ARE YOU LONESOME THIS PANDEMIC?
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It's hard to believe now that RCA sat on Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" for six months in 1960 because they did not believe the saccharine smash would be welcomed by the public. This pandemic anthem has its roots in a 1926 tune by vaudevillians Turk & Handman (a name like an accountancy), with a swipe from Shakespeare. The song was recorded numerous times in that era, including once by hillbilly heroes the Carter Family. Twenty years later, blackface singer Al Jolson issued a string-laden version said to inspire a certain Tupelo native. Listen to two hours of this song - surf, kitsch, et cetera
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Patrick Bryant
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617-253-4000
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