Hall Johnson Choir Sings in "Swannee River"

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21187, 9 August 1940, Page 8

Hall Johnson Choir Sings in "Swannee River "

Hollywood has Hall Johnson ••doubling in brass.” For the towering Negro with the infectious smile not only lends the services of his famous choir to the silver screen but is also considered an indispensable authority on the old South. Johnson and his choir perform in “£wanee River,” the story of Stephen C. Foster, the 20th Century-Fox technicolour production which stars Don Ameche with Andrea Leeds and A! Jolson. Foster was the first composer to recognise the value and validity of the negro mood in music and to give It expression in such well-loved songs as “The Old Folks at Home,“ “Old Black Joe,” “My Old Kentucky Home” and countless others. Production chief Darryl Zanuck signed the Hall Johnson Choir to sing some of Foster’s best-loved songs in the film. In addition, Johnson checked the authenticity of the Southern sequences of the story and saw to it that the proper negro types were used. Determined to give the music of his people to the world, Johnson organised an orchestra. But there was something lacking. So he found eight Negroes who could read music and gave them the vital elements of the orchestration. The result was remarkable. Today the group numbers 60 men and women and has heen acclaimed the world over.