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Episodes

Dec. 25, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 12/26/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a few Sinatra tunes attributed to him but first recorded by others, some songs dedicated to a listener born in 1938, and a treasure trove of additional records and stories from the big band era.

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Dec. 19, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 12/19/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a look at a novelty singer of the '60s and 70s who molded his career after an old time crooner, a songstress who for a while was more popular than her uber famous husband, the Mills Brothers' unique...

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Dec. 11, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 12/12/22 Edition

Join us for this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM. Lenny and his wife are away on vacation so that gives Jeff Bressler the opportunity to play a few songs from the 50s and 20s. A few great listener's emails and a whole lot more music and...

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Dec. 5, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 12/5/22 Edition

Join us for this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, where we reminisce about stories that appeared in 1930s and 1940s copies of both Billboard and Down Beat magazines. Great music and tales from the Big Band Era.

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Nov. 27, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/28/22 Edition

A look at a famous Copywrite dispute, a stroll past a historic music building, a talented female lyricist plus a bunch of great music from the big band era.

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Nov. 20, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/21/22 Edition

Join us for another great episode of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM. On today's show a look at songs with female names in the title, a Lenny from Down the Block on Broadway story, a look at an email that asks for a request that has nothing to do with music...

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Nov. 13, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/14/22 Edition

On today's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, a numerical email from a listener, songs about food and beverage, Jeff Bressler's tale of visiting the dairy case, and a whole lot more music and history of the big band era.

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Nov. 7, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/7/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, a look at one of the greatest female lyricists of all time, an email from a listener with a pretty strange name, some music by a Benny Goodman small group, then some individual music from its...

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Oct. 30, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/31/22 Edition

Join us for this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM as we continue to delve into the Ralphie from Canarsie, Brooklyn record club list, Bing Crosby duets, a bizarre Artie Shaw magazine piece, and spin a few novelty songs.

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Oct. 24, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/24/22 Edition

On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM via a raffle drum, some random music selections from our famous Ralphie for Canarsie Brooklyn's list of his and his neighbor's record clubs close to 800 ranked songs from the big band era.

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Oct. 16, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/17/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a long look at a long-a-go ballroom in the keystone state that is still in operation today!

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Oct. 10, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/10/22 Edition

Join us for this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM as we take a look at some tunes that were featured in movie musicals during the 1940s. Over 100 films in the 30s and 40s featured big band music.

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Oct. 1, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/3/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom Jack Teagarden's some may say strange obsession, we go back to 1935 to learn about a historic radio program and in between some of the great tunes and stories from the big band era.

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Sept. 25, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/26/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, a look at a singer who you might not recognize..and perhaps neither did he, a tribute to a songwriter who we, unfortunately, gave short shrift to last week, a listeners email, and a show filled with...

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Sept. 19, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/19/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a whole lot of listeners emails, wrapped around some great music and stories from the big band era.

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Sept. 12, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/12/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a Benny Goodman second look, a bandleader whose name sounds familiar but hard to place, a bandleader whose name you will never recognize, a listeners favorite tunes, plus many, many more tunes from...

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Sept. 5, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/5/22 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, the history of a swing era classics name, a famous record club selection, some great music surrounding two listeners' emails, and a host of some of the great tunes of the 1930s and 1940s.

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Aug. 22, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/22/22 Edition

Join us for this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom as we explore the music venues in the old Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, a little Cole Porter, an Artie Shaw story, and loads of more great music from the big band era of the 1930s and...

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Aug. 14, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/15/22 Edition

Join us for this week's edition of Make Believe Ballroom where we take a close look at a gentleman who had absolutely nothing to do with the music industry, a beloved song with two possible origins, a songwriters lament about the initial tempo of his...

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Aug. 8, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/8/22 Edition

Join us in the Make Believe Ballroom this week as we look at the music we play on our virtual turntable and real turntable in the Crystal Studio. Also on the show, a big band era stalwart discusses his take on the longevity of swing music through a...

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Aug. 1, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/22 Edition

On this edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, we take most of the program to read show emails. Through the emails, we learn of a listener who discovered a "new' musician from the 1930s, a nostalgic Ballroom fan with a memory of Ella Fitzgerald, how...

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July 25, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/25/22 Edition

On this edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a risque song from a Jack Benny bandleader, Lenny from Down the Block shares a drumming album, an unusual story about a vocal trio mother, plus a ton of more great music and reminisces from the big band era.

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July 18, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/18/22 Edition

On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a look at a female bandleader who led an all-male band, some tunes that you may not realize also had lyrics, a famous sister-in-law plus our usual array of great music and stories from the big band era of the 30s...

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July 10, 2022

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/11/22 Edition

On this edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a quick tribute to a great bassist, an unlikely female band leader, mail order music, plus a listeners email and tons of great music from the 30s and 40s.

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