Margie

The song Margie, which we perform today, has a history dating back to 1920. It was conceived by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson, the latter part of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The lyrics were written by Benny Davis. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band was responsible for introducing it that same year, released as a single that included Singin' the Blues in a medley. The instrumental recording by this band was made on December 1, 1920. Other versions that resonated in 1920 and 1921 were by Gene Rodemich, Eddie Cantor, Ted Lewis, and Frank Crumit. The Rega Dance Orchestra also recorded it in October 1920. The title, Margie, comes from the five-year-old daughter of singer and composer Eddie Cantor, who helped popularize it with his own 1921 recording, which stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks.

Over the years, Margie has been a recurring theme in cinema, appearing in films such as Stella Dallas (1937), Margie (1946), The Eddie Cantor Story (1953), and The Drowning Pool (1975). It was even part of a sound animated short by Phonofilm produced by Max Fleischer in 1926. In the 1950s, it became the unofficial anthem of the Preston North End football club and was played at the funeral of Sir Tom Finney in 2014. Its popularity has led it to be considered a jazz standard, with countless artists covering it, including figures like Bix Beiderbecke, Cab Calloway, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Mercer, Dave Brubeck, and of course, Ray Charles. One of the most detailed instrumental recordings dates from March 21, 1962, for the album There Is Nothing Like a Dame, featuring trumpeters like Pete Candoli and Conte Candoli, Shelly Manne on drums, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Gary Peacock on bass. Ray Charles's style, a pioneer of soul, fused rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues, and his influence extended to country and pop music, integrating genres and leaving an indelible mark on musical history.