A Trip Down Memory Lane. Music From 1950

Photo Harper’s Bazaar January 1950

I just adore some of the older music that has been long forgotten by most but sparks memories when it resurfaces, so I’ve spent the last 48 hours or so delving into the record archives, dusting off the covers and have come up with a selection of my favourite tunes from 1950. 

1950 was some 10 years before I was born but I can remember, as a youngster, my parents were known to chuck the odd 78 onto the Dansette when we had friends or family round for a “knees up” and, of course, we had the good old Roberts Bakelite radio that used to travel everywhere with us – both around the house and on holidays (we didn’t have a car radio when I was a kid) – which frequently rang out some of the older tunes as well as those I remember being in the “hit parade” of the 1960s

Record charts didn’t actually begin until 1952 here in the UK but there was a “sheet music” chart so I’ve selected a few of the best selling sheet music from 1950 and found a few recordings of the music on YouTube. 

I found 8 tunes which were popular in 1950 and which I can remember hearing either on a record or on the radio so I’ve set out these in reverse order of preference.

At 8 I’ve put Eve Young and the Homesteaders singing Silver Dollar (Roll, Roll, Roll).  It seemed that 1950 was one of those years when we were into more romantic tunes, but this was one of the more upbeat tunes that was popular that year.

And I bet there are few of you out there who don’t remember The Harry Lime Theme from the Orson Welles thriller The Third Man (he played Harry Lime), which also starred Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee and Wilfrid Hyde-White.

By Christmas 1950 it seemed that the most popular sheet music was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Here it is in all it’s glory, coming in at 6, and sung by the wonderful Gene Autry.

Now to my top five.

At 5 I’ve placed Ole Blue Eyes singing Goodnight Irene.  This particularly sparked off reminiscences for me.  My parents, who were staunch members of the Royal British Legion (a UK charity which helps ex servicemen, their widows and families), used to assist with a “bingo night” once a month in our local village hall.  This was a great community event.  It enabled some of the less well off villagers to have a cheap night out and meet up with some of their old friends from the surrounding villages.