Shine (1910 song)


Shine is a popular song with lyrics by Cecil Mack and Tin Pan Alley songwriter Lew Brown and music by Ford Dabney. It was published in 1910 by the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company and used by Aida Overton Walker in His Honor the Barber, an African-American road show. According to Perry Bradford, himself a songster and publisher, the song was written about an actual man named Shine who was with George Walker when they were badly beaten during the New York City race riot of 1900.
It was later recorded by jazz and jazz influenced artists such as The California Ramblers, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Harry James, and Frankie Laine, usually without the explanatory introduction.
Bing Crosby & The Mills Brothers recorded the song on February 29, 1932 with Studio orchestra conducted by Victor Young. It was issued on Brunswick Records 11376-A, a 78 rpm record and it is assessed by Joel Whitburn as reaching the No. 7 position in the charts of the day.
As a member of The Hoboken Four, Frank Sinatra sang this song in 1935 on Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
Albert Nicholas, clarinet, with The Big Chief Jazz Band recorded it in Oslo on August 29, 1955. Released on the 78 rpm record Philips P 53037 H.
Joe Brown and The Bruvvers recorded the song in 1961 and reached the British charts with a peak position of No. 33.
Anne Murray included this song on her 1976 Capitol Records album, Keeping in Touch.
Ry Cooder recorded the song complete with introduction in 1978.
Spanish vocal quartet Los Rosillo, recorded a Spanish version, with the original spoken intro, in their debut album in 1988.

Louis Armstrong version

The song was performed in a film short A Rhapsody in Black and Blue by Armstrong. The 1931 recording by Armstrong with his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra is a subset of the complete lyric of the 1910 version and the expanded later version, with added scat singing and long instrumental ending:
SHINE

Ry Cooder version with original introduction

On his 1978 album Jazz, Ry Cooder performed the song in a "52nd Street" small band setting, with the introductory verse that explains what the song is all about. He noted that it had been written in 1910 near the end of the "Coon song era", and described it as a unique comment on the black face sensibilities of that genre.