Since we have searched everywhere and can’t find even a terrible photo of Carol Gilbert OR her Swing Shifters, we had to improvise and stay with the wartime period these recordings were made.
This particular group of recordings was done for the Standard Radio Transcription company and only intended for radio airplay and not for general sale. The recordings were pressed on 16″ transciption discs (about twice the size as normal lps) but had a lot less playing time. The whole group of 8 recordings comes to roughly under 25 minutes for both sides – average about 12 1/2 minutes per side.
This particular session and the artist in question, Carol Gilbert, comes with virtually no information as to who she was, who were the rest of the people in her band, if it was a pseudonym or even if the person in question was a woman. Don’t know anything – although she is credited for singing on a few numbers, so at least the gender is known. We also know the session is from sometime in March of 1945 because other disc issued around that time were from the same period.
Recording for these companies, and there were several in business during the 1930’s all the way to the 1950s, was lucrative and it attracted many notables to join the ranks. Duke Ellington recorded extensively for Standard. Some of the record companies also started Transcription services and the rosters were filled with artists signed to a label to make commercial recordings. Capitol had a transcription label and utilized the talents of Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton and many others to make these “radio only” discs.
But not everybody wanted to be identified – some names are clearly made up and the identities of those musicians is something only the session sheets reveal.
This batch of sessions is only one of several Carol Gilbert did for Standard, and they are all excellent. Whoever Carol Gilbert was, she was a fantastic guitarist and it’s evidenced on all these tracks from her sessions.
So until we can find an actual photo and some biographical information, we’ll just have to guess and wonder – but I think you’ll agree, Carol Gilbert (or whoever she was) was a top-notch player who deserved a whole lot more than mystery status.
Enjoy the sides.
