Dardanella

About Dardanella

"Dardanella" is a popular song published in 1919 by Fred Fisher, who wrote the lyrics for the music written by Felix Bernard and Johnny S. Black. Bandleader Ben Selvin (1898–1980) recorded "Dardanella" for several record labels (including Victor and Paramount), and by some estimates, his recordings of the tune sold a combined total of more than five million copies. His main recording was made for Victor on November 20, 1919 under the name of Selvin's Novelty Orchestra. It was released a week later and began to sell really well in December 1919 to top the charts in January 1920. The chorus is: Other successful recordings in 1920 were by Prince's Orchestra, Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestra, and Henry Burr and Albert Campbell. Notable subsequent recordings were by Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band (included in his album A Stranger No More); by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong on their 1960 album Bing & Satchmo, and by Geoff Muldaur and Maria Muldaur on their 1974 Warner/Reprise album, "Sweet Potatoes," featuring Amos Garrett. more »