Rudy Vallee
Twentieth Century
by
Rudy Vallée’s radio program brings the singer and bandleader to the microphone in a blend of popular music and spoken entertainment. Vallée’s smooth vocal style and relaxed presence helped make him one of radio’s early stars, with songs providing the center of the listening experience.
The title identifies this recording with “Twentieth Century.” The program offers a glimpse of the variety-oriented radio entertainment associated with Vallée: music presented alongside conversational moments and other broadcast material, in an intimate style shaped for listeners at home.
Vallée’s warm, polished delivery gives the performance an easygoing character, while the period sound of the broadcast places it firmly in early network radio. It is a chance to hear a major popular singer in the medium that helped bring his performances to a wide audience.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.