Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) was written for the Cotton Club revue Rhyth-Mania which opened in March 1931. The song was introduced by vocalist Aida Ward. Cab Calloway and his Orchestra were featured in the Cotton Club production. Later that year they were the first to record the song.

Cab Calloway and his Orchestra, 1931

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Roy Fox & his Orchestra, vocal by Al Bowlly, recorded 9 February 1931

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Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra — recorded 25 January 1931 in Chicago Illinois (Okeh
41550)

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Frank Trumbauer and his Orchestra — Columbia 78 rpm single 2729-D, 1932

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The Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra , recorded 21 March 1932 — Dorsey Brothers Orchestra: Mannie Klein (tpt), Tommy Dorsey (tbn), Jimmy Dorsey (cl, as), Babe Russin (ten), Martha Boswell (p), Eddie Lang (g), Artie Bernstein (sb), Stan King (d), New York City

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Eddie Duchin and His Orchestra, vocal: Patricia Norman — Brunswick 8155, recorded 21 March 1938

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Blossom Dearie – from the album Give Him the Ooh-la-la, 1957

Presently unavailable

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Frank Sinatra — evidently from the TV special  The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Here’s To The Ladies, originally telecast on 15 February 1960, arrangement by Nelson Riddle

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George Harrison – A recording of the song evidently first appeared on Brainwashed, Harrison’s final studio album, released in 2002 shortly after his death. I haven’t been able to date the video, but it appears to be from a number of years prior to the release. Wikipedia indicates that one track on the album, Any Road, was recorded in 1988, and that Harrison subsequently recorded the remainder of the tracks sporadically over more than a decade.

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