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Al Stewart’s “Song of the Month” Record Series
I found this “Song of the Month” record (pictured above) on eBay. The label reads: “in co-operation with Cooperative Extension Service and Purdue Musical Organizations.” This 1972 recording is now on PVGCDB and begins with a classic Al Stewart invocation:
This recording is made as an aid to singing. Turn up the volume, get the words in your hands and [join us.] To be successful, it is imperative that you give of yourself. The real fun will be in participation. So it’s the men and a few Purduette girls and without rehearsals, so this is very informal. Let’s go!”
Listen to the audio intro
I hadn’t heard of this series, so I searched for it in the Purdue Exponent archives. The text of the 1937 article is below:
Tomorrow A. P. Stewart will attend a luncheon in the Union ballroom for the directors of the various home economics choruses in Tippecanoe county. Through bulletins, edited by him and published through the agricultural extension department, over twenty choruses have been organized throughout the state. At 1:30, Stewart will direct community singing for the women’s assembly tomorrow. The music will be taken from the “Song of the Month,” a series of songs edited by Mr. Stewart and sent out to the home economics clubs.
Tomorrow night some of the county choruses will sing for the festival which is a part of the Agricultural State Conference. Each group will sing two numbers, and at the close of the program, all will unite in “Beautiful Dreamer” by Poster, and “The Skating Song” by Waldteufel. Preceding the festival, members of the choruses are invited to attend a dinner in the educational building of the Central Presbyterian Church in Lafayette.”
(1937, January 12). County Chorus Sings Today. The Purdue Exponent. p. 1. https://historicalnewspapers.lib.purdue.edu
It seems Al had been doing this from the 30s all the way through the 70s, distributing a record and music scores to choruses across Indiana counties as something of a pre-Internet podcast. Below is the printed sample of the 1937 Exponent article as well as some related images from Sonya.
I asked a few alumni from that era for more information:
Sonya Stewart Eddy: “The Song of the Month program was very popular among the county choruses and county home ec clubs. I happen to have a copy of one of the books and will send a picture of it to you. FYI-My father ‘urged’ me to take over the Madison Co. chorus and, of course, I did and directed it for a little over 50 years.”
Carl White: “I don’t have much recollection of the chorus that Al directed that was associated with the Cooperative Extension Service. I believe it was mostly a summertime activity when the students were off campus. I do recall its existence, but the only overlap with PMO that I am aware of was the staff not students. I’m pretty sure that PMO alumni were involved in the chorus..”
The entire recording is worth listening to, as Al gives some historical background of each selection, and invites the listener to stand while signing the patriotic tunes. He employs his trademark “No fun without music, no music without fun” attitude while also demonstrating reverence for the music and the text.
“(America) My Country Tis of thee, written in 1832…is a patriotic song, and as our kind of national hymn, I think it behooves us to stand for America. So would you stand please, as you sing, America, or My Country Tis of Thee. Please note that the fourth stanza is a prayer of prayer to God to preserve our freedom. Let us sing heartily on the first three stanzas and prayerfully on the fourth…”
The recording concluded with Back Home Again in Indiana, A bonus is a version of “On the Banks of the Wabash” with additional verses, and Hail Purdue.
Please chime in if you have more memories about the Song of the Month series!
Commentary
My father was asked (in 1936 or37) to get some ladies together to sing for some kind of program on WBAA. The ladies enjoyed singing together so much that he formed what would be called the Tippecanoe Co. Chorus. From there he thought it would be good to get other ladies together to sing so thru the Extension service he was able to start choruses all over the state. At the height of the program I believe he had choruses in almost all 92 counties. The choruses each had their own director but all sang the songs that my father picked for each year. All directors and some of their singers would meet at a workshop in the late summer to learn the songs they would teach their choruses for the year. The culmination of each year would usually be in June when all the choruses would meet for a days rehearsal the present a program in the evening. The chorus year usually ran from August thru the following June. At one time there were probably over 1500 woman involved.
One of the highlights were the years my father would arrange for the large group to travel in the summer for a concert tour. These trips included Washington, DC, Florida, Canada. and California to name a few.
Sonya Eddy
on 11/17/2023
from Anderson, IN
My mother, Audrey McElheny, was the longtime Miami County Chorus Director. In 1978, I accompanied her Chorus at Loeb Theater in Stewart Center which is where the individual Choruses performed before they United for the Purdue Festival in Elliott Hall of Music that evening under the Direction of Bill Luhman accompanied by Bill Allen. After the performance Mr. Luhman wanted to meet me. So my mom and I would go to his studio office on the 3rd floor of PMO in the Hall of Music to have a great conversation of music, life and my future! I was hired that next fall as Assistant to the Director of Purdue Musical Organizations, and it was all because my mother needed an accompanist. 🎹❤️
My mom passed Thanksgiving 2014.
DeDe Mantock
on 11/20/2023