definitive Johnny Mercer retrospective ever done (television or radio).
Integrated within the interview Mercer reminisces about his humble beginnings, his entry into motion pictures, work in radio (states how nervous he would be), television and the theater...his collaborations, rejection of night club performing, and his philosophy about the business..
Integrated within the broadcast are ten recordings which Mercer discusses with anecdotes. They include,
"Lord, I Give You My Children," "The Bathtub Ran Over Again," "One For My Baby," sung by Joe Williams, "On Behalf Of The Visiting Firemen," "Save The Bones For Henry Jones," duet with Nat King Cole, "The Bachelor's Dinner Song," "Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe," sung by Judy Garland, "That Old Black Magic," sung by Mel Torme, "Out Of This World," sung by Mark Murphy, and "Jamboree Jones" sung by Paul Weston and Jo Stafford.
Johnny Mercer talks about the early DJ's he knew who would paly his songs, his 18 academy award nominations (4 wins), and discusses how he co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessman Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallichs. Mercer gives his opinion about today's contemporary song writers and performers, many whom he admires.
A goldmine of Johnny Mercer nostalgia within this rare program.
This was the final broadcast for Scott Ellsworth during the two year run of SCOTT'S PLACE, when station KFI decided to change format and switch to a more contemporary music programming format. Even Ellsworth didn't know that the following day he would be fired. Ironic that on this show Mercer agrees to come back at the end of the month to do another session with Scott.
March 30, 1970 - April 1, 1972
KFI 640 Los Angeles AM Radio.
162 individual broadcast Audio Air Checks survive.
A goldmine of originally recorded live interviews with the greats from the Jazz and Big Band era, with integrated recorded samples of their work played throughout the broadcast.
Scott Ellsworth was the creator and on-air host of the popular radio program,