Getting His Kicks: A Hundred Years of Bobby Troup
with Mark and his guests Cheryl Bentyne and Tal Bachman

On the Town
October 20, 2018

https://www.steynonline.com/8917/getting-his-kicks-a-hundred-years-of-bobby-troup

Audio Recording

Cry him a river: Bobby Troup with Julie London

Bobby Troup was born one hundred years ago - October 18th 1918 - and, a century on, everybody knows at least one of his songs. In this SteynOnline audio special, Mark plays "Route 66", "Daddy", "The Girl Can't Help It", "Girl Talk" and other Bobby Troup hits as sung by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Fergie, Nat "King" Cole to Led Zeppelin, Dinah Shore to Bonnie Raitt, the Four Freshmen to the Rolling Stones, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James to the Beach Boys and Depeche Mode - and we'll hear Bobby Troup singing and playing the songs of others, from "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to "Spinning Wheel". Mark also tips his hat to the classic record Troup produced for his wife Julie London - "Cry Me a River".

But on our songwriter salutes we always like to feature some live performances, so we'll revisit Tal Bachman's recent Steyn Club Cruise rendition of "Route 66", and hear Cheryl Bentyne from the Manhattan Transfer with Eric Harding at the piano singing one of Troup's most intense ballads. And Mark himself takes a run at his favorite Bobby Troup number with Kevin Amos and the band. Some of the songs are very well known but others are rarities and curiosities you won't have heard before. To listen to this special edition of On the Town, simply click above - and enjoy an hour-and-a-quarter of great music.

Audio engineers: Joe Egan, Gary Thomas, Tom Halstead and Jeremy Murphy

On the Town is made possible through the support of members of The Mark Steyn Club, for which we are profoundly grateful. We treasure all our members whether from Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino, or far beyond in the Cook Islands, the Solomons and Vanuatu. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership.

PS There's more on "Girl Talk", Bobby Troup's song for swingin' sexists, here. And there's more live music from Mark's shows over the years in his On the Town best-of-the-guests special with encores from Tal and Cheryl plus performances from Liza Minnelli, Paul Simon, Loudon Wainwright III, Everything But The Girl and many more.

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12 Reader Comments

David Gray • Oct 22, 2018 at 23:07

Daddy.... Thanks for making it easy to download the very entertaining Bobby Troup soundtrack.
I didn't realize what a heavy dude Bobby was... Wharton, PhiBet, SAE, JULIE...and all that talent.
And thanks for all the good stuff you provide for us.
David

Michael Cavino • Oct 21, 2018 at 23:49

Mark,

This is a wonderful program! I learned a lot about Mr. Troup and greatly enjoyed the diverse selection of songs. Who knew Depeche Mode covered Route 66? As someone whose tastes lean to classic rock and r&b, it was neat to hear the hits he wrote before the dominance of those styles. Amazing to think the Rolling Stones still occasionally slip Route 66 into their live act every now and then.

Any idea why Sinatra never covered another Bobby Troup song?

Thanks for exposing these ears to some great songs and wonderful stores. To borrow a tag line from an old Amex commercial, the Mark Steyn Club membership has its privileges!

Fran Lavery • Oct 21, 2018 at 22:59

Ah, terrific show, Mark! So many wonderful songs packed in here and so many satisfying moments. Those first couple big band tunes by Bobby Troup set me straight away into a happy frame of mind. I learned so much from this audio presentation that I never knew. SteynOnline is the gift that keeps giving!

Marc Swerdloff • Oct 21, 2018 at 19:56

Celebrating life and love with Mark Steyn.

Thomas Carey • Oct 21, 2018 at 17:24

Thanks Mark for another great introduction to a singer song writer I didn't know. Actually that should be a double thank you since your tribute to Johnny Mercer. I really appreciate Johnny's music. I loved your story about winning a contest by answering correctly that Moon River is "wider than a mile". You are right Bobby Troup is "cool". He has a cool jazz voice and the arrangements are nice with many having that bright jazz guitar accompaniment. I also like the way Bobby, as an aside, mentions he was "at Saipan", that is like saying you just happened to be at Khe Sahn or Fallujah.

Marc Swerdloff

Thomas Carey • Oct 21, 2018 at 20:02

My pop was on Saipan as a Seabee. I never knew what a hell that was while my Dad was alive because he was so casual about it. Since he passed and I heard more about the experience from other GI's who were there I realize what a great generation those guys were. I cherish the flag I have boxed and hanging that was given to his family from the Navy on his death.

Gary Alexander • Oct 21, 2018 at 14:00

Great show as always. I'm also a jazz DJ up in the Pacific Northwest and I aired a 30-minute tribute to Bobby Troup Friday (repeated Monday), starting with "Snootie little Cutie" in 1942, closing with "Their Hearts were Full of Spring," a tribute to his marriage with Julie. I had two cuts each by Nat Cole, Johnny Pizzarelli and Cheryl Bentyne, who hails from nearby Mount Vernon, Washington. I'll see you in New Orleans, Mark, November 4th.

Mark replies:

You can't go wrong with Cheryl. If you'd like to check out Gary's Bobby Troup show, I believe that's 3pm Pacific on Monday at KLOI 102.9.

Gary Alexander

Gary Alexander • Oct 21, 2018 at 15:29

Yes, you're right. My show runs from 3pm to 6pm (PDT) Monday. The Bobby Troup segment runs first. I hope you like the rest, too. It streams live at the link Mark provided. Pay no attention to the 6pm news following my show. KLOI is affiliated with the uber-left-wing Pacifica network, over which I have no control.

Nancy Wenlock • Oct 21, 2018 at 01:50

Mark,

What a marvelous road trip of recordings and stories. Loved every minute of it.

Your "You're Lookin' at Me" was very sweet indeed.
Glad to know the guitarist with you on that. But who played the sax? I thought you said Nick Moss.
But searches online reveal only the Nick Moss Band and those results didn't seem to fit with your accompanist. Do I have the wrong name?

Mark replies:

Thanks, Nancy. This Nick Moss is one of London's best session musicians, and he's a big part of both Feline Groovy (the killer solo on "Year of the Siamese Cat", for example) and Goldfinger (the sensuous sax on "De Quoi A-T-Elle L'Air Ce Soir?" It's always a pleasure to be in the room when Nick is playing. You can see him in action on some of our Christmas videos.

Nancy Wenlock

Nancy Wenlock • Oct 21, 2018 at 13:22

Mark,

So glad to know that. I look forward to finding your Nick Moss!

And we've ordered your "Feline Groovy" CD along with 2 others. Thanks for all you do!

Mark replies:

Thanks for that, Nancy. Nick and Claire McInerney are the backbone of our woodwind section, and indispensable.

Randy Inlow • Oct 20, 2018 at 22:16

My first introduction to Bobby and Julie was as part of the cast of the American TV Show "Emergency". I was stunned and amazed to learn that Dr. Early was more than just a TV actor, thanks to Renaissance man, Mark Steyn.

Thomas Ryan • Oct 20, 2018 at 21:19

My bride and I drove what was left of Route 66 in February 1971. Went as far as OKC and kept heading east to avoid winter weather until we had to turn north for NY.
And I dropped Sophia Loren for Julie London when I was 13.