Bix–Aint No Sweet man, 1929 Bing singing Fred Fisher song

Back to jazz and Broadway. In this post, we are going to explain how Paul Whiteman, Harry Archer, Bing Crosby and Bix Beiderbecke were connected to a Broadway song.

According to Wikipedia: Wiki: “Paul Whiteman was asked to provide an orchestra for Little Jessie James, and Archer was designated to lead the outfit, as well as provide songs and orchestrations. This show was a huge success, and was not only staged on Broadway but also as far afield as Germany and Hungary. The breakout song was I Love You, which was the biggest hit of Archer’s career. Lyrics for this show were by Harlan Thompson. The success of the show led to Archer’s scoring of several further 1920s musicals, but none were as successful as Little Jesse James. Paradise Alley, a 1922 offering, was revived in 1924 and also produced in Australia but the show was considered old fashioned and lacked the spark of the Archer-Thompson pairing. The two continued to work together, producing My Girl, Merry Merry and Twinkle Twinkle between 1924 and 1926, all of which were modest successes. The 1928 show Just a Minute was not a success, and Archer’s career on Broadway ended at this point.”

One of earliest collaborations between Archer, Beiderbecke and Crosby is the recording of the Fred Fisher song, “There Ain’t No Sweet Man Worth the Salt of My Tears.” Bing is accompanied by Harry Barris and Al Rinker (the rest of The Rhythm Boys). Rinker was the brother of Mildred Bailey, who was a famous singer who worked with many of the big bands, including those led by Benny Goodman. Listen to Bix at the beginning and last minute of the number.