The song of the day for Tuesday, December 8, 2015 is “East of the Sun (And West of the Moon).”

About This Song

Bruce Bowman wrote “East of the Sun” in 1934, while a student at Princeton University, for a student musical production called Stags at Bay, produced by the Princeton Triangle Club. The song had great reception and was noted by Princeton alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald. After his graduation from college in 1936, he worked briefly in Hollywood for the film industry, but decided to return to the East Coast. He was about to start a contract with a New York music publisher when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1937.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) in 1992 for Perfectly Frank. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“East of the Sun (And West of the Moon),” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

About Today

In 1935, the young Sinatra joined a local singing group called The 3 Flashes, mainly because he owned a car and could more easily drive the group to gigs. They then became the Hoboken Four and were soon auditioning for and won a slot on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. They won first place in the competition, which came with a six-month professional contract. After returning from the road with the group, he got a job as a singing waiter (a position that a young Tony Bennett also worked as) and got radio spots whenever he could. It was a good strategy, because in June 1938, Harry James heard on the radio and, upon hearing him again at the Paramount Theater, signed the young singer to a two-year contract. It was a great opportunity for Sinatra to sing with a professional band and continue to work on his voice.

Tomorrow … Tommy Dorsey