
A collection of digitally enhanced and restored NBC Orthacoustic Electrical Transcription disc recordings of the musical portion of the "Fibber McGee and Molly Show" as heard on the original live OTR broadcast. Billy Mills was the "maestro" - or musical director of the show - and his 18 to 22-piece radio studio orchestra was populated with musical radio stars like Rex Koury on piano, later replaced by Buddy Cole on piano, Perry Botkin on guitar, Phil Stephens on bass, and soloists like Andy Secrest on trumpet and Abram "Abe" Lincoln on trombone and Matty Matlock on clarinet. From 1938-1941, Spike Jones was often the drummer in the Orchestra until he formed his own group and was replaced by Nick Fatool. Most of the musicians either were members of (or former members of) many famous big band ensembles led by Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey and/or were recording artists in their own right (many for Capitol Records), or accompanists to stars (like Buddy Cole was for Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney) - and often many famous arrangers like Billy May would at times arrange for the studio orchestra. In 1941, the Billy Mills Orchestra would also perform off-air at California-based dance halls and ballrooms such as in Pasadena, as a dance band. Some recordings will feature "The Kings Men" with vocals, arranged (and sung) by Ken Darby. There is also a special stereo re-engineering of the early 1941 season when the Billy Mills Orchestra would accompany vocalist Martha Tilton (who had performed with Benny Goodman), who joined the "Fibber McGee and Molly Show" for half a season, to later star in her own radio show - and later become famous starring with Curt Massey in the radio series "Alka Seltzer Time". Hear these vintage and rare big band swing arrangements as performed live during the 'musical interlude' of the show - never intended to be heard again - with a high-fidelity quality than originally heard on AM radio over 65 years ago. Billy Mills was orchestra leader for the show from 1938 to 1953, at which point NBC dropped the live orchestra and cut the show to 15 minutes due to viewer competition with television. At their peak, this top-rated Old Time Radio show, "Fibber McGee and Molly", would have had over 35 million listeners on a typical Tuesday night broadcast (at 9:30p ET) - until television came along, decimating the radio network audiences. Billy Mills would go on to write a song in 1956 that would be featured in a Disney cartoon, "A Cowboy Needs A Horse" - also uploaded on YouTube. Perry Botkin on guitar was also seen occasionally with Ozzie Nelson in "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" playing banjo, ukele, and guitar with Ozzie. He also wrote and performed the music in the 1960's TV hit "The Beverly Hillbillies". Buddy Cole on piano was also Bing Crosby's pianist with his Trio - and also accompanied Rosemary Clooney on a few of her albums. His true love was Hammond Organ, and made a number of hit organ albums in many lounge genres - also known more famously as the organ in Henry Mancini's "Mister Lucky".