Here’s a version of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” that I haven’t heard before now.
It’s Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra and Chorus during “Philco Radio Time” on Oct. 30, 1946.
Crosby earlier that year recorded a version of Bobby Troup’s song with the Andrew Sisters, which reached No. 14 on the charts. It’s a little more polished.
Compare and contrast:
Of course, it was Nat King Cole who recorded “Route 66” first early in 1946 and had a big hit with it. That was a key song that turbo-charged Cole’s career.
(Image of Bing Crosby in 1936 by Insomnia Cured Here via Flickr)
Why should Deccca use the Spanish “Marca Registrada” – in English, Registered Trade Mark – on a recording made in New York in 1946? Because of the potential South American and Mexican market? But why not, more importantly, also in English?