Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a wartime radio song about a virtuoso trumpet player, was a major hit for the Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune.

The song was written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince, and was recorded at Decca's Hollywood studios on January 2, 1941, nearly a year before the United States entered World War II but after the start of a peacetime draft to expand the armed forces in anticipation of American involvement. The flipside was "Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four". The Andrews Sisters introduced the song in the 1941 Abbott and Costello film "Buck Privates", which was in production when they made the record. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.

The song is closely based on an earlier Raye-Prince hit, "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," which is about a virtuoso boogie-woogie piano player.

In an interview broadcast July 3, 2006 on CNN, World War II veteran Bill Arter said he often played in jam sessions with the black unit in Company C, who gave him the nickname Bugle Boy from Company B. Arter was a medic who landed during D-day. There is no evidence that he was the inspiration for the song, however, since it was written before the U.S. entered the war. He may have been dubbed the Bugle Boy from Company B in reference to the song, not the other way around.

In 1973, Bette Midler recorded her version of the song, a close copy of the original, which peaked at #8 on the "Billboard Hot 100" singles chart, and introduced it to a new generation of pop music fans. The track was also a #1 single on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

In 1990, pop/R&B group En Vogue did a brief version of the song for their album "Born to Sing", rewording it to sound more urban, i.e. "boogie woogie hip hop boy."

In 2006, the Puppini Sisters recorded their own version of the song for their album "Betcha Bottom Dollar".

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* The song is referenced in the animated short Disney musical film, "A Symposium on Popular Songs" in the song, "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man" written by Robert & Richard Sherman.
* Christina Aguilera wrote new lyrics to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" for her track "Candyman" (released as a single in 2007) from her hit album "Back to Basics". The song was co-written by Linda Perry in addition to the original composers.
* The Miami-based girl group Company B took their name from the song. They recorded their own version of the song in 1989.

References

* [http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/law/library/cases/case_mcawilson.html MCA Music v. Earl Wilson] Columbia Law School Arthur W. Diamond Law Library Music Plagiarism Project.

External links

* [http://www.thepuppinisisters.com The Puppini Sisters' official website] (featuring a sample of their version)