Will Bradley will always be remembered most for his boogie-woogie orchestra of the early 1940s. Bradley himself, however, preferred to play ballads and had a long and successful career as a trombonist outside of his band. Bradley was a busy studio musician throughout the 1930s, working with such artists as Red Nichols, Eddie Cantor, Victor Young. Jacques Renard, Nat Shilkret, Andre Kostelanetz, Raymond Paige, Kate Smith, and Al Jolson. In 1935 Glenn Miller, who thought Bradley the best trombonist in the business, hired him to play in Ray Noble's American band, which Miller was organizing. He left Noble the following year, however, and returned to studio work. Bradley also played with Milt Shaw's orchestra in 1931, where he met drummer Ray McKinley.
Bradley's name was unknown to the general public when in 1939 William Morris talent agent Willard Alexander suggested he form a swing orchestra. Trombone-playing leaders, such as Miller and Tommy Dorsey, were currently popular, and Alexander felt Bradley would do well on his own. Drummers were also the rage, and Alexander teamed Bradley with old bandmate McKinley, who was then with Jimmy Dorsey. Backed by a powerful publicity campaign the duo's orchestra debuted in 1939 under Bradley's name and soon had its first big hit in ''Celery Stalks.''
The band initially featured pianist Freddie Slack and a young Peanuts Hucko on tenor sax. Trumpeters Lee Castle and Pete Candoli later played with the group. Arrangements were provided by Hugo Winterhalter, Leonard Whitney, and Al Datz. McKinley sang on the more swinging numbers. Other vocalists included Carlotta Dale, Phyllis Miles, Louise Tobin, Larry Southern, and Jimmy Valentine. The group's first recordings were on the Vocalion and Okeh labels. Subsequent releases were on Columbia.
In 1940 Bradley and McKinley began to feature the boogie woogie sound in their arrangements. Initial success with the song ''Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar'' sparked a slew of similar recordings, such as ''Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four'' and ''Scrub Me Mama, with a Boogie Beat.'' The new style proved popular with the public, and the band quickly developed a niche following. By early 1942, however, Bradley had tired of boogie-woogie and wanted to focus more on ballads. McKinley disagreed and left to form his own band.
Bradley set about reforming his orchestra but was forced to hang up his baton after only six months due to the war. He lost too many musicians in the draft and was unable to replace them. The new orchestra did not enter the studio. Vocalists were Terry Allen and Lynn Gardner
Bradley continued to record under his own name during the war, using studio musicians, on the Signature label. Ironically, considering the cause of his orchestra's break-up, in 1944 he released material on the Beacon/Celebrity label as Will Bradley and His Boogie Woogie Boys. In 1947 he also recorded with vocalist Anita O'Day on Signature, and in the 1950s he released three albums, which included one RCA collection of boogie woogie songs.
Bradley worked often as a studio musician after the war and spent many years in the Tonight Show orchestra in the Johnny Carson era. In 1953 he had a brief spell with the Sauter-Finegan Band and also composed several classical works in his later years.
Five O'clock Whistle
Will Bradley Lyrics
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The whistle won't blow and whadd'ya think?
My pop is still in the factory 'cause he don't know
What time it happens to be
The five o'clock whistle didn't blow
The whistle is broke and whadda'ya know?
If somebody don't find out what's wrong
Oh, who's gonna fix the whistle?
Won't somebody fix the whistle?
Oh, who's gonna fix the whistle?
So my poor old pop will know it's time for him to stop
Ya ought to hear what my mommy said
When papa came home and sneaked into bed
And told her he worked till half past two
Cause the five o'clock whistle never blew
In Will Bradley's song "Five O'clock Whistle," the singer is lamenting over the malfunctioning five o'clock whistle in the factory that their father works at. The whistle fails to blow, and as a result, the father doesn't realize it's time to stop working, and may end up working all night. The singer pleads with someone to fix the whistle, so their poor father would know it's time to go home. The lyrics take a more personal tone when the singer talks about their mother's reaction to finding out their father had worked until half-past two because of the whistle's malfunctioning.
The five o'clock whistle represents the end of the day's work, and the start of leisure time, going home, and being with family. The song touches on the significant theme of the importance of time management, and the consequences that may come about when the proper systems in place to keep time are disrupted. It's interesting to note that even though the song was written in 1940, the theme is still relevant today as the issues of time management in the workplace is still a significant issue to date.
Line by Line Meaning
The five o'clock whistle's on the blink
The whistle that signals the end of work at five in the evening is not working properly.
The whistle won't blow and whadd'ya think?
The whistle isn't signalling the end of work at the factory and it's causing a lot of trouble.
My pop is still in the factory 'cause he don't know What time it happens to be
The singer's father is still working in the factory because he doesn't know what time it is due to the broken whistle.
The five o'clock whistle didn't blow The whistle is broke and whadda'ya know?
The whistle that signals the end of work at five o'clock didn't blow because it's broken and no one seems to be aware.
If somebody don't find out what's wrong Oh, my pop'll be workin' all night long
If someone doesn't fix the broken whistle, the artist's father will have to work all night long without knowing that it's time to stop.
Oh, who's gonna fix the whistle? Won't somebody fix the whistle?
The singer is asking if someone can fix the whistle so that everyone in the factory can hear when it's time to go home.
Oh, who's gonna fix the whistle? So my poor old pop will know it's time for him to stop
The singer is pleading with someone to fix the whistle so that his father can hear it and know it's time to stop working.
Ya ought to hear what my mommy said When papa came home and sneaked into bed
The mother's reaction to the father coming home late because of the broken whistle is worth listening to.
And told her he worked till half past two Cause the five o'clock whistle never blew
The father told the mother that he had to work late until half past two because the whistle that signals the end of work at five didn't blow due to being broken.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GENE IRWIN, JOSEF MYROW, KIM GANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind