BLUE RIBBON #1

Chaw Mank’s BLUE RIBBON label seems to have been more a vehicle for Mank’s songwriting efforts then a medium for promoting singers and bands. Mank used to advertise widely for new compositions, and then presumably “polished” the material to make it more commercially viable, perhaps that explains why each song has anything up to four individuals credited as composers.

The majority of BLUE RIBBON releases have issue numbers seemingly picked at random, although once those issue numbers were allocated there does follow a logical numerical progression of sorts. The nearest Mank got to a consistent numerical series was with his 1900 series.

In this attempt at documenting BLUE RIBBON we shall start with the 1900 series, and then look at some of the odd numerical releases.


BLUE RIBBON 1901
ORVILLE CLARIDA “THE SINGIN’ TEXAN” AND HIS RHYTHM VALLEY BOYS
I’ll Live Alone (1901.A) (No 5)
(Harvill – Mank - Clarida) (Blue Ribbon Music Co. BMI)
I’ve Tried To Forget You (1901.B) (No 6)
(Brown – Mank - Clarida) (Blue Ribbon Music Co. BMI)




BLUE RIBBON 1902
THE WAYFARERS – MELODY MOUNTAIN BOYS
Mother’s Understanding Heart (1902.A) (No 1)
(Shurtz – Morris – Mank - Tanner) (Blue Ribbon Music Co. BMI)
Say A Prayer For A Buddy Somewhere (1902.B) (No 2)
(Morris – Suiter – Hall - Mank) (Blue Ribbon Music Co. BMI)

Note: “Say A Prayer For A Buddy Somewhere” has notation “Title by Howard I. Wise”




1903 thru 1907 unknown