Today's song is a big band classic – and one of Frankie Manning‘s favorite tunes – that belongs into every swing music library.
Tuxedo Junction
Tuxedo Junction was written by Erskine Hawkins, saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson and Julian Dash as an instrumental. Later, Buddy Feyne wrote lyrics for the tune.
Erskine Hawkins' recording made it to number 7 in the Billboard charts in 1940. Glenn Miller‘s recording though, also from 1940, was more successful and became a number 1 hit.
Glenn Miller's version – a bit slower
About The Song
The song is about a jazz and blues club in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Ensley. The area is referred to as “Tuxedo Junction”, even though the building is called the “Nixon Building” (built in 1922).
This is due to the location of a streetcar crossing at Tuxedo Park, hence “Tuxedo Junction”. The empty building still stands at 1728 20th Street as a testament to the musical heritage of the area.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Tuxedo Junction (1989 Remastered)
Artist: Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra
Recorded: July 18, 1939
Tempo: 152 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop
You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw
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And the original tranky doo tune! 🙂