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Turner Layton 78's   


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  25th Dec 2023, 12:25 PM#1  REPORT  
Mike Wilson1

Musicologist
Member since Dec 2019
26 Points
Fleeting Focus No. 5 – Turner Layton was an African American songwriter, singer & pianist born in Washington D.C. on the 2nd of July 1894
He was the son of John Turner Layton a bass singer, music educator & hymn composer… After receiving a musical education from his father, he attended the Howard University Dental School, later coming to New York City in the early 1900s, where he met future songwriting partner,lyricist Henry Creamer… Layton is fondly remembered for his many compositions with Creamer, surely the best known of which is the standard "After You've Gone", written in 1918 & first popularized by Sophie Tucker… Turner & Creamer had another hit with "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" in 1922… It was recorded in 1927 by Frank Trumbauer (with Bix Beiderbecke) & was even a rock & roll hit for “The Explosive” Freddy Cannon in 1959…. Layton & Creamer contributed music & lyrics to many Broadway shows, including the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, 1921 and 1922, Three Showers (1920), Some Party (1922) and Creamer's own Strut Miss Lizzie (1922).
In 1924 Layton found major popular success in Britain with Clarence "Tandy" Johnstone as a member of the popular duo Layton & Johnstone, quickly earning a reputation as a cabaret act, with the pair allegedly selling over 10 million records. Layton split with Johnstone in 1935 (after Johnstone had been named in Albert Sandler's divorce), with Johnstone decamping to New York & continuing to perform (with significantly less success!!) whilst Layton continued to perform in Britain… An elegant song stylist, he held a regular, successful spot over the years at the Café de Paris in London until he retired early in 1946…Relatively little was then heard of him and he died in London in February 1978 at the age of 83……To many a music fan it is often a sad reflection that on the occasions that his name is mentioned I have seen comments like “Who is he ?” and “I’ve not heard of him”…..Turner Layton was a true superstar in every sense of the word…..His discs are all but forgotten & difficult to find here now in 2024 and I consider it such a travesty that this is so….He recorded prolifically, the majority of his solo work at the piano being on Columbia…Of the 34 recordings that are on my bucket list that I’d love to hear before I join him in Heaven, 11 are his !!....I am concluding todays Fleeting Focus with a plea to all to look in the deepest recesses of your collections to see if you have any of the following and please let me know or put them up for the enjoyment of the group as a whole.
“I Hear A Rhapsody” (Columbia FB 2666)…..”By Candlelight” (Columbia FB 2771)…..”Daybreak” (Columbia FB 2886)…..”Heavenly Music” (Columbia FB 2973)…..”I’m Sending My Blessings” (Columbia FB 3009)…..”Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year” (Columbia FB 3058)…..”My Favourite Dream” (Columbia FB 3080)…..”Together” (Columbia FB 3100)…..”I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” (Columbia FB 3201)…..”Down In The Valley” (Columbia FB 3245) and finally “Gotta Get Me Somebody To Love” (Columbia FB 3334)…….Even a recording of just one of these would be so helpful..

Edited by Mike Wilson1 on 5th Jan 2024, 10:31 AM

  11th Apr 2024, 5:50 PM#2  REPORT  
Pridesale ●

Member since Mar 2013
805 Points
turner-layton-london-pride-columbia-78-t.jpg

Added this image of 1941 or earlier (can anyone work out a date ?) Of Turner Layton on the bill at Holborn Empire , 242 High Holborn , London.

Thought would be of interest just how many locals and theatre goers to what was at one time a music hall venue and had gone through three internal rebuilds in its lifetime. The Luftwaffe rebuild of 1941 would be terminal and a Office Block of 1961 took its place eventually, in part as the post WW2 depopulation of London took a toil on some of the mid range venues and changes to theatres move to movie houses in many places.

Edited by Pridesale on 11th Apr 2024, 5:56 PM

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