Origin:

Introduced by Red McKenzie in 1931.

Style:

Introduced at a comfortable medium tempo, it commonly played as an up tempo swing.

Form:

A-B1-A-B2 (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Verse:

A-B (16 Bars) [8-8]

Very  rarely included, it can be heard on Red McKenzie's original recording. Russ Columbo's rendition from the following year also features it.

Key:

Most commonly played in G Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is fairly straightforward, being made up predominantly of II - V's. The song begins on IVMaj7 and can initially  give the impression that this is the tonic, especially when the verse is  omitted. In the 3rd bar however it becomes clear that this actually the IV of the key when it changes to minor; temporarily borrowing from the  sub-dominant minor. It is common to insert a II - V of bIII in bars 3  and 4 as opposed to simply remaining on IVmi. The melody from the first 4  bars is then transposed down a whole step while the harmony moves from IMaj7 to a II - V of bII which does not resolve. The song then continues  in a predictable fashion, with functional harmony and a conventional 32  bar form.

​

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 380 times. It was first recorded by Red  McKenzie in 1931, although Russ Columbo's recording from 1932 was largely influential in establishing it as a hit. Charlie Parker recorded it during one of his legendary sessions with strings and he himself stated that this performance was one of his personal favorites from his entire career. It has since been recorded by a wide variety of musicians in many different settings and it continues to be a popular standard.

JGC Top Picks:

Charlie Parker, 1949

Oscar Peterson, Walking the Line, 1970

Wynton Marsalis, Live at the House of Tribes, 2002