Dancing with My Father

I give you a musical post today in honor of my father, Richard “Dick” Steele on the anniversary of his 106th birthday. Dear old dad passed from this world in 1995.

The first is Daddy, written by Bobby Troup and performed by his wife, Julie London in 1958. The song was first recorded in 1941 by Sammy Kaye. My father used to sing the chorus to me when I asked him for money when I very young.

Daddy performed by Julie London:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B-ozrI3iX8

My parents went to many dances when they were young. In fact, their first date was at a dance in the City Hall in Beverly, Massachusetts. He told me stories of crowed dance halls and tents where all you could do was rock back and forth and listen to the music because it was shoulder-to-shoulder on the dance floor. My father was a true romantic and I saw him many times, grab my mother when a good song came on the radio and he’d say, "Let’s dance!” My mother would utter, "Oh, Dick." and roll her eyes at me.  Showing interest in learning, he volunteered to teach me the fox trot. I would stand on his feet to Alley Cat.  The recording won the Grammy Award for Best Rock & Roll Recording, 1962. Written by a Danish piano player, Bent Fabricus-Bjerre, he wrote this under the pseudonym Frank Bjorn and was published under the name Bent Fabric. To this day, whenever I hear this, I want to stand up and dance.

Alley Cat by Bent Fabric
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx-inoYmN2Q

My father’s favorite genre was Big Band music. The iconic Glenn Miller and his orchestra was one of the bands I heard continuously in my childhood, along with Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and the vocalist Helen O’Connell. The next two songs, Moonlight Serenade and Tangerine were two of his favorites.

Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TB_8H23EDI
I Remember You + Tangerine performed by Helen O’Connell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBMbQ1VHbOc

Here's to you, Daddy. Happy Birthday.

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