Bonus for Bee Day - The Bumble Bee Characteristic Rag (1909)

I thought I'd do the bees up right today. Harry Tierney was born on May 21, 1890 in one of those towns that usually only shows up in Loony Toons, Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The Bumble Bee Characteristic Rag was Tierney's first composition, written in 1909 while he was working as a composer in London. Many of his later compositions featured in Ziegfeld's Follies and he has the distinction of having one of the most successful Broadway hits of his era (Irene). His 1927 Rio Rita became one of RKO's first silver-screen musicals and it was followed by movie recreations of his Kid Boots, Dixiana, and Half Shot at Sunrise.

Tierney's covers are always striking, one day I'll get a copy of The Fanatic, his second composition posted. The Bumble Bee shows he was destined for Broadway since the bee-girl looks like a dancer from one of RKO's big musical productions. And as a bonus we've got a (admittedly midi) rendition of the piece for your enjoyment!

Happy National Honey Bee Day

According to Greek mythology, it was a mountain nymph named Melissa who hid Zeus from his cannibalistic father, Cronus. She cared for the young godling, feeding him on milk and honey and keeping him safe. When the titan found out about her deceit, he transformed the nymph into an earthworm. It was Zeus who took pity on her and transformed her into a bee. Mankind's association with the honeybee is an ancient one. In 2007 thirty intact straw and clay beehives dating back to the ninth century BCE. The hives were organized into rows of one hundred, showing evidence of organized apiculture in the ancient world.

Today beekeeping is moving back into the city and the presence of stinging bugs buzzing around suburbia has rubbed some people the wrong way. It's probably not surprising that there is a beekeeping organization lobbying to break bans and ordinances against the practice. That is the stated goal of National Honey Bee Day 2015.

Now that we've got the official stuff out of the way, what about a little music and fun? I'm Gonna Let the Bumble Bee Be isn't really a honey bee song, but it is a bee song. It came out in 1925 with words by Addy Britt and music by Jack Little. Little was born in Britain and his tunes featured in several movies of the era. He would eventually commit suicide two months after being name-checked in an episode of The Honeymooners.

A little dark there, let's lighten things up with a tune from Little's heyday.