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Sinatra sheet music (1st Frank Sinatra appearance): I'' Never Smile Again. Words & Music by Ruth Lowe. Featured by The Pied Pipers & Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey & his Orchestra.
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Sheet music (first Frank Sinatra appearance on such): I'' Never Smile Again. Words and Music by Ruth Lowe. Featured by The Pied Pipers and Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra.
Sun Music Co., Inc., N.Y., copyright 1939; issued late summer 1940. Printed paper, 6 pp. PDF on file.
Photos montage on cover of the four members of The Pied Pipers (see identifications below) with the largest photo at center, Frank Sinatra, his very first appearance on sheet music. Although the cover text credits him after The Pied Pipers, he was the featured vocalist.
It was a song that launched his career.
This song was released as a Victor 78rpm record, 26628A, in 1940. This version stayed at number one for 12 weeks on Billboard, from July 27 to October 12, 1940. In 1940 Billboard magazine established a new list "National List of Best Selling Retail Records," which was the first to poll retailers nationwide on record sales.
The new chart was called a "trade service feature" based on the "10 best selling records of the past week" at a selection of national retailers from New York to Los Angeles. This eventually evolved into the "Billboard 100".
Thus a Frank Sinatra record was on the very first no. 1 recording on the chart that became the standard for the industry and to which fans became familar.
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The Pier Pipers on cover:
top left: Chuck Lowry
bottom left: Clark Yocum
top right: John Huddleston
bottom right: Jo Stafford
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Back cover (page [6]) has a photo of Tommy Dorsey with a full page titled: That Sentimental Gentleman of Swing.
It had a two column biography of his career.
2015.030.0304
2015.030
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Museum Collections.
1940 - 1940
Date(s) Created: 1940 Date(s): 1940
Status: 06/15/2015 Status By: dw Status Date: 2015-06-15