The Boys In The Band

Cotchie D'Arcy introduces the male vocalists who came to prominence in the Big Band era. The Boys In The Band is a companion piece to her previous RTÉ Radio 1 series' Swing out Sister.

Cotchie is a big fan of the Swing Era and this 10-part series traces the many male vocalists who started their careers singing with the Big Bands during the dance band era. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin all started as dance band singers. They usually got second billing - for instance, the label on Tommy Dorsey records usually read '..with vocal refrain by Frank Sinatra'.

The series, broadcast over ten nights starting on December 20th, will bring us from the beginnings of the Swing Era right up to the new kids on the block, like Harry Connick Jnr and Michael Bublé.

Programme Archive

Listen to all the shows in the series.