Mambo With Mozart

Classical music and folk tunes were a treasure trove for record producers who needed to create a hit song without paying royalties to composers. When there was a music craze, the demand for more of the same was huge, and there was nothing that couldn't become a hit song. 

For instance, anything could become a boogie-woogie number; 
from the soundtrack for "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," the synth version of a 1950s Hammond-organ remake of "Red River Valley":






The 1959 Hammond rock version:






The folk song:






A famous pianist made this sentimental Stephen Foster melody danceable. "Swanee River Boogie" by Albert Ammons:







The "boogie-ization" thing also happened with Latin music, especially the cha cha and the mambo.






Something a little more languid:






At one point, Johnny who marched home became Juanito Romero:









Finally, unraveling where Alfredito Levy's mambo version of "Turkish Delight" mambo came from means following a thread:







The trad-jazz hit by The Village Stompers:






Cleo Laine sings about Mozart, who composed the tune. 






And finally, the original:









Comments