Episodes

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.

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 …

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, …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM we are taking a quick one week summer holiday. In the meantime, a Make Believe Ballroom Redux. On this past broadcast, we break down a Fats Waller song to figure out and discuss its …

Another great edition of the Make Believe Ballroom featuring an action-packed hour of some wonderful music and stories from the big band era of the 30s and 40s.

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom we do our twice-annual console cleaning in the Crystal Studio to remove all the sticky notes containing the names of songs and segments we did not have time for on previous …

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a special look at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and some of the stars of the big band era who achieved recognition. Many big band luminaries were voted in during the …

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom more swinging to the classics with John Kirby. more music surrounding FDR's Presidency, how Benny Goodman spent his "down time" during his 1935 Palomar Ballroom engagement, a songwriting contest, and...

The Andrews Sisters didn't play nice when they had the golden opportunity to be paired with Glenn Miller on the radio.

A nice test pressing, sage advice from a legend, maybe the biggest birthday party ever, the toast of NY jazz, classical music on the Make Believe Ballroom indeed. All this plus some of the great music of the big band …

This listener's favorite concerns the relationship between trumpet player and bandleader Ray Anthony and Glenn Miller. Ray celebrated his 100th birthday this past January. Ray's illustrious career went on for decades past his early days with Glenn...

What made famous comedian Morey Amsterdam a "rat" during the big band era? Listen to an interesting story of how one of the beloved stars of the old Dick Van Dyke Show pulled a fast one in the music industry!

Join Jeff Bressler for this week's Make Believe Ballroom featuring a Washington DC high school music edict, a Glenn Miller bust? a historical song and its background, a kids survey, stars gather to "bury" some music, plus some additional outstanding...

Join Jeff Bressler for this week's Make Believe Ballroom featuring some paranoid 1940s DJs, a practical joking music legend, an enormous Chicago 1930s dance party, a comedian's checkered songwriting past, plus emails from listeners, and as always some...