Stairway to the Stars
"Stairway to the Stars" is a popular song composed by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli,[1] with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was based on a theme from Malneck and Signorelli's 1934 instrumental piece, "Park Avenue Fantasy."[2]
Hit recordings in 1939 were by Glenn Miller, Kay Kyser, Jimmy Dorsey and by Al Donohue.[3] The Glenn Miller recording on RCA Bluebird reached no. 1 on the Your Hit Parade chart.
Notable recordings
- Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, vocals by Ray Eberle (May 9, 1939)
- Ella Fitzgerald and her Famous Orchestra (June 29, 1939)
- The Ink Spots – 1939 NBC radio Broadcast (July 12, 1939)
- Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra, vocals by Bob Eberly (1939)
- Kay Kyser and his Orchestra, vocals by Harry Babbitt (1939)
- Al Donahue and his Orchestra, vocals by Paula Kelly (1939)
- Carmen Cavallaro – Decca (1947)
- Dinah Washington with Chubby Jackson's Orchestra (1947)
- Buddy DeFranco quartet – New York (1953)
- Benny Goodman – An Album of Swing Classics (1955)
- Bud Powell – Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell (1956)
- Sarah Vaughan – At Mister Kelly's (1957)
- Lee Konitz – Very Cool 1957
- Ella Fitzgerald – Hello, Love (1960)
- Johnny Mathis – I'll Buy You a Star (1961)
- Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery – Bags Meets Wes! (1962)
- Stan Kenton – Adventures In Jazz (1962)
- Bill Evans – Moon Beams (1962)
- Dexter Gordon – Our Man in Paris (1963)
- Johnny Hartman – I Just Dropped by to Say Hello (1964)
- Natalie Cole – Don't Look Back (1980)
- Mel Tormé – An Evening with Mel Tormé (1994)
- Ian Shaw – The Abbey Road Sessions (2011)
Notable uses
- Major theme in the motion picture Some Like It Hot, directed by Billy Wilder.
References
- ^ Little, Paul (June 27, 1957). "Needle in the Groove". Illinois, Arlington Heights. Arlington Heights Herald. p. 36. Retrieved November 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ MusicProf78 (February 25, 2012). "1934 Paul Whiteman - Park Avenue Fantasy (aka Stairway To The Stars)". YouTube. Google. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 584. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
