European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By w. Dale Nelson associated press t he recording sessions were held in quonset huts on movie sets in night clubs after hours some of the biggest names in show business from old timers like Al Jolson to newcomers like Frank Sinatra performed. A a. But the records produced in a six year period during and after world War ii were heard Only by american. Servicemen overseas now through the efforts of a retled Navy officer who helped oversee their production they Are on the . Market 1 nearly 920 12-Inch, 78 rpm records were produced by the army and Navy from 1943 through 1949 As morale j v a it \ 1., m s t amp Silt. Boosters. They were called a discs. The records a 8 million copies  were accompanied by. A 125,000 Spring operated Windup phonographs each with. 100 steel Needles.  a a a they were played on ships in Foxholes in trenches on air planes in hospitals a said Edmond Digi Annantono. Digi As he is known ran the Navy s part of. The program and keeps a Well preserved copy of each record in a. Closet in his Lakeside Home in Reston a. ,. One Serviceman wrote a letter saying he and his buddies were playing a a disc As they headed to the a Day invasion of Normandy Digi Annantono said. A the program was started after an army musical Branch Captain named Bob Vincent suggested to army officials in Washington that they get popular band leaders like Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw to record for the troops. Ltd it i Vul b a a it it. Edmond Digian Antonio with two of the a discs produced to boost troop morale during world War ii. A a re ? $ it music from the Foxholes and ships of world War ii Kings of swing a discs featured popular entertainers of the Day such As clarinet St Benny Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa. The colonel Vincent s.superior., said Book these Guys. Done to want to hear any swing music or any jeez they wan marching  Digi Annantono recalled Quot a. The colonel s reluctance was overcome and Quot to went 1 on to include All types of music in All  said Digian Antonio from Toscanini to Spike Jones All the.  1.---- of / so o a a when the Nav Star in d looking for an of Ico a to 1uh.tf.1e. Navy  corps and coast guard part of the. Program Digi Annantono was m Aji Ospital in Boston. A a  wounds  when , the heavy Cruiser Vincennes  off Guadalcanal. He had played violin piano and saxophone in High school in Boston and at Massachusetts Institute of a technology held a broadcast engineers License and Hod a  Glenn Miller. Goodman and other band loaders when they came to town. So he got the Job c along with each Box of 20 or 30 inc oids went copies of a questionnaire asking the servicemen to say what fund of music they wanted in be Clvis Mas was Tiu most requested piece about 60 percent wanted  or swing -90 percent or so classical and some country and Western or others. Marches did t make it. A some of the music came from movie film tracks and. Transcriptions of radio broadcasts but Many were Liv recordings by artists donating their services a during the Early years they were the Only records. Mode the american federation of musicians at Odds with the recording companies Over royalties had banned All recording until the dispute was settled Union president James Caesar Petullo waived tie ban to Permut the. Recordings for the troops. 1. Quot we recorded in night clubs hotel ballrooms movie a studios quonset huts army bases Navy bases. Wherever tie artists were a said Digian Antonio now 73. Quot in those Days when you went on a of you travelled by bus All night. They d do a session and wind up at one or. Two in the morning and then come the a studio and lug All the instruments and record for us Quot the services had tried sending shellac records. Overseas earlier but found that most of them were broken before they arrived. The a discs wore recorded on Niue durable Mylite when a Myrlito became scarce because it was. Critically needed Tor insulation they switched to form Var a product developed in Canada a a ,. Instructions on changing Needles were often ignored so Many of the records wore out overseas others were left behind when the War ended. Digian Antonio said that when the a disc program ended officials ordered the \ remaining disks destroyed to prevent commercial use. Nevertheless the Library  has a nearly 7 Complete set. Their Quality ranges from very Good to poor depending on the source a said music librarian Sam Brylawski. A. Remember How heavy those old Needles were a said  that would gouge a record like a v disc if to got one from someone who really liked their recording a lot it could very Well be beat up.�?�. A Digi Annantono took Good care of his. They have been transferred to cassettes and Eoj it a t discs with no adjustment of the original sound a Quot some people said lot s enhance it and do this or this a said Digian Antonio. Quot but we said this is the Way it was -7 and we Are going to do it that . Digi Annantono said he has clearance from the a a defense department to Myket the recordings arid is. Working with of e american federation of musicians mgt a broadcast music inc about payment of royalties. A. He said much of the profit will go to the musicians. P. Union , of to the artists to time families or a Trio restates. A the Fust instalment is a three cassette set with 37-numbers, including   we "cha4anor.i�>i. A. Choo chop a Jolson singing a Mammy and Conn a a a a Boc Weli crooning Quot Good night.  a a a this first Vodise instalment is Ava Nice for 1.14 on no Cas Cotie or s29 00 in compact disc i--1 a quote a  a i j saturday january 5, 1991 the stars and stripes a a k a Page 13