Origins: Borneo Bay

Subject: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Thompson
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 04:15 AM

Surprised not to find this in the Digitrad, though I suppose trad would be pushing it.

My mother, a child of the Twenties, used to sing a happy song that started:

Way down south, down south in Borneo,
There's a wild dance called the Borneo,
Down south, in Borneo Bay,
Voh-dee-oh-do

The Muppets did a later version (though for some odd reason they omitted the Voh-dee-oh-do line, which for me is the apex of 1920s naughtiness, up there with 23-skidoo and I Love My Wife But Oh, You Kid.

Who first sang this? Google's no help.

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 07:14 AM

https://secondhandsongs.com/work/192911

The Voh-dee-oh-do thing: Is it possible you're thinking of Rudy Vallee (accent aigu on the first e)?

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 11:34 AM

Borneo by Walter Donaldson, 1928 and Starship's link says the first recording was by Frankie Trumbauer's Orchestra.

I couldn't see the sheet music online, but you can find the lyrics from a different recording (vocal by Scrapper Blackwell) here: Borneo and The Muppet's version here: Borneo - Muppets.

I can't lay my hands on my copy of Reading Lyrics to see if the Walter Donaldson section has any more information, but I'll have a look when it turns up!

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mrrzy
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 12:10 PM

I have this by somebody. Cannot recall who or what else is in the album. No- wait, Ukulele Lady. With that I might be able to find it.

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mrrzy
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 12:12 PM

Jim Kweskin. Aha.

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 02:30 PM

I said in my post the vocals I linked to were from Scrapper Blackwell. I thought when I was writing it that it was strange but forgot to check. They were in fact sung by Scrappy Lambert with Ben Bernie's orchestra.

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Thompson
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 02:48 PM

Hm. What's the oldest recording?

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mrrzy
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 03:07 PM

Here is something from 1974 but the song sounds like it's from the teens or 20s to meee...

https://www.discogs.com/Fantasy-Borneo-BayMary-Jane/release/11803078

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 07:24 PM

According to Starship's link, the Trumbauer orchestra version was the first recording. That was 10th April 1928. The details are available here: OKeh matrix W400603. Borneo / Frankie Trumbauer’s Orchestra.

You can download copies of that recording from archive.org: Borneo - Trumbauer Orchestra

There's some information of the recording session in Berret: Louis Armstrong and Paul Whiteman: Two Kings of Jazz (10 of the 11 sidemen were Whiteman regulars) extract at google books pp86-87. It was a Bill Challis arrangement.

I haven't checked to see what other recordings were made at the time.

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Borneo Bay
From: Thompson
Date: 01 Aug 19 - 06:10 AM

Thanks, Mick, seeking to download that now.