Kay Kyser’s band was somewhere between Glenn Miller and Spike Jones. They were a straightforward band, but sometimes they leaned towards the silly and absurd… especially when they featured cornetist Merwyn Bogue, who went by the stage name “Ish Kabibble.” Kay Kyser and his band performed straight up swing, peppering in proud and patriotic songs to help the war effort and boost morale. But then there were songs like “Three Little Fishes,” “The Woody Woodpecker Song,” the somewhat risque “Strip Polka” and “Alexander the Swoose.”
In 1942, Kay and his band introduced “Jingle Jangle Jingle” from the film The Forest Rangers starring Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward. The jaunty western tune reached Billboard’s Number one spot in July 1942.