But for others, the passing of the first major league British criminal prepared to divulge the full list of his associates is a salutary echo of an era when the unscrupulous antics of both fast-living criminals and hard-drinking police were the stuff of daily life rather than television fantasy. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 1999. In the first half hour he recorded a mono demo of Whispering Grass, a 1940 hit for The Ink Spots. Several takes were recorded, and an edit of takes three and five was taken away by George Martin and given to arranger Ron Goodwin. This is a list of artists who have reached number one on the UK Singles Chart as recorded by the Official Charts Company.. Artists are listed alphabetically and separately if more than one artist is credited on a song (e.g. Lyrics. When a cast album was released, "Whispering Grass" (1975) was issued as a single and hit the top of the charts. Whispering Grass The Ink Spots Words by Fred Fisher and Music by Doris Fisher Peaked at # 10 in 1940 Competing version by Erskine Hawkins managed # 13 Why do you whisper, green grass? Tulips originally came from the Ottoman Empire, and their name literally means turban. The raid went "smoothly" with the corrupt security guards handing over the money and the robbers escaping in seconds. On The Sunny Side Of The Street; 20. Tulips from Amsterdam I can't wait until the day you fill These eag To those seated in the public gallery of Britain's most famous criminal court it was a bemusing and surreal spectacle. Upon his arrest, Smalls told his interrogators: "I can give you every robber in London.". The use of grass and "to grass" in this way arose as street argot in the London criminal subculture and dates back to the early part of the 20th century.There are two popular theories about how this came about. Heidi Talbot sang Whispering Grass on her 2008 album In Love + Light. Tulips From Amsterdam Lyrics. Single When They Sound The Last All Clear; 25. Within five days, most of the gang had fled abroad to lie low. How could I with the thought that some maniac might gun me down?". The ensuing single, Whispering Grass, sold well over one million copies; a follow-up album by the duo, Sing Lofty, sold more than 80,000 copies. kicking of with his 1975 million seller No 1 hit alongside Windsor Davis The inimitable Whispering Grass. ... Tablatures and chords are parodies/interpretations of the original songs. Whispering Grass was their major hit, with its characteristic falsetto lead and soft harmonies. Initially breaking through with his 1953 hit "Whispering Grass," Cole drew favorable comparisons to (and spent much of his early career in the shadow of) his older brother, singer Nat King Cole.However, after issuing 1990's I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me, he enjoyed a mid-career resurgence, releasing a bevy of well-regarded albums and picking up four Grammy … IN COLLECTIONS. The testimony of Smalls showed how much damage could be done by a high-level "stoolie". The World Will Sing Again; 22. The Ink Spots used to be an uptempo jive group until young tenor Bill Kenny joined, and in 1938 suggested they try ballads instead. Year: 1962. I phoned up my doctor
To see what's the matter
He said, "Come on over"
I said, "Do I have to? The price on Smalls' head, put at £1m during the late 1970s with signatories including the Kray twins, was lifted yesterday with the news he had died at the age of 72 while still under the protection of the police. The finger of suspicion was pointed very clearly at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and its most elite unit, the Flying Squad, responsible for targeting armed robbers and high-profile gangsters but at the time better known for the uncomfortably close relationship between some of its members and their prey. His version was an eleven-week No. Don Estelle, Windsor Davies, ... download 15 Files download 5 Original. On The Sunny Side Of The Street; 20. Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell The Trees) 19. Sing As We Go; 21. Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) Play track Love this track ... followed by the tenor Bill Kenny, who sang the whole song through. The song was recorded properly at Morgan Studios in London on 5 March 1970. Why do you whisper, green grass, Why tell the trees what ain't so? I’ve Got Sixpence; 23. The Kray twins were undone a few years earlier with the help of the testimony of one of their former lieutenants. Robinson referenced the number one hit Whispering Grass in his message - the novelty song Davies recorded alongside another It Ain't Half Hot … We’ll Meet Again When They Sound The Last All Clear; 25. Within a few years, he had returned to his favourite neighbourhoods in north London and could be seen drinking in pubs, boasting of his weekly stipend from the Yard. In 1970, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Eventually, the system became tainted by claims that it was being manipulated to settle old scores and tales of the luxury accommodation afforded to its star witnesses. It reached 1,772 by 1982. Paste a Spotify track URI or URL here below instead. kicking of with his 1975 million seller No 1 hit alongside Windsor Davis The inimitable Whispering Grass. The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny also recorded it the same year. Here Don sings in his own unique style The Very Best Of. The "Original" Ink Spots* ‎– Golden Favorites Genre: Pop. 1 hit in the United States, which stayed 20 weeks in the … A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square; 24. The success of the supergrasses also came at a price. In this context, the arrival of Derek Creighton "Bertie" Smalls was a godsend. Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra originally recorded Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) written by Fred Fisher and Doris Fisher and Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra released it on the single Gabriel Meets the Duke in 1940. "Whispering" was most famously recorded by Paul Whiteman and his Ambassador Orchestra on August 23, 1920, for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Compromised and often outwitted by what many misguidedly considered to be the swashbuckling and daring masterminds of big set-piece bank robberies, the Flying Squad saw the number of raids in London rise from 380 in 1972 to 734 by 1978. The song was recorded properly at Morgan Studios in London on 5 March 1970. The World Will Sing Again; 22. In his inaugural address to his colleagues, Sir Robert said: "A good police force is one that catches more criminals than it employs.". Several takes were recorded, and an edit of takes three and five was taken away by George Martin and given to arranger Ron Goodwin. Exactly 34 years ago this week, a small balding man with a droopy moustache and a comb-over took to the witness stand in the wood-panelled splendour of Court Two at the Old Bailey.
Why tell the tress what ain't so? 1940, Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) By the time Benny Goodman came to record We’ll Meet Again (forever associated with Vera Lynn in Britain) he was billed as The King Of Swing, in deference to his status as the leader of the finest white dance-band of the day. It's A Long Way To Tipperary - John McCormack 11. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. for This album Don records a New version of The hit single Though without Windsor Davis keeping faithful To The original The song once again comes over fresh … Whispering Grass, the trees don't have to know, no, no Why tell them all your secrets? But the scale and importance of Smalls' betrayal earned him special treatment. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Don't you tell it to the breeze, Drury was convicted of five corruption charges and jailed for eight years. When Bertie Smalls finished giving his testimony, the seven defendants he had incriminated began singing from the dock. A pure classic music video. English, Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) I’ve Got Sixpence; 23. Style: Vocal. Bobby King, one of the robbers who was jailed on Smalls' evidence, told how he once saw his betrayer in the Crouch End area of London after his release from prison. Published in 1868, this was the last popular song he wrote. Sing As We Go; 21. It was not the status that Smalls would have expected a few years before his arrest. Between February 1974 and April 1975, evidence and assistance from Smalls to police and the Crown Prosecution Service secured the imprisonment of 28 of his former colleagues for a total of 414 years, with sentences ranging from five to 18 years. We’ll Meet Again In return, the rotund informer received an unprecedented (and never to be repeated) deal giving him immunity from prosecution but life-long opprobrium among his one-time underworld brethren. SecondHandSongs is building the most comprehensive source of cover song information. The World Will Sing Again; 22. It was a source of great satisfaction to him when, with Windsor Davies, who played the rough-tongued sergeant major in the show, he sang for the solo record Whispering Grass… kicking of with his 1975 million seller No 1 hit alongside Windsor Davis The inimitable Whispering Grass. and was made famous by recording artist Paul Whiteman and his Ambassador Orchestra. Windsor Davies: It Ain't Half Hot Mum actor dies aged 88. After a rendition of the blues ballad "Whispering Grass", the ad hoc choir pointed their fingers into the shape of guns and sang the Dame Vera Lynn classic: "We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when.". written by Doris Fisher Such was the extent of bad practice that when Sir Robert Mark became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1972, he felt obliged to publicly remind his officers of their duties. Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra originally recorded Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) written by Fred Fisher and Doris Fisher and Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra released it on the single Gabriel Meets the Duke in 1940. Who kissed there long ago Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell The Trees) 19. His versions became hits in Europe. One version suggests that it is derived from the expression snake in the grass.That, in turn, actually dates all the way back to the Roman writer … He was caught in November 1972 in Northampton after returning to England and, when informed he was facing an 18-year sentence, made his offer to incriminate not only his fellow gang members but also every felon with whom he had been involved. Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) Play track Love this track ... followed by the tenor Bill Kenny, who sang the whole song through. SHOW ALL. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - Anne Shelton 12. Bertie Smalls was never supposed to die of natural causes. King said he considered it a test of his reformed character that he was able to resist the urge to kill his supergrass. It was therefore a further irony that the work of the criminal justice system allowed him to survive. Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell The Trees) 19. On The Sunny Side Of The Street; 20. He will have to spend the rest of his life with a £1m price on his head because so many people want to get even with him.". whispering grass guitar chords and lyrics by the inkspots. Sing As We Go; 21. The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940. It became standard practice for supergrass inmates to be housed in special prison wings with extra allowances before being released into a witness protection scheme complete with plastic surgery and resettlement in Australia or Canada when it was deemed appropriate. It is perhaps a mark of the ruthlessness of globalised narcotics trade that the "set piece" armed robbery, as shown by the £53m Securitas raid in Kent last year, is making a return. Ironically, it was the efforts of another informant, who gave police the names of every member of the Wembley Mob, that led to Smalls' arrest. "Tulips From Amsterdam" was the alternative A Side of "You Need Hands", and was a massive hit for Max Bygraves. Not on the list? He said: "I haven't got peace of mind. The death of Smalls, who survived for more than three decades despite being a target for gangland vengeance and who died at his unremarkable Victorian semi in Croydon, south London, went unmourned among those who still adhere to the "honour among thieves" doctrine of never ratting on your fellow felons. It was the first – and only – time that a self-confessed criminal has been allowed to escape all punishment in return for turning Queen's evidence. Credits. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In the wake of the agreement, the law lords ruled it had been an "unholy deal" and required that all future supergrasses should serve a prison sentence, albeit one that was significantly reduced. He died on November 22, 1902. We’ll Meet Again When They Sound The Last All Clear; 25. A career criminal who collaborated in a famous bank robbery – and then helped the police send his accomplices to prison – he had a price on his head for the last three decades of his life, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Bertie Smalls: Quiet death of the original supergrass. But whether out of bravado, fatalism or remorse, Bertie Smalls rejected all the Yard's offers of an anonymous retirement. Whispering grass, The trees don't have to know. The number of robberies in the area of London where the Wembley Mob had been most active fell from 65 to 26 in the year after their arrest and imprisonment. Shortly before the raid on the Barclays branch in Ilford, which ultimately proved his downfall, Smalls was paid £10,000 (about £200,000 today) for his part in a robbery on a savings bank in Brighton. Why tell them all your secrets, Who kissed there long ago? Born in the East End, he rose through the ranks of the underworld to become a leading practitioner of the "epic" robbery – a well-planned hit on a bank or similar target with high risks and high rewards. O'Mahoney summed up the enduring price paid by the supergrasses for their betrayal. It was a time when fugitive villains with big hair and wide lapels headed for sanctuary in unheard of overseas locations with names such as Torremolinos and robberies were carried out with elaborate plans involving gang members dressed as City bankers to distract staff. When Bertie Smalls finished giving his testimony, the seven defendants he had incriminated began singing from the dock. Gabriel Meets the Duke Whsipering Grass sung by Don Estelle and Windor Davies ... Don Estelle and Windsor Davies singing Whispering Grass on It Ain't Half Hot Mum. "Whispering Grass" Whispering Grass was written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher and Sandy recorded a version, featured on a number of her albums. A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square; 24. I’ve Got Sixpence; 23. After recruiting two employees of the security van company, Smalls sent one of the robbers into the bank dressed as a City worker, complete with pin-stripe suit and an umbrella, to write a cheque to distract staff while the van approached. Play whispering grass tabs using our free guide. Maurice O'Mahoney, a notoriously violent armed robber who dubbed himself "King Squealer" after passing on more than 150 names in return for a five-year jail term, became a minor celebrity in the late 1970s when it emerged he was serving his sentence in Chiswick police station with a free supply of alcohol and conjugal visits with his girlfriend. Tracklist . written by Fred Fisher, Doris Fisher Written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris, "Whispering Grass" became a big hit in 1940 when recorded by The Ink Spots. His Wembley Mob, a hardened corps of criminals based in north London which was responsible for a succession of armed robberies throughout the late 1960s, was just one of about a dozen similar gangs operating in the capital at the time. If I Didn't Care: We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me) My Prayer: Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) It's Funny To Everyone But Me: I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire: To Each His Own: Do I Worry? As "Mad" Frankie Fraser, the former East End gang member who served 42 years in prison before writing a best-selling autobiography, put it: "There is no doubt that 'grasses' such as Bertie Smalls and other filth like him deserve to be shot like the sick dogs they are.". The "Ilford job" carried all the trademarks of the gang's meticulous methods. Through an informant, they learnt that the bank received large deposits consisting of the takings of a Tesco supermarket and that when these large amounts arrived, the security van was preceded by a red Mini presumed to be sent to inform the manager. After a rendition of the … Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Two years later, in 1953, he had a minor hit on Okeh Records, “Whispering Grass,” a dulcet pop recording that played up his vocal resemblance to Nat. Davies, who was also known for Never The Twain and appeared in Doctor Who, has died just four months after his wife passed away. Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) is a popular song first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940. Their songs usually … After some 15 years at the top of London's close-knit fraternity of hardened robbers and gangsters, Smalls, a 38-year-old career criminal with a big house and more than a dozen bank jobs to his name, had just achieved the dubious distinction of becoming Britain's first supergrass by giving a comprehensive account of a robbery on 10 August 1972 at a branch of Barclays in Ilford, east London, that netted £237,000 – a record amount at the time. The Little Man with The big voice The one and only Don Estelle. Whispering Grass
The Ink Spots
Words by Fred Fisher and Music by Doris Fisher
Peaked at # 10 in 1940
Competing version by Erskine Hawkins managed # 13
Why do you whisper, green grass? Smalls was by no means the first "grass". Blueberry Hill was the #14 song in 1940 in the Pop charts.The song was performed by Glenn Miller.Comment below with facts and trivia about the song and … for This album Don records a New version of The hit single Though without Windsor Davis keeping faithful To The original The song once again comes over fresh and alive just as it did back in 1975. “Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell The Trees)” is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. Although a cliché, it has long been an article of faith among the nation's "gentleman" gangsters that Smalls single-handedly destroyed an unwritten code with his betrayal. It was no coincidence in this era of bent coppers that one of the most high profile corruption prosecutions of the early 1970s was against Commander Ken Drury, the head of the Flying Squad, also known by its rhyming slang nickname as the Sweeney. By Fred Fisher and Doris … Perhaps unsurprisingly, "Smalls" has become gangland slang for a "snout" or informer. Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra originally recorded Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) written by Fred Fisher and Doris Fisher and Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra released it on the single Gabriel Meets the Duke in 1940. instrumental. This enabled the robbers to pick the appropriate day to secure the largest amount of cash. Why tell the tress what ain't so? The arrest of Smalls in 1972 for a string of highly-lucrative robberies conducted since the late 1960s coincided in particular with an inglorious episode in the history of the Yard where bribe-taking, occasional collusion and the practice of "verballing" or fabricating evidence was rife among detectives. It was also covered by The Dixleys, Bill Kenny, Mrs. Mills, The Lancers and other artists. By 1972, the Wembley Mob were one of the most prolific crews in the capital, living in big houses and driving fast cars. Whispering grass, The trees don't need to know. Whispering was a popular song in the 1920's that was written by Richard Coburn and John Schoenberger. It was also covered by John Sidney, Mrs. Mills, Bill Kenny, The Dixleys and other artists. Chief Superintendent Jack Slipper, the famous detective whose pursuit of the Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs became the stuff of Yard legend, said after the Old Bailey trial in February 1974: "Smalls is the greatest weapon the police have ever had against the underworld. The Hilltoppers Featuring the Voice of Jimmy Sacca, Mike Preston - Accompaniment directed by Harry Robinson, Gloria Lynne arranged and conducted by Marty Paich, Hank Crawford & The Marty Paich Orchestra, © 2003-2021 Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) - The Ink Spots 10. But for Smalls, the gang of armed robbers sitting in the dock and the members of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad watching proceedings, the meaning of the performance was chillingly clear. An agreement was drawn up with Sir Norman Skelhorn, the director of public prosecutions, granting Smalls complete immunity from paying the price for his crimes. Whispering Hope was based on Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 12:1, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8.