Thomas Francis Dorsey, Jr. was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, and started out only 16 years later in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with big band leader Russ Morgan in the famous pick-up band of the 1920s "The Scranton Sirens".
Tommy and his brother Jimmy worked in several bands, including those of Rudy Vallee, Vincent Lopez, and especially Paul Whiteman, before forming the original Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in 1934. Ongoing acrimony between the brothers, however, led to Tommy Dorsey's walking out to form his own band in 1935, just as the Orchestra was having a hit with "Every Little Moment."
Tommy Dorsey's first band formed out of the remnant of the Joe Haymes band, and his smooth, lyrical trombone style – whether on ballads or on no-holds-barred swingers – became one of the signature sounds of both his band and the Swing Era. The new band hit from almost the moment it signed with RCA Victor with "On Treasure Island", the first of four hits for the new band that year. That led to a run of 137 Billboard chart hits, including his theme song, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (which showcases his phenomenal range and masterful mute use, reaching up to the high C #), "Marie", "The Big Apple", "Music, Maestro, Please", "I'll Never Smile Again", "This Love of Mine", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie", "Well, Git 'It", "Opus One", "Manhattan Serenade", and "There Are Such Things" – among many others.
The band featured a number of the best instrumentalists in jazz at the time, including trumpeters Bunny Berigan, Ziggy Elman, George Seaberg, Carl "Doc" Severinsen, and Charlie Shavers, pianist Jess Stacy, trumpeter/arranger/composer Sy Oliver (who wrote "Well, Git 'It" and "Opus One"), clarinetists Buddy DeFranco, Johnny Mince and Peanuts Hucko drummers Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Gene Krupa and Dave Tough and singers Jack Leonard, Edythe Wright, Jo Stafford, Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra achieved his first great success as a vocalist in the Dorsey band and claimed he learned breath control from watching Dorsey play trombone. Dorsey said his trombone style was heavily influenced by that of Jack Teagarden. Another member of the Dorsey band probably spent considerable time observing and listening to Sy Oliver's striking arrangements: trombonist Nelson Riddle, whose later partnership as Sinatra's major arranger and conductor is considered to have revolutionised post-World War II popular music.
Dorsey might have broken up his own band permanently following World War II, as many big bands did due to the shift in music economics following the war, and he did disband the orchestra at the end of 1946. But a top-ten selling album (All-Time Hits) made it possible for Dorsey to re-organise a big band in early 1947.
The biographical film of 1947, "The Fabulous Dorseys" describes sketchy details of how the brothers got their start from-the-bottom-up into the jazz era of one-nighters, the early days of radio in its infancy stages, and the onward march when both brothers ended up with Paul Whiteman before 1935 when The Dorsey Brothers' Orchestra split into two.
The Dorsey brothers themselves later reconciled – Jimmy Dorsey had had to break up his own highly successful big band in 1953, and brother Tommy invited him to join up as a feature attraction – but before long Tommy renamed the band the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. On December 26, 1953, the brothers appeared with their orchestra on Jackie Gleason's CBS television show, which was preserved on kinescope and later released on home video by Gleason. The brothers took the unit on tour and onto their own television show, Stage Show, from 1954 to 1956, on which they introduced Elvis Presley to national television audiences, among others.
All The Time
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
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My dreams are getting better all the time
And, what do you know, he smiled at me in a different light
My dreams are getting better all the time
To think that we were strangers a couple of nights ago
And though it's a dream, I never dreamed he'd ever say hello
Oh, maybe tonight I'll hold him tight when the moonbeams shine
To think that we were strangers a couple of nights ago
And though it's a dream, I never dreamed he'd ever say hello
Oh, maybe tonight I'll hold him tight when the moonbeams shine
My dreams are getting better all the time
The lyrics of "All the Time" by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra speak to the transformative power of dreams. The singer expresses surprise and delight as they recount a dream where someone they desire smiles at them. This encounter in the dream realm brings them immense joy and hope, and they note that their dreams are progressively improving. The singer reflects on how they were strangers just a couple of nights ago, emphasizing the suddenness and unpredictability of falling in love. Even though this connection exists solely within the realm of dreams, the singer is filled with optimism and imagines a scenario where they can hold the person tightly under the moonlight. With every passing dream, the singer's feelings intensify, and they find solace and happiness in the world they create during their sleep.
The song captures the feelings of infatuation and longing, highlighting the significance of dreams as an outlet for desires that may be unattainable in reality. It suggests that dreams have the power to satisfy emotional needs and offer hope, even if they remain within the realm of fantasy. Ultimately, "All the Time" revolves around the idea that dreams can provide a refuge and keep the flame of aspiration alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, what do you know, he smiled at me in my dreams last night
I was pleasantly surprised to see him smiling at me in my dreams
My dreams are getting better all the time
With each passing night, my dreams are improving and becoming more enjoyable
And, what do you know, he smiled at me in a different light
I was pleasantly surprised to see him smiling at me with a new perspective
To think that we were strangers a couple of nights ago
It's incredible to imagine that just a few nights ago we didn't even know each other
And though it's a dream, I never dreamed he'd ever say hello
Even though it's just a dream, I never expected him to greet me
Oh, maybe tonight I'll hold him tight when the moonbeams shine
Perhaps tonight I will embrace him tightly while under the gentle illumination of the moon
My dreams are getting better all the time
Continuously, my dreams are becoming more delightful and satisfying
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MANN CURTIS, VIC MIZZY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bugleboy 452
Very Nice dreamy song from Tommy Dorsey feat Lucy Ann Polk.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Lucy Ann Polk was a very underrated singer