The Bad Piano Player

Send us a textFor episode 164, the Bad Piano Player celebrates songs with the word "Baby" in the title, or as we quaintly call it..."Baby Songs". Grab your pacifiers, kids, and settle in! Ah one, ah two, ah one, two, three...

Send us a textThis week, the bad piano player brings back his favorite theme from last season, with a second go-round of Most Obscure Songs. A little Bowie, perhaps? Some Edward Bear? A dollop of J. Tull, my darlings? Tune in and be dazzled by the unknown.

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player brings together a superb singer and a master lyricist. The singer is Peggy Lee, and so is the lyricist. And baby, is she gonna give you some fever. In the morning and all through the night. Tune in for the cure.

Send us a textThis week, the bad piano player features old friend composers and lyricists for songs that Dick Powell, boy singer, sang in the movies early in his career. Later he was the first man ever to play Philip Marlowe onscreen, but in the 30's he was sweet-faced heart-throb tenor Dick, who charmed the ladies with music. We hope you'll tune in and be charmed as well.  

Send us a textThe Bad Piano player celebrates Tax Day with the third of the "Songwriters You've Never Heard Of" episode, featuring composer/lyricist Billy Hill, who wrote more western-style songs than Gene Autry and you won't believe what his most famous song was. Tune in to hear it done by a bad piano player!

Send us a textApril Fools Fortnight Tuesday begins with our second "Songwriters You've Never Heard Of" episodes with the tuneful Joe Burke. A Tin Pan Alley veteran, Philadelphia born Joe had a bevy of Billboard hits in the 1930s. And an inaugural class inductee to the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Tune in to enjoy the bevy!

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player begins a series of three "Songwriters You've Never Heard Of" episodes and we begin with Fats Domino's favorite lyricist, the great Al Lewis. Why was he Fats Domino's fave lyricist? Tune and find out!

Send us a textThis fortnight, we finally honor the most excellent Oscar Hammerstein the second with his own episode. Six songs will be learned. Three Kerns, and three Rodgers. It's going to be semi-epic, kids. Tune in to be enthralled by the master lyricist. (And semi-enthralled by the bad piano player, right, Elroy? Right??)

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player goes for a second Ray Noble episode, with the emphasis on Ray's longtime vocalist, the great Al Bowlly. We'll be learning six songs Al recorded, five written by Ray. And the sometimes okay singer will be channeling his best voice to even approach the perfection of Al Bowlly's voice. Tune in to see how we do!

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player takes two Bing Crosby movies from the mid 1930s, and pulls three Gordon & Revel songs from each one. Hence: Two Movies - Six Songs. We throw in some synopses and a plot or two, some scenery ideas. You know, maybe some throw pillows. Elroy thinks the Nepotism Studio  would look better in purple. Tune in for the songs, stay for the stories.

Send us a textWe begin season six of the Bad Piano Player Podcast with a look at Oscar nominated songs from the 1940s -- that did NOT win. Some lost to better songs. Others lost to, well....crap. But we picked some corkers for you, our loyal listeners. Tune in and enjoy. 

Send us a textIt's the Season finale, friends! Season five has come and gone and we celebrate with a great songwriting team and their hits. Roy Turk and Fred Ahlert wrote some classics for you to rediscover today! Thanks for all your support and we'll see you January 21st (That's a Tuesday) for Season Six!

Send us a textThe penultimate episode of season five finds the bad piano player doing a second grab bag episode featuring two Oscar Levant compositions, a Johnny Burke we missed for his episode, a Hy Zaret restaurant classic, and many more. Okay two more. Tune in to find out and be the music, kids

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player features composer Ray Henderson, charter member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, writer of Animal Crackers In My Soup, Bye Bye, Blackbird, Don't Bring Lulu, The Birth of The Blues, The Best Things In Life Are Free, The Thrill Is Gone, and you're not going to believe this, but we're not doing ANY of those! Tune in to hear the six we did learn!

Send us a textThis week, in response to many emails and texts, the Bad Piano Player decided we couldn't wait until Robbie Burns day or St. Patrick's day to do another Celtic songs episode. The demand was too great! So we learn six songs from the cradle of golf and whiskey. Aged in the wood, and sung with our special mediocre care. And of course I'm kidding. We didn't get any emails or texts. Enjoy, my lads and lassies. 

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player introduces a lyricist-slash-songwriter we've featured before, but never in his own episode. The wonderful Johnny Burke, he of "Pennies From Heaven" and "Moonlight Becomes You" fame gives us six of his best! Tune in and smell the music. 

Send us a textThis week, the Bad Piano Player takes his second crack at the Glasgow-born, Newcastle-raised Mark Knopfler, with seven songs (Seven? YES! SEVEN) from his solo career. Including YOUR favorite! (I hope). Tune in to listen to a guitar virtuoso interpreted by a bad piano player. It's gonna be scary, kids!

Send us a textThe Bad Piano player first featured lyricist Mitchell Parish in his own episode four years ago. Episode five, season one. We thought it high time this prolific poet had a second six songs featured. We wish we could promise no Arms-Charms rhymes, but we can't. Them's the breaks. Tune in and hang with the cool kids, kids!

Send us a Text Message.This week, we feature composer Lew Pollack, born in New York City in 1895. Have you heard of him? No? Well you've heard his music, I feel reasonably sure. The bad piano player would bet this episode on it. Tune in for the classics and the obscures.

Send us a Text Message.This week, the Bad Piano Player features the most most obscure song he could find for six of his favorite modern singers and songwriters. We call the episode Their Most Obscure. Amazing how that works out. Tune in and maybe we'll do your fave obscure song!

Send us a Text Message.This week's episode features lyricist Edgar Leslie, 1885-1976, whose canon includes many famous songs we're not going to do! In accordance with the Bad Piano Player manifesto, we bring you six Edgar Leslie lyrics you probably don't know, but trust me, they rock! Or perhaps I should say, they bounce. Tune in for the words, stay for the music. Set a spell, take your shoes off...

Send us a Text Message.This week, the Bad Piano Player takes a look at the short-lived Song Hits magazine of the mid 1930s. They included music and we're doing three each from three issues in 1935. Songs written by some people we know and some we don't. Tune and sit back. It's going to be old-school musical! 

Send us a Text Message.This week, our post Canada Day episode features the Australian born, Judy Garland discovery, singer-songwriter Peter Allen. Composer, lyricist, singer, one-man show dynamo. Gone too soon. Six of our picks of his best. Enjoy, kids, in the full flower of summer. 

This Fortnight Tuesday, the Bad Piano Player, who has featured Harry Warren, Tom Waits, Irving Berlin, Sam Coslow and Frank Loesser three times, gives a third episode honor to James V Monaco. And as always, we hope you enjoy this well deserved inclusion. Tune in and be dazzled again by his great music.

For our first June episode, the Bad Piano Player features jazz violinist, composer and arranger Matt Malneck (1903-1981). New Jersey born songwriter who has long deserved and finally gets his own episode. Tune in, kids, because it is gonna swing.

This week, the Bad Piano Player goes into his bag of Sam Coslow songs and stories for-- would you believe it-- a third time! Six great songs and fabulous stories to go along with 'em. Mae West, Garbo, Mabel Normand, and some sketchy singing too! How can it miss, when the chorus goes like this! Tune in, my darlings. I'll be at the piano.

This week, Fortnight Tuesday brings two more giants of the American songbook, the team of Irving Kahal, lyricist, and Sammy Fain, composer, both members of the Songwriters' Hall Of Fame, and two men we've featured before, but at last they get the singular honor of their own private, six-song episode. Tune in, my beauties, and be enchanted.

This week, the Bad Piano Player assays the redoubtable Ralph Rainger; composer, arranger, accompanist, preparer of piano rolls, bandleader, and oh yes, lawyer. Film composer nonpareil in a bright but short career. You may not have heard of him, but you have heard him. Tune in, Raingers!

This week, the bad piano player features violinist, composer, director, screenwriter, and in his time, Da Hardest Workin' Man in Show Bidness. Say hello to Victor Schertzinger, director of 88 films and holder of 146 soundtrack credits. Tune in, kids. It's gonna be epic.

This week, the Bad Piano Player assays a composer/bandleader/singer you've never heard of. I swear! Radio and recording star of the 1930's Jack Little, who was of course known as Little Jack Little, not to be confused with the vaudeville Little Jack Little, who was only four feet five inches tall. No! Not that guy. The other guy! Tune in, kids. Gonna be epic.

This week, the Bad Piano Player does his second foray into the incredible career of songwriter Sam Coslow. From New York, Tin Pan Alley, to Hollywood, and finally, Wall Street. As always, with songs! Tune in, kids.

This week, the Bad Piano Player finds a songbook with old friends Mitchell Parish, Carl Sigman, Frank Loesser, and Harry Warren in it. And we throw in a Mack Gordon for good measure. It's gonna be old timey and old movie as well, so get some popcorn and set a spell. Elroy, get some refreshments for our guests. 

This week, the bad piano player assays the Oklahoma born songwriter Jimmy Webb, born in Elk City 77 years ago. Winning a song of the year Grammy award at age 21 didn't slow this guy down one bit, kids. Tune in for six of the best.

This week, after 130 episodes, the Bad Piano player finally does a Gershwin episode. Six little slices of long intensive rehearsal heaven. We hope you will indulge a bad piano player in his admiration for the King of Rock 'N Rhapsody. Tune in. The mistakes will be AWESOME.

For our first episode of season five the bad piano player will feature Morris Gittler and Harry Glaser, known to their fans as Mack Gordon and Harry Revel, a New York AND Hollywood songwriting team from 1928 to 1939. Please enjoy these songs responsibly.

The Bad Piano Player's season four finale will feature six songs, and the composers of same may surprise you. I'm hoping they will surprise you a lot, so even if they don't, look....ACT SURPRISED, okay? Sheesh. Thanks to all our listeners for a great fourth season! See you In January!

This week, in our fourth season's penultimate episode, we sing some songs about trains. "If they freed me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine....I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line..." We won't be doing that one, but you should tune in anyway. It'll be a fun journey. Get an upper berth.

This week the Bad Piano Player features composer, lyricist, music publisher, & financial analyst Sam Coslow. We've featured him occasionally before, but never for his own episode, so tune in and hear the classics, Sam Coslow-style..

I know that many of my listeners wonder, "Is there a genre The BPP hasn't done? Well there is! And it's today!! And it's sacred music. Lots of hymns and good feelings between people. And no, we won't be doing Norman Greenbaum's 'Spirit In The Sky'. Sheesh. Tune in and pray on.

The Bad Piano Player revisits the home of an old musical friend this week, with six new songs from the remarkable career of New Englander Harry Woods. From New England to New York to Olde England to Hollywood to gentleman farmer, join us for the journey.

This week, the Bad Piano Player goes back to his roots in comedy and adds some extra, just for you with our Humorous Songs episode! From making fun of the Irish in the early 1900s to making fun of the English 50 years later, and all the way to the 70s with genius Victoria Wood, we go for the funny with melodies. Tune in!

Fortnight Tuesday approaches like a peace train in this wild world. This week, the Bad Piano Player brings tea for the tillerman and steak for the sun with an episode all about Steven Gheorgiou-Cat Stevens-Yusuf Islam. But mostly the middle name. Tune in or Catch bull at four.

The Bad Piano Player features our second James V. Monaco episode this week, and not just because we found six more great songs of his, NO! But more because podcast episode don't grow on trees, y'know. Tune in, kids!

This week, the Bad Piano Player features Irish born lyricist Jimmy Kennedy. From Omagh to London, to New York, to Hollywood and back, in a long and storied career. And we won't be doing any of his really famous songs. Okay, maybe one. Tune in, kids!

This week, the Bad Piano Player deep dives into the career of 1930s-40s Native American Jazz singer Mildred Bailey. Known as The Queen Of Swing and The Rockin' Chair Lady. Born on the Coeur D'Alene reservation and the woman who introduced Bing Crosby to the music of Louis Armstrong. It's gonna be epic, kids. Tune in!

This week, the Bad Piano Player finds six unbelievably obscure movies from the 1930's and plays you a song from each one. Prepare to be dazzled by story lines you've heard before, a million times, and enjoy the songs that would otherwise be forgotten! Tune in early and often.

This week, the Bad Piano Player returns to his youthful indiscretions, some of which actually occurred in his youth. We profile the soulful career of Jackson Browne, mostly the early career, with a soupcon of the later period, because hey, it's my podcast. Enjoy, sweethearts, enjoy.

This week, the Bad Piano Player features people you may not have heard of, people who've been featured before, and some cool songs you probably don't know in an episode we call "Grab Bag". Open it up and find the surprises inside!

This week the bad piano player looks at six songs from the 1970s. Some one hit wonders, some odd choices, I guess we would call them anomalies. Suffice to say they all bring back high school for your truly. Tune in and travel back there with us. 

This week, The Bad Piano Player returns to his roots in early 20th century American popular song by featuring the Italian born composer James Monaco, who spent four decades writing excellent melodies for bad piano players and not bad singers. Tune in and feel the joy he brings.

This week, the Bad Piano Player travels across the pond to rediscover a British composer relatively unknown in North America. Noel Gay (1898-1954), wrote songs, film scores, and operettas plus his publishing company is still influential today. Tune in and find out why.