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Classic Lindy Hop Music – The Hottest 100

September 29, 2014 5 comments

User Shadowpoga on reddit asked about classic songs for DJing at a lindy hop dance. Whilst I gave my two cents in the comments, I didn’t actually post any song suggestions.

That’s what this post is for.

I went through my own collection and picked out the 100 best tracks from the 30s through to the early 60s. I may get around to picking out a top 10 or something and talking a bit about each, but given my track record it’s not likely. 🙂

I’m not claiming that this represents any sort of objective top 100, which would require some sort of voting system – and some way of resolving what to do about all the covers, alternate takes and recordings of the same song by the same artist in different sessions. There’s a number of notable exceptions (such as Willie Bryant – A Viper’s Moan and Roy Eldrige – Jump Through the Window) missing from this list. Despite having a collection that would take 3 weeks of continuous listening to get through, there’s still some ridiculously popular songs that I don’t have.*

In order of artist they are:

Name Artist BPM Year Duration
Davenport Blues Adrian Rollini & His Orchestra 139 1934 3:17
Wham (Wham, Re, Bop, Boom, Bam) Andy Kirk and His Twelve Coulds of Joy 198 1940 3:05
Back Bay Shuffle Art Shaw and His Orchestra 190 1938 3:16
Hop, Skip and Jump Artie Shaw and His Gramercy 5 177 1945 2:58
Just Kiddin’ Around Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 153 1941 3:24
The Grabtown Grapple Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 192 1945 2:57
Traffic Jam Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 261 1939 2:17
Big John’s Special Benny Goodman 185 1938 3:08
Goody, Goody Benny Goodman 194 1936 2:32
Swingtime in The Rockies Benny Goodman 231 1936 3:10
King Porter Stomp Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 184 1951 3:08
Let’s Dance Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 203 1939 2:34
Stompin’ at the Savoy Benny Goodman Orchestra 153 1954 3:15
Forty Cups of Coffee Betty Miller with Sid Phillips & His Band 134 3:04
Are You All Reet? Cab Calloway 155 1941 3:04
A Chicken Ain’t Nothin’ but a Bird Cab Calloway 161 1940 2:53
The Jumpin’ Jive Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 176 1939 2:51
Boo-Wah Boo-Wah Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 199 1940 2:52
Afternoon Of A Moax (Shake, Rattle ‘n’ Roll) Charlie Barnet 131 1940 3:23
Wild Mob Of The Fish Pond Charlie Barnet 133 1940 3:15
Cherokee Charlie Barnet 174 1939 3:20
Flying Home Charlie Barnet 183 1940 2:55
The Last Jump (A Jump To End All Jumps) Charlie Barnet 244 1939 2:41
The Dipsy Doodle Chick Webb and His Orchestra 188 1937 3:10
Splanky Count Basie and His Orchestra 121 1957 3:36
Georgianna Count Basie and His Orchestra 165 1938 2:35
Shorty George Count Basie and His Orchestra 206 1938 2:46
Jumpin’ At the Woodside Count Basie and His Orchestra 237 1938 3:10
All Right, Ok, You Win Count Basie – Joe Williams 133 1955 3:05
Roll ‘Em Pete Count Basie – Joe Williams 178 1955 3:12
Corner Pocket Count Basie and His Orchestra 139 1955 5:17
Blues in Hoss Flat Count Basie and His Orchestra 140 1959 3:14
Four, Five, Six Count Basie and His Orchestra 142 1962 4:39
Swing, Brother, Swing Count Basie and His Orchestra 154 1937 1:50
9:20 Special Count Basie and His Orchestra 196 1941 3:12
Swingin’ the Blues Count Basie and His Orchestra 223 1960 3:15
Every Day I Have the Blues Count Basie Big Band 109 1956 5:11
One O’Clock Jump Count Basie Octet 192 1950 2:53
Take the ‘A’ Train Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra 166 1941 2:57
The Gal From Joe’s Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra 166 1938 2:58
Exposition Swing Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra 219 1936 3:12
Ridin’ and Jivin’ Earl Hines and His Orchestra 154 1939 2:42
Smooth Sailing Ella Fitzgerald 118 1951 3:06
Mack the Knife Ella Fitzgerald 139 1960 4:39
Lindy Hopper’s Delight Ella Fitzgerald 195 1939 2:45
On the Sunny Side of the Street Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie 105 1963 3:44
Shiny Stockings Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie 126 1963 3:34
The Frim Fram Sauce Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong 106 1946 3:13
Solid as a Rock Ella Fitzgerald with Sy Oliver and His Orchestra 149 1950 2:59
Tuxedo Junction Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra 155 1939 3:14
Your Feets Too Big Fats Waller 119 1931 2:58
Dark Eyes Fats Waller 163 1931 3:22
The Yacht Club Swing Fats Waller 172 1938 3:11
Christopher Columbus Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra 186 1936 3:08
Pennsylvania 6-5000 Glenn Miller 148 1940 3:15
Jeep Jockey Jump Glenn Miller & The Army Air Force Band 204 1943 2:15
Little Brown Jug Glenn Miller and The Andrews Sisters 170 1939 3:11
Two O’Clock Jump Harry James 154 1955 3:00
Bottom’s Up Illinois Jacquet and his All Stars 198 1945 2:58
Jacquet in the Box Illinois Jacquet Sextet 157 1946 2:56
For Dancers Only Jimmie Lunceford And His Orchestra 149 1937 2:43
‘Tain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) Jimmie Lunceford And His Orchestra 158 1939 3:05
Posin’ Jimmie Lunceford And His Orchestra 191 1937 3:01
Harlem Shout Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 197 1936 2:56
Kansas City Jimmy Witherspoon 128 1959 3:10
Good Rockin’ Tonight Jimmy Witherspoon 150 1963 2:43
Bucket’s Got A Hole In It Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band 121 1953 2:51
On Revival Day LaVern Baker 142 1958 3:16
Hey, Ba-Ba-Re-Bop Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 132 1945 3:21
Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 132 1949 3:24
Lavendar Coffin Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 137 1949 2:47
Flying Home, No. 2 Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 162 1944 3:07
Ain’t Misbehavin’ Louis Armstrong 171 1955 4:01
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington 109 1961 3:35
I’m Beginning To See The Light Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington 148 1961 3:39
A Fine Romance Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald 174 1957 3:51
Caldonia Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five 165 1945 2:43
Choo Choo Ch’boogie Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five 171 1946 2:44
Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody Louis Prima 127 1956 4:44
Jump, Jive An’ Wail Louis Prima 208 1956 3:29
Let It Roll Again Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra 125 1950 2:58
Shout, Sister, Shout Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra 141 1941 2:44
Apollo Jump Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra 147 1941 3:26
Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well? Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra 163 1944 3:00
Savoy Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra 191 1943 3:26
Bugle Call Rag Metronome All Stars 262 1941 3:16
The Fox Ray Anthony and His Orchestra 162 1951 2:33
All the Cats Join In Roy Eldridge and His Orchestra 182 1946 2:40
Viper Mad Sidney “Pops” Bechet with Noble Sissle Swingsters 178 1938 3:05
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho Sidney Bechet and His Blue Note Jazzmen 178 1949 3:20
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me Sidney Bechet and His Hot Six 142 1951 5:44
The Ball Game Sister Wynona Carr 140 1952 3:06
Look Out Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart 195 1939 2:55
Jump Session Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart 163 1938 2:37
We Cats Will Swing for You The Cats and The Fiddle 182 1939 2:38
Gang Busters The Cats and The Fiddle 192 1939 3:07
Yes Indeed Tommy Dorsey 131 1941 3:29
Opus One Tommy Dorsey 169 1944 2:57
Well, Get It Tommy Dorsey 189 1942 3:03
Keep On Churnin’ Wynonie Harris with Todd Rhodes Orchestra 144 1952 2:54

* And given my current self-imposed music buying restrictions isn’t likely to be corrected anytime soon.

Posted in djing, lindy

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