B-17 pilot whose crew was credited with the most aerial kills

[Buckeye30]

Hi Michael. The planes' names were based on the dance rather than the song so evidently their wives were enthusiasts; other names came from musical comedies featuring black artists like "Cabin in the Sky" 1943 (Lena Horne, Duke Ellington).
Many white GIs listened to black music, "Jezebel" by the Golden Gate Quartet (1941) was popular and several planes were named that ( it was also a Bette Davis film though).
I believe the quartet were the first black artists to perform at the White House (ironic name?).


Just remembered another "Susie Q" ( the other spelling) one of the B-17Es transferred to the Middle East from Tenth AF in India in June 1942; serials were replaced by white plane numbers. She was probably one assigned to XII AFSC in Algeria later (from block 41-9011--245). There is a nice photo of the left side in Dana Bell's "Air Force Colors" Vol.2.
She is right at the beginning of this film, due for salvage...................

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5N2APKJtrg

[knusel]

Last year I saw the Elvis movie at the cinema. It displayed impressingly his pivotal role in making genuinely black music acceptable/irrestible for white listeners. I assume in the pre-Elvis era the whites were rather reserved towards black music, not mainly because of the black skin color but rather because of the inherent sensualism of the songs. It required the gigantic charisma of Elvis to bridge that gap. Is it known what B-17 crews listened to in their spare time ?

[Buckeye30]

The most popular music was swing / jazz as personified by bands like Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman but the Afro-American "sweet, swing and jive" was found at parties and dances where the Lindy Hop and Jitterbug were taught to British girls at US airfields in England. I believe the No.1 song at the time was the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", but they were white.

I've met many Eighth airmen over the years (mostly fighter groups) and none seem to have had a problem with black music; but they were a long way from home.


This web site covers the period , the majority "white" but some black bands.
https://www.historyonthenet.com/auth...sic/index.html


Nick

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by Buckeye30

The most popular music was swing / jazz as personified by bands like Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman but the Afro-American "sweet, swing and jive" was found at parties and dances where the Lindy Hop and Jitterbug were taught to British girls at US airfields in England. I believe the No.1 song at the time was the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", but they were white.

I've met many Eighth airmen over the years (mostly fighter groups) and none seem to have had a problem with black music; but they were a long way from home.


This web site covers the period , the majority "white" but some black bands.
https://www.historyonthenet.com/auth...sic/index.html


Nick

Nick

There wasn't a single white jazz artist who didn't listen to "black" music.
If anyone claimed he didn't.....he was lying.....
Also the inter-racial had already begun, lots of black musicians played in white bands before the war.

My own favourite from the late 1930s was Charlie Christian who started up the electric guitar!
Legend!!

Also think the Duke broke a lot of ice during the 1930s.
Never researched the subject since colour don't mean a thing to me unless we talk about camouflage....

Cheers
Stig

[knusel]

Good morning Gentlemen,

the other day I heard that the Ford Mustang (despite featuring a horse logo) was named not after the animal but after the aircraft.
May it be that one of the named warplanes served as inspiration for Dale Hawkins' song "SuzyQ" ?

Have a nice Tuesday,

Michael

[Buckeye30]

Michael. I doubt that Hawkins would have known about the planes' names but he grew up in the 1940s and would be familiar with the dance moves; one or two sources say the name refers to the record label owner Stan Lewis' daughter Susan.


Nick

[knusel]

Hello Nick,

and the Q was added just because it sounds good and offers lots of possible rhymes ?

Have a good weekend,

Michael