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The Three Suns

One of the most popular Exotica bands, The Three Suns were formed by guitar-playing Al Nevins and his accordion playing brother Morty from Brooklyn, and their cousin Artie Dunn, a vaudeville and radio performer who sang and played the electronic organ.

Three Suns

23 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 4 hours, 1010 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
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4 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from August 16, 1956:

"Moonlight and Roses"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe and Artie DunnThe dawn of the space age was largely due to the Cold War technology race between the United States and the Soviet Union, but it is easy to forget that the era held as much technological advancement as political posturing. The so-called "Kitchen Debate" between then-Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took place in a gadget-laden "kitchen of the future" which showcased electronic, electrical, and mechanical labor-saving devices which were just around the corner for American housewives.

From the perspective of a world filled with MP3 players, laptop computers, and smartphones, many of the technological marvels of the period seem positively quaint, but at the time the notion that an average middle class working Joe could not only enjoy these wonders but afford to have some of them in his own living room was positively out of this world.

Three Suns

Radio and phonograph records had been bringing music into homes for decades, but in the fifties and sixties technology had improved enough to give rise to High Fidelity, or Hi-Fi music systems. "High Fidelity" meant that the sound quality would be as close to the original musicians as possible. This standard became attainable by the use of quality loudspeakers electronic amplifiers both in the recording studio and on the home set. After a hard day at the office, the amateur audiophile could come home, mix some cocktails at his home bar, and put a dick on the turntable and enjoy music as good or better than what he would have heard at a smoky nightclub.

The further removed from the War years we go, the more we see big-band Jazz falling out of favor. Before the kids began "ruining" Hi-Fi sets with their loud Rock 'n' Roll music, one of the most popular things coming out of the speakers was Exotica music. The invention of the Exotica genre is credited to Martin Denny whom Donn Gantt ("Don the Beachcomber") had hired to lead the house band at the Shell Bar in Honolulu. The club featured a pond populated with bullfrogs near the bandstand. Denny noticed that the frogs would croak while they were playing but went quiet when the music stopped. When the band was recording for Liberty Records, Denny had the musicians do bird calls over the music while he provided the frog croaks, and Exotica music, along with the Tiki bar craze, was born.

While most Exotica music calls to mind a feeling of the South Pacific, South America, Southeast Asia, and even Africa, one of the most popular Exotica acts made listeners feel they were on a trip to Outer Space! The Three Suns were formed by guitar-playing Al Nevins and his accordion playing brother Morty from Brooklyn, and their cousin Artie Dunn, a vaudeville and radio performer who sang and played the electronic organ. They began playing as a group in 1939, and in 1940 won a two-week gig at the Circus Lounge of New York's Piccadilly Hotel which stretched into a seven-year engagement.

The trio managed to bring a wide range of musical effects from their simple yet versatile instruments (Al began playing violin before changing to electric guitar). Their first hit recording was "Twilight Time" (1944), which they recorded without lyrics, Les Brown and His Band of Renown covered the song in 1945 with lyrics by Buck Ram. Although the trio remained the heart of the Three Suns, they were not afraid to expand their sound by adding rhythm guitar and bass to form a quintet, or piano to play as a quartet.

The band's lineup became even more flexible in the late Fifties when Mort Nevins began taking a greater interest in producing records than playing on them. Brother Al formed a music publication and songwriting service called Aldon Music with Don Kirschner which launched more than 200 Top Forty hits. The Three Suns' sound became even more experimental after the formation of Aldon Music, even though Al suffered a series of heart attacks which kept him from performing.

Former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower said that the Three Suns was one of her favorite music groups.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    23 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 4 hours, 1010 min
    23 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 4 hours, 1010 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 23 shows – total playtime 4 hours, 16 minutes
    2. Three Suns 1956 168 Perdido.mp3
    3. Three Suns 1956 170 In Persian Market.mp3
    4. Three Suns 1956 171 Canadian Capers.mp3
    5. Three Suns 1956 172 Whos Sorry Now.mp3
    6. Three Suns 1956 173 Moonlight And Roses.mp3
    7. Three Suns 1956 174 Lover.mp3
    8. Three Suns 1956 175 Theme From Threepenny Opera.mp3
    9. Three Suns 1956 176 Stompin At Savoy.mp3
    10. Three Suns 1956 178 On Little Street In Singapore.mp3
    11. Three Suns 1956 179 In Persian Market Different Version.mp3
    12. Three Suns 1956 180 Breeze And I.mp3
    13. Three Suns 1956 181 Sheik 2.mp3
    14. Three Suns 1956 182 Perdido Diff Version With Lively Crowd.mp3
    15. Three Suns 1956 183 Song Of India.mp3
    16. Three Suns 1956 184 Under Paris Skies.mp3
    17. Three Suns 1956 187 Stompin At Savoy.mp3
    18. Three Suns 1956 219 Dancing Tambourine.mp3
    19. Three Suns 461018 By Waters Of Minnetonka.mp3
    20. Three Suns And A Starlet 1946 001 Old Man River.mp3
    21. Three Suns Remote 460731 Nbc Circus Lounge Piccadilly NYC.mp3
    22. Three Suns Remote 461019 Circus Bar Picadilly Hotel NYC.mp3
    23. Three Suns Remote 470214 Circus Lounge Hotel Piccadilly NYC.mp3
    24. Three Suns Remote 480508 Nbc Raleigh Room Hotel Warwick.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    23 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 4 hours, 1010 min
    23 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    118 MB – total playtime 4 hours, 16 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 23 shows – 118 MB – total playtime 4 hours, 16 minutes
    2. Three Suns 1956 168 Perdido.mp3
    3. Three Suns 1956 170 In Persian Market.mp3
    4. Three Suns 1956 171 Canadian Capers.mp3
    5. Three Suns 1956 172 Whos Sorry Now.mp3
    6. Three Suns 1956 173 Moonlight And Roses.mp3
    7. Three Suns 1956 174 Lover.mp3
    8. Three Suns 1956 175 Theme From Threepenny Opera.mp3
    9. Three Suns 1956 176 Stompin At Savoy.mp3
    10. Three Suns 1956 178 On Little Street In Singapore.mp3
    11. Three Suns 1956 179 In Persian Market Different Version.mp3
    12. Three Suns 1956 180 Breeze And I.mp3
    13. Three Suns 1956 181 Sheik 2.mp3
    14. Three Suns 1956 182 Perdido Diff Version With Lively Crowd.mp3
    15. Three Suns 1956 183 Song Of India.mp3
    16. Three Suns 1956 184 Under Paris Skies.mp3
    17. Three Suns 1956 187 Stompin At Savoy.mp3
    18. Three Suns 1956 219 Dancing Tambourine.mp3
    19. Three Suns 461018 By Waters Of Minnetonka.mp3
    20. Three Suns And A Starlet 1946 001 Old Man River.mp3
    21. Three Suns Remote 460731 Nbc Circus Lounge Piccadilly NYC.mp3
    22. Three Suns Remote 461019 Circus Bar Picadilly Hotel NYC.mp3
    23. Three Suns Remote 470214 Circus Lounge Hotel Piccadilly NYC.mp3
    24. Three Suns Remote 480508 Nbc Raleigh Room Hotel Warwick.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    23 recordings on 4 Audio CDs. Total playtime 4 hours, 16 min
    23 recordings on 4 Audio CDs
    total playtime 4 hours, 16 min

    Three Suns Disc A001

    1. Three Suns 1956 168 Perdido
    2. Three Suns 1956 170 In Persian Market
    3. Three Suns 1956 171 Canadian Capers
    4. Three Suns 1956 172 Whos Sorry Now
    5. Three Suns 1956 173 Moonlight And Roses
    6. Three Suns 1956 174 Lover

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Three Suns Disc A002

    1. Three Suns 1956 175 Theme From Threepenny Opera
    2. Three Suns 1956 176 Stompin At Savoy
    3. Three Suns 1956 178 On Little Street In Singapore
    4. Three Suns 1956 179 In Persian Market Different Version
    5. Three Suns 1956 180 Breeze And I
    6. Three Suns 1956 181 Sheik 2

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Three Suns Disc A003

    1. Three Suns 1956 182 Perdido Diff Version With Lively Crowd
    2. Three Suns 1956 183 Song Of India
    3. Three Suns 1956 184 Under Paris Skies
    4. Three Suns 1956 187 Stompin At Savoy
    5. Three Suns 1956 219 Dancing Tambourine
    6. Three Suns And A Starlet 1946 001 Old Man River

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Three Suns Disc A004

    1. Three Suns Remote 460731 Nbc Circus Lounge Piccadilly NYC
    2. Three Suns 461018 By Waters Of Minnetonka
    3. Three Suns Remote 461019 Circus Bar Picadilly Hotel NYC
    4. Three Suns Remote 470214 Circus Lounge Hotel Piccadilly NYC
    5. Three Suns Remote 480508 Nbc Raleigh Room Hotel Warwick

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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