Jack Smith - The Song I Love (1928)

Jack Smith, nicknamed the Whispering Baritone, sings "The Song I Love"on HMV B-2871, recorded on October 11, 1928.

Song by DeSylva, Brown, Henderson, and Conrad

I enjoy the recordings of Jack Smith--the haunting quality of his voice in sentimental tunes, the humor he conveys in comic songs, his choice of material during a Golden Age of songwriting, the tasteful accompaniments to his voice (he often provides his own piano accompaniment, and his playing is deft).

The crooner's first discs were marketed in late 1925, "The Whispering Baritone" enjoying popularity from that time until 1929 or so. His records sold well for four years, but sales declined dramatically with the Depression's onset.

Born with the name Jacob Schmidt (probably on May 30, 1896), the singer made a legal change to Jack Smith around the time anti-German sentiment ran high.

With the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, Smith was a victim of a gas attack at the battle of Saint-Mihiel, or so it has been claimed--a book by Brian Rust says it, so people repeat it, but no primary source is cited. Can someone find a Jack Smith interview in which he says this?

Some record collectors today make the tiresome claim that the whispering quality of Smith's crooning is a result of this gas attack, but I view the softness and half-talking as Smith's singing style--and he chose this style, making innovative use of new microphone technology. Smith sings in a regular way on plenty of records, not "whispering" at all.

Smith being forced to croon as a result of a gas attack may be a show-biz myth (promoted by Smith himself?). Blaming Germans makes for good publicity. I view softness and half-talking as Smith's singing style though he sings in a full voice on many records, and his voice also filled theaters.

Only on a few discs does he actually whisper, such as on "Playground in the Sky." On many records he uses a half-talking, half-singing approach--not whispering.

Radio was a source of regular work for Jack Smith for decades. He started on radio as a piano accompanist, but at a WMCA studio, his partner (a singer) failed to appear. Smith's solo career was launched on that day!

Smith was also a Tin Pan Alley "song plugger," giving private performances of new songs to vocalists who might want to adopt those songs (the way he entered show business after he left the military?). He was a song plugger for the Irving Berlin Music Company, and he recorded several Berlin songs--he was in his "comfort zone."

His discs were among the earliest made with an "electric" recording process, a microphone used. His first recording session was on August 28, 1925, but Victor issued nothing from this "test" date or trial session. "Cecilia" was soon afterwards cut. Recorded on September 21, 1925, this "A' side of his first disc was among his biggest hits.

Closely associated with Smith is "Gimmie a Little Kiss, Will Ya?" His delivery is unique--perfect for the song.