V-Discs
V-Disc was a record label which produced - by special arrangement between the United States government and various American record companies - music for US military forces during and after World War II. The "V" in “V-Disc” stands for "Victory". The label came about as a way to help increase the morale among the forces. V-Discs were produced and distributed between October 1943 and May 1949. Over 900 V-Disc record titles were issued, and over 8 million discs were produced. In 1944 and 1945, the US Navy and the Marine Corps had their own V-Disc label. After September 1945, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps all shared the same label unit.
Many popular singers, big bands, and orchestras contributed to the V-Disc program. A variety of sources were used for V-Discs: commercial recordings, radio broadcasts (including some from the Armed Forces Radio Service), rehearsals of radio shows, film soundtracks, and special recording sessions.
Most V-Discs were pressed on a mixture of Vinylite and Formvar, making it much easier to distribute them without breakage (many of the ‘normal’ shellac records sent by relatives arrived in pieces). The discs were larger than commercial 78rpm records: 12 inches instead of 10.
New V-Discs were released once a month (after September 1947: once in every two months). Initially, a box of V-Discs contained 30 records. Later on, the number of discs per box was reduced: 20 between February 1944 and August 1945; 15 between September 1945 and July 1946; and 10 between August 1946 and May 1949.
A V-Disc Discography was compiled by Richard S. Sears. You can access it on http://vdiscdaddy.com , a great website packed with information about the V-Disc program.
V-Discs featuring Jo Stafford recordings
V-Disc 33
with: ‘For You’
Issued November 1943
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 102 (December 1944)
Details
V-Disc 262
with: ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’, and ‘Someone To Love’
Issued September 1944
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 42
Details
V-Disc 290
with: ‘When Our Hearts Were Young And Gay’, and ‘Yesterdays’
Issued October 1944
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 70
Details
V-Disc 328
with: ‘I Remember You’, and ‘Love Is Just Around The Corner’
Issued December 1944
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 108
Details
V-Disc 378
with: ‘Carry Me Back To Old Virginia’
Issued February 1945
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 155
Details
V-Disc 393
with: ‘I Didn’t Know About You’, and ‘Tumbling Tumbleweeds’
Issued March 1945
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 173
Details
V-Disc 427
with: ‘Alone Together’
Issued May 1945
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 207
Details
V-Disc 467
with: ‘Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home’
Issued July 1945
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 247
Details
V-Disc 487
with: ‘Am I Blue’
Issued August 1945
Details
V-Disc 503
with: ‘Conversation While Dancing’
Issued September 1945
Also issued on the Navy V-Disc label and the Marine Corps V-Disc label, V-Disc 263
Details
V-Disc 537
with: ‘Bakery Blues’
Issued November 1945
Details
V-Disc 569
with: ‘Blue Moon’
Issued January 1946
Details
V-Disc 584
with: ‘Gee, It’s Good To Hold You’, and ‘That’s For Me’
Issued February 1946
Details
V-Disc 755
with: ‘Lonesome Road’
Issued April 1947
Details
V-Disc 851
with: ‘Haunted Heart’
Issued July 1948
Details
V-Disc 895
with: ‘I’m Comin’ Virginia’
Issued May 1949
Details
NOTE
A seemingly complete collection of Jo Stafford V-Disc recordings can be found on the CD ‘V-Disc: A Musical Contribution by America's Best for Our Armed Forces Overseas - Jo Stafford’ (1998, Collectors’ Choice Music
WSCCM 66562).
Unfortunately, six of Ms Stafford’s V-Disc recordings were not included on this disc: ‘Someone To Love’,
‘Love Is Just Around The Corner’, ‘Am I Blue’, ‘Conversation While Dancing’ (with Johnny Mercer), ‘Lonesome Road’, and ‘I’m Comin’ Virginia’.
On the other hand, the CD contains several tracks that were not issued on V-Disc: ‘Tallahassee’, ‘I’m So Right Tonight’, ‘Manhattan Serenade’, ‘Yes, Indeed’ – and the Pied Pipers track ‘When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin Along’, in which June Hutton (not Jo Stafford) is the female singer.