''Ballad for Americans'' is a studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

phonograph record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

s by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

released in 1940 featuring the popular "

Ballad for Americans "Ballad for Americans" (1939), originally titled "The Ballad for Uncle Sam", is an American patriotic cantata with lyrics by John La Touche and music by Earl Robinson. It was written for the Federal Theatre Project production, ''Sing for Your ...

" sung by Crosby in an American-type patriotic style. In 1946, the two records in this album were put into a new album called ''

What We So Proudly Hail ''What So Proudly We Hail'' is a compilation album of gramophone record, phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1946 in music, 1946 featuring songs that were sung by Crosby in an American-type patriotic style. This album featured Bing sing ...

''. This was Crosby's first studio album that was not a reissue of earlier singles.

Reception

Crosby biographer

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a ...

discussed the recording in his book ''Bing Crosby, A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years, 1903-1940'': :Bing did not approach the project lightly. He studied the work before the session, and his concentration in the studio was painstaking; everything had to be right. In contrast to his usual speed (five tunes in two hours, rarely more than two takes), he devoted an hour to each of the four segments. If the reviews were not overtly political, political righteousness fueled the cheers of latecomers to the world of popular music. "Bing Crosby came of age, musically speaking, in his last week’s album, ''Ballad for Americans''," wrote ''New York Post'' critic Michael Levin. "This is the finest recorded performance Bing had done to date and shows that in the last few years he has gone beyond binging and has really learned how to sing." When he finished patronizing Bing, Levin chanced a risky comparison with

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

’s Victor set that undoubtedly gladdened the hearts of Kapp’s team: "For all of Robeson's magnificent voice, we prefer the Crosby version. The recording is better, the orchestration is better, and the chorus is better trained."

Track listing

These newly issued songs were featured on a 2-disc, 78 rpm album set, Decca Album No. A-134. "

" was written by John Treville Latouche and

Earl Robinson Earl Hawley Robinson (July 2, 1910 – July 20, 1991) was a composer, arranger and folk music singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Robinson is remembered for his music, including the cantata " Ballad for Americans" and songs such as " ...

. Crosby's recordings were made on July 6, 1940, with the Ken Darby Singers and

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

's Decca Concert Orchestra. Disc 1 (3297): "Part One" (2:26) / "Part Four" (3:06)
Disc 2 (3298): "Part Two" (2:16) / "Part Three" (2:24)

References

{{Authority control Bing Crosby albums 1940 albums Decca Records albums