The Story Behind the Song

The Story Behind the Song,
Syndicated by the Transcription Company of America (Transco), 1930

In the early days of the last century, music had to be played or sang to be enjoyed. Radio allowed there to be a much larger audience than ever before, but most of the broadcasts in the early days were live, so again dependant on the performer in order to be enjoyed.

And the performer needed songs. Many songs became favorites and even "Old Stand Bys" that the audience would be sure to enjoy. A syndicated newspaper weekly feature was The Story Behind the Song, presented by M. Whitmark and Sons, a prolific publisher of sheet music. The newspaper feature told the story of the composition of popular music pieces in a highly entertaining manner along with an illustration of the story.

In 1930, Transco took 39 of the popular stories and reformed them for the radio. The story would be illustrated in a dramatic fashion, and were well acted. The end of the program featured a choral presentation of the song. Songs featured in the series included "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight", "The Star Spangled Banner", "The Girl I Left Behind Me", "La Marseillaise", "Rock of Ages" and many others.