Whatever Happened to Martini Music?
Cocktail Hour Records Are Not Dead.
“The orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music.”—The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
About six months ago, I was browsing through the stacks at Almost Ready Records, my local vinyl shop, when I happened upon an oddity. The disc was called “George Dickel Presents Music to Party By.” It boasted cuts by a disparate group of artists, including Roger Miller, Chet Atkins, Carol Channing, Pete Fountain and Della Reese.
On the back it ordered, “Sing a song of Dickel!” and advised, “Spin this lively record to brighten your party while you treat your friends to the true Tennessee taste of George Dickel.”