Del Porter
Del Porter (April 13, 1902, Newberg, Oregon – October 4, 1977, Los Angeles) was an American jazz vocalist, saxophonist, and clarinetist who, in the 1930s, performed on Broadway, toured with Glenn Miller, and recorded with Bing Crosby, Dick Powell, and Red Nichols, and in the 1940s, led his own big band. Porter was a singer with the Foursome, which came to prominence in the 1930 Broadway hit show, Girl Crazy. Porter, the best known member of the quartet, co-founded City Slickers with Spike Jones, about the time his group The Feather Merchants split up. With the Foursome's arranger and Porter's lifelong friend, Raymond M. Johnson, Porter reorganized the quartet around 1946 as the Sweet Potato Tooters. "Sweet potato" is a nickname for an ocarina. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1902 (Newberg), Died October 4, 1977 (Los Angeles)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: clarinet, vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, composer, arranger
Notes: Listed sometimes as D. S. Porter.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | PBS-061517 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | Red wing | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-061518 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | Barstool cowboy from old Barstow | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-061519 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | Behind those swinging doors | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-061520 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | The covered wagon rolled right along | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072020 | 10-in. | 1/12/1942 | The wild, wild women (are making a wild man of me) | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072021 | 10-in. | 1/12/1942 | Clink, clink, another drink | Mel Blanc ; Boys in the Back Room ; City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo, male vocal ensemble, and hiccups | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072022 | 10-in. | 1/12/1942 | Beautiful eggs | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072023 | 10-in. | 1/12/1942 | Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag (and smile, smile, smile) | City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072236 | 10-in. | 4/7/1942 | Siam | City Slickers ; Carl Grayson ; King Jackson ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solos and trio | instrumentalist, clarinet, vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | PBS-072237 | 10-in. | 4/7/1942 | Little Bo-Peep has lost her jeep | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and "Collidophone" | instrumentalist, clarinet, vocalist | |
| Victor | PBS-072238 | 10-in. | 4/7/1942 | Come, Josephine, in my flying machine | Boys in the Back Room ; City Slickers ; King Jackson ; Spike Jones | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072239 | 10-in. | 4/7/1942 | Pass the biscuits, Mirandy | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, lyricist, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072524 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | Hotcha cornia (Black eyes) | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with sneezaphone (sound effects) | instrumentalist, clarinet, arranger | |
| Victor | PBS-072525 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | Der Fuehrer's face | City Slickers ; Carl Grayson ; Spike Jones ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and birdaphone (sound effects) | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | PBS-072526 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | Oh! By jingo! (Oh! By gee! By gosh, by gum, by juv) | Boys in the Back Room ; City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo, male vocal ensemble, and anvilaphone (sound effects) | instrumentalist, clarinet, vocalist | |
| Victor | PBS-072527 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | The sheik of Araby | City Slickers ; Carl Grayson ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet and hiccuphone (sound effects) | instrumentalist, clarinet, vocalist | |
| Victor | PBS-072528 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | I wanna go back to West Virginia | Boys in the Back Room ; City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo, male vocal ensemble, and trainaphone (sound effects) | instrumentalist, clarinet, vocalist | |
| Victor | D4AB-1058 | 10-in. | 11/29/1944 | Leave the dishes in the sink, ma | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Victor | D5VB-1010 | 10-in. | 1/13/1945 | A serenade to a jerk | City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Female-male vocal duet, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D5VB-1012 | 10-in. | 1/13/1945 | Drip, drip, drip (sloppy lagoon) | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | D5VB-1129 | 10-in. | 9/10/1945 | The blue Danube | Boys in the Back Room ; City Slickers ; Carl Grayson ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter | Male vocal duet, with vocal group and instrumental ensemble | arranger, vocalist | |
| Victor | D5VB-1130 | 10-in. | 9/10/1945 | Liebestraum | City Slickers ; Red Ingle ; Spike Jones ; Dick Morgan | Male vocal solo, with narration and instrumental ensemble | arranger, lyricist | |
| Victor | D6VB-2025 | 10-in. | 2/11/1946 | Mother Goose medley | Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath ; City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Animal sound effects, with vocal chorus and instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | D6VB-2027 | 10-in. | 2/11/1946 | Old MacDonald had a farm | City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Vocal chorus, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | D6VB-2175 | 10-in. | 10/7/1946 | My pretty girl | City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Male vocal quartet, with jazz/dance band and whistling | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-0456 | 10-in. | 2/10/1947 | Blowing bubble gum | City Slickers ; Spike Jones | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-2105 | 10-in. | 11/17/1947 | Topeka polka | Spade Cooley | String band | composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-0503 | 10-in. | 1/6/1949 | Ya wanna buy a bunny? | City Slickers ; Spike Jones ; George Rock | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D9VB-0704 | 10-in. | 8/9/1949 | Lucky leather breeches | Spade Cooley ; Roy Rogers ; Spade Cooley and his Orchestra | String band, with dance calls | songwriter | |
| Columbia | W142771 | 10-in. | 9/30/1926 | Whose arms are you in tonight? | Cole McElroy's Spanish Ball Room Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W146478 | 10-in. | 6/22/1928 | The sidewalks of New York | Johnnie Sylvester | Accordion solo, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Columbia | 148727 | 10-in. | 6/21/1929 | More than anybody I love you | Jim Andrews ; Willie Creager Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W152250 | 10-in. | 8/5/1932 | Another night alone | Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Columbia | W152252 | 10-in. | 8/5/1932 | I can't believe it's true | Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal quartet | vocalist | |
| Decca | DLA 1813 | 10-in. | 7/8/1939 | Bidin' my time | The Foursome | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | DLA 1814 | 10-in. | 7/8/1939 | Oh, lady be good | The Foursome | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | DLA 2730 | 10-in. | 9/5/1941 | He knew all the answers | Cindy Walker | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | DLA 2731 | 10-in. | 9/5/1941 | Waltz me around again Willie | Cindy Walker | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | DLA 2732 | 10-in. | 9/5/1941 | I want somebody | Cindy Walker | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | DLA 2733 | 10-in. | 9/5/1941 | Don't talk to me about men | Cindy Walker | instrumentalist, clarinet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Porter, Del," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109597.
Porter, Del. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109597.
"Porter, Del." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Porter, Del - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93019242
Wikidata: Del Porter - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16008175
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/11878737
MusicBrainz: Del Porter - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0d3aa787-989c-4d68-ae91-2b5230cc5262
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.