I know i had said earlier that the next music i reviewed would not be older than my father. I’m now going to eat those words with these pieces from Sonny Lester. Hey, can you blame me for getting a space age pop album named “How to bellydance for your husband”? I know, you would have done the same.

Skipping his WWII days from where he came back carrying more decorations on his chest than a ballroom chandelier, I’m jumping straight to the part where he composed exotica music in a posh Manhattan loft. The loft belonged to Morris Levy, owner of Roulette Records, who sent Lester his star-wannabe mistresses, to help them realize their dreams of becoming hit singers. One of these girls had a part in a Broadway revue which was a piece called “How to Strip for Your Husband.” That gave him the idea for his upcoming exotica album. He brought in a group of 11 musicians and recorded the album in one session. The marketing release was one simple appearance by the same girl on “The Jack Paar Show” and overnight there was an instant frenzy.

“Over 3,000 copies were sold in Boston alone the next day. Newspaper coverage of a woman who was caught shoplifting a copy from the record section at Macy’s helped build the record’s notoriety”.

It must surely be a hell of a blow on all the bottled up female energy in the repressed late 50s society. Nice going Sonny.

Sonny Lester - The Unveiling
Sonny Lester - Cad of Baghdad
Sonny Lester - Salome’s Veil