Back Home Again in Indiana Music

In 1946, opera star James Melton stepped up to the microphone on the public address arrangement at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was most an hour earlier the drivers would compete at the Indianapolis 500, and thousands were already in the stands chattering. That before long stopped at the first strains of "(Dorsum Dwelling house Over again in) Indiana."

"Everybody fell silent because there was this glorious vox coming over the public accost," speedway historian Donald Davidson said.

Accompanying Melton was the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band, which had been playing the race since 1919. The musicians had started out by marching equally part of a mass band of instrumentalists before the race for free admission. And they had already become a tradition.

After the 1946 operation, people were moved enough to tell the ticket office about Melton. So they invited him dorsum the next twelvemonth and, a few years later, moved the vocal to just before engines start.

At the time, officials could hardly take imagined how much "Indiana" would mean or how many singers the Purdue band would end up accompanying.

Borrowing from the state song caused some problems

Anyone who performs "Indiana," as it was originally titled, is in for a formidable challenge. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded it in 1917 on 1 of the first-always jazz records, according to historian Ted Gioia in his book "The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire."

James F. Hanley wrote the piece to honor his home land and the state song, Paul Dresser'due south "On the Banks of the Wabash." It was i of the biggest hits for the shy composer from Rensselaer, who penned music for more than than 90 movies when he worked for 20th Century Fox. Portland, Oregon, native Ballard MacDonald wrote the lyrics.

At the bottom of the original sail music has the credit line: "The strain from 'On the Banks of the Wabash' in the chorus used past kind permission of Maurice Richmond Music Co. Inc."

Gioia, yet, writes that what "Indiana" used from the state song caused plagiarism accusations that were never cleared upwards in court. Theodore Dreiser, the novelist and younger brother of Dresser, said he wrote part of "On the Banks of the Wabash" as well, according to "The Jazz Standards."

"Indiana" started to have off with big-name jazz ensembles most a decade subsequently, Gioia wrote, with Eddie Condon, Red Nichols' big band and Benny Goodman playing it. Louis Armstrong made "Indiana" a staple of his performances in 1950. Nat King Cole and Count Basie recorded it with Lester Young.

Rarely is the song sung by a vocalist in jazz circles. Simply it certain is in Indianapolis.

The soloist wasn't ever announced early

Reports betoken a band — and possibly the Purdue band — played "Indiana" for the commencement time at the race in 1919 when driver Howdy Wilcox wrapped up his win, John Norberg wrote in his volume "Heartbeat of the University: 125 Years of Purdue Bands."

Melton returned a scattering of times subsequently his 1946 debut with the song. After that, the years are dotted with local singers and major names including Mel Tormé, Vic Damone and Dinah Shore.

But for equally popular as the song was becoming, announcing who would sing "Indiana" far in advance wasn't necessarily condition quo for the speedway until Jim Nabors came along in 1972, Davidson said.

"I know there were years when, on race morning, we didn't know who it was going to be," he said. "It was very often nearly like an afterthought. And so did they put out a press release in February or March to say who information technology was going to be? No."

The Purdue band, however, always kept it brushed upwards. The ensemble plays "Indiana" at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette and in the IPL 500 Festival Parade on the 24-hour interval before the race.

"It'south become a very integral part of who nosotros are as a band," said Jay Gephart, managing director of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Ring.

The band has tailored its size and organisation to the vocalist. It was gentle for Nabors' ballad-like croon with an organisation past famed composer John Tatgenhorst. When Jim Cornelison took over in 2017, Matt Conaway, associate director of the band, created a broad, Broadway-esque system, Gephart said.

Shore, who holds the record as the only adult female to ever sing "Indiana" solo earlier the race in 1955, even so stands out in Purdue history. Holding the baton before gesturing the band to begin, longtime Purdue band manager Al Wright told the singer he'd start when she was ready.

"Oh no, maestro. Information technology's whenever yous are gear up," Shore said, co-ordinate to Norberg's book.

Anybody who has sung '(Dorsum Home Again in) Indiana'

The speedway has tracked all of the soloists since 1946, the year it was officially introduced into the pre-race lineup. The Purdue band has accompanied the vast majority of these.

• 1946-1948: James Melton. Vocalist who moved between the New York Metropolitan Opera, radio and movies. Famous equally an antiquarian car collector.
• 1949: Frank Parrish. Well-known Indianapolis tenor who starred on radio station WIRE.
• 1950: James Melton.
• 1951: Frank Parrish.
• 1952-1953: Morton Downey Sr. Father of talk prove host Morton Downey Jr. and popular singer who was nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale."
• 1954: James Melton.
• 1955: Dinah Shore. Sang hits similar "Blues in the Night" and "I'll Walk Alone." TV host for "The Dinah Shore Show," among others.
• 1956: Brian Sullivan. Tenor who sang major roles with the Met for more than a decade.
• 1957: Jerome Hines. Half dozen-human foot-vi tall bass who set a record singing 41 years at the Met.
• 1958: Brian Sullivan.
• 1959: Purdue Varsity Glee Lodge. Men's vocal ensemble founded in 1893 that has performed all over the globe, at presidential inaugurations and met Queen Elizabeth Ii.
• 1960: Dennis Morgan. Actor and tenor known for starring in "The Dandy Ziegfeld" and "Kitty Foyle" with stars including Ginger Rogers.
• 1961: Mel Tormé. Celebrated jazz singer, nicknamed "the Velvet Fog," who co-wrote the famous "Christmas Song" with the lyrics "Chestnuts roasting on an open burn." Versatile actor, drummer, composer, pianist and author.
• 1962: David Cochard. Purdue student and part of the leadership of the Varsity Glee Club.
• 1963: Brian Sullivan.
• 1964: Vic Damone. Polished singer who recorded "On the Street Where Yous Live" from "My Fair Lady" and had, co-ordinate to Frank Sinatra, "the best pair of pipes in the business."
• 1965: Johnny Desmond. Lead singer for Glenn Miller'south swing band and actor in films and Broadway musicals, including "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand.
• 1966: Ed Ames. Starred aslope Kirk Douglas on the New York stage earlier playing Mingo on TV serial "Daniel Boone." Known for famous appearance on "The This night Show Starring Johnny Carson."
• 1967: Russell Wunderlich. Tenor soloist from Joliet, Illinois, who was part of the Varsity Glee Club.
• 1968:Purdue "All-American" Marching Band.
• 1969: Mack Shultz. Purdue student and function of the leadership of the Varsity Glee Club.
• 1970: Saverio Saridis. New York City policeman-turned-vocalist known for "Beloved is the Sweetest Thing." Appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Merv Griffin shows.
• 1971: Peter DePaolo. Won the Indy 500 in 1925 and was the first Indy winner to go over 100 mph — and sing "Indiana."
• 1972-1978: Jim Nabors. Played goofy Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Testify" and spinoff "Gomer Pyle, United states of americaM.C." Became an Indy 500 icon past lending his rich, carol-friendly vox to "Indiana."
• 1979: Peter Marshall. Starred in the London production of "Bye Bye Birdie" and Broadway shows including "La Cage aux Folles" before he hosted the popular game show, "The Hollywood Squares."
• 1980: Richard Smith.Soloist in the Purdue Glee Guild, co-ordinate to Indianapolis News archives.
• 1981: Phil Harris. Musician, radio personality and movie star. Voiced Baloo the bear in "The Jungle Book" and did voice work in "The Aristocats" and "Robin Hood."
• 1982: Louis Sudler.Chicago-based baritone who became a businessman and helped financially stabilize the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s and 70s.
• 1983-1984: Jim Nabors.
• 1985: Walt Disney Earth Singers.
• 1986: John Davies with 74th U.S. Army Band. Davies was artist-in-residence with the Indianapolis Opera Co., and the ring was from Fort Benjamin Harrison. Race moved dorsum because of a double rainout, and the originally scheduled Purdue band and Nabors couldn't make the new date.
• 1987-2006: Jim Nabors.
• 2007: Race Fans and Purdue "All-American" Marching Ring. During a year when Nabors was ill, the crowd stood in, Davidson said.
• 2008-2014: Jim Nabors.
• 2015: Straight No Chaser. Male a cappella group that started as an undergraduate ensemble at Indiana University.
• 2016: Josh Kaufman with Indianapolis Children's Choir. Indy-based singer and winner of the sixth flavour of "The Vocalization." Accompanied by the choir that was founded in 1986.
• 2017-2021:Jim Cornelison. Indiana Academy alum known for singing "The Star-Spangled Imprint" at Chicago Blackhawks games.

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

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Source: https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/indy-500/2019/05/16/everyone-who-sang-back-home-again-indiana-indy-500-jim-nabors-neighbors-indianapolis-motor-speedway/1154040001/

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