Hey all! So I was chatting with Eric at the last Rocky Mountain Record Show, who offers me a couple of Band Box studio recordings, credited to Murlee Hart. The first thing I notice is that they show "Band Box #336," which corresponds with Ronnie Kae's 1964 release "Swinging Drums" / "A Flight For Drums."
I'm only guessing the folks at Band Box had an overstock of Ronnie's labels and reused them for test pressings and acetates, for other artists. You will find that label number on "Kit Polka / Eastlake Waltz" and "Mountain Flower Waltz" / "Too Fat Polka," by the Alpine Polka Dots (acetates) and Marion Price's test pressings, "O Holy Night" and "Musetta's Waltz."
Back to Murlee Hart...
Born in 1921, in St. Louis, Margaret Murlee Hart came to Denver in 1940, where she earned her master’s degree in education at the University of Denver then a doctorate from the University of Colorado. She became one of the first African-American teachers at a Denver public school. According to her 2015 obituary she also a prolific songwriter, penning more than 500 songs.
According to the Catalog of Copyright Entries, a few of her songs included "Baby I'm in Love" (1948), "Eastersong" (1948), "I Walked Down by the River" (1949), "When It Gets Dark the Stars Come Out" (1949) "Velvet Fog" (1949), "Do You Remember" (1953), "How True Are You" (1953), "Song of Christmas" (1953), "Get Thee From Me" (1956), "You're Just in Time" (1956 with Harriet Salter Rice), "What a Drag" (1957), "Dark Blue" (1957).
Unfortunately, it appears only two of her songs were ever recorded. "How True Are You" / "Tried But Not True" feature an uncredited country-sounding male singer and a sticker across the original Ronnie Kae label. As always gang, if you have a clue on who is vocalizing her compositions, let me know.
