The two artists Lee Sims and Little Jack Little were born a year apart. Lee in 1898 and Jack 1899.
I don't believe Lee ever sang, but he was on radio with his wife, vocalist Ilomay Bailey, the Chase and Sanborn Hour evening program for NBC, the Rudy Vallee's show, Ben Bernie and Phil Baker
In the 1937 movie "Dinner At The Ritz" Lee can be heard on piano with a band directed by Muir Mathieson.
Little Jack Little was also on radio, as well as composing a number of well known songs - "Jealous"(Theme Song), "I Promise You"(coupled on Victor with Home(Van Steeden), played by Peter Van Steeden, "A
Shanty in Old Shanty Town" and "You're a Heavenly Thing." He was born in London, England, but moved to Waterloo, Iowa in 1908. He was a pre-med student at the University of Iowa while directing the
university band, and taking the pianist's chair. By the early thirties, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he had a daily fifteen minute radio show on WLW but migrating to NBC. An odd branding introduction
preceded each and every song - "Here 'Tis" as do all his 78 rpm records, and after the number, he will say "Yours very truly, Little Jack Little. I think the effect during performance would underscore the comfortable
'living room' intimacy of the show. Annette Hanshaw always said 'That's all' at the end of her records. I understand that when she had recorded a demo, she finished that way - and it was insisted that she continue
closing all her records that way. It's kinda funny that when she finished "Ho Hum," she closed with "Oh dear." Ben Pollack closed with "May it please you, Ben Pollack"
Anyway, Little Jack Little toured the USA with his orchestra, appearing in the Green Room at the Hotel Edison, near times square, and other hotels, and night clubs. Station WOC in Davenport, Iowa, was the
location of a Little marathon - three and a quarter hours, and fifty-one songs - all requests from listeners. In 1928 he joined ASCAP. From 1933 to 1937, he recorded prolifically, starting on Bluebird, Columbia, and
ARC, playing in a light society dance band style. He often worked with musical director Mitchell Ayres. ~Mickey Clark
Piano Varieties Disc 5 Recorded 1927 - 1936 CD363E
IMPROVISATION BR 20069 07/01/28 E27844 SIMS-COLBY 3:37
CONTRASTS BR 20069 07/01/28 E27845 SIMS-COLBY 3:33
LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME BR 4422 06/01/29 C3589 KAHN-DONALDSON 3:44
LOVER COME BACK TO ME BR 4422 06/01/29 C3604 HAMMERSTEIN-ROMBERG 3:36
PAGAN LOVE SONG BR 4572 09/01/29 C4412 FREED-BROWN 3:36
VAGABOND LOVER BR 4572 09/01/29 C4413 VALLEE-ZIMMERMAN 3:36
GOTTA FEELING FOR YOU BR 4650 09/01/29 C4866 TRENT-ALTER 2:57
ST.LOUIS BLUES -EARLE OLIVER-T BR 4780 02/03/30 C5361 HANDY 3:24
I WISH I COULD SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE BR 4780 02/03/30 C5364 PIRON 2:55
STARDUST BR 6132 05/07/31 C7785 CARMICHAEL 3:36
SWEET AND LOVELY BR 6212 10/06/31 C8155 ARNHEIM-LEMARE-TOBIAS 2:53
BLUES IN MY HEART BR 6212 10/06/31 C8156 CARTER 3:04
WHEN DID YOU LEAVE HEAVEN? DEC 879 07/07/36 DLA415 BULLOCK-WHITING 2:59
THESE FOOLISH THINGS DEC 879 07/07/36 DLA416 STRACHEY-MARVELL-LINK 2:55
THERE'S A SMALL HOTEL DEC 875 07/07/36 DLA417 HART-RODGERS 3:01
TAKE MY HEART DEC 875 07/07/36 DLA418 YOUNG-AHLERT 2:58
WHO IS YOUR WHO? COL 1122-D 06/22/27 144368 LITTLE-GROSSMAN 2:47
MISS ANNABELLE LEE COL 1122-D 08/12/27 144530 CLARE-POLLACK 3:07
THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW AGAINST THAT COL 1397-D 02/16/28 145649 CAESAR-FRIEND 3:09
SUNSHINE COL 1397-D 02/23/28 145677 BERLIN 2:56
WHAT D'YA SAY? COL 1589-D 09/15/28 146971 DE SYLVA-BROWN-HENDERSON 2:56
EVERYBODY LOVES YOU COL 1589-D 09/15/28 147006 DUBIN-LITTLE 3:13
DON'T BE AFRAID TO TELL YOUR MOTHER COL 3006-D 01/21/35 16673 TOMLIN-POE-GRIER 3:11
I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES COL 3006-D 01/21/35 16674 LEWIS-WENDLING-MEYER 3:18 Available Options:
Compact Disc: Ship
