May 20 - 21 2007 marks the 80th anniversary of Charles A. Lindbergh's nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic ocean.
When word of Lindy's success reached America, crowds went wild. And Tin Pan Alley songwriters wasted no time composing anthems dedicated to Lindbergh and American triumphalism.
One of the most popular songs celebrating Charles Lindbergh's success was the joyous Lucky Lindy! performed by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra and a male chorus. This song was recorded just three days after the news of Lindbergh reached our shores.
Another popular coupling, also released by Victor, featured the well-known "hillbilly" singer Vernon Dalhart singing Lindbergh The Eagle of the USA and Vaughn DeLeath, "The Original Radio Girl," singing Like An Angel You Flew Into Everyone's Heart.
The occasion of Lindbergh's reception in Washington DC, during which he was presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross and commissioned a Colonel in the Army Reserve by President Calvin Coolidge, was also a milestone in the history of radio. For it was during the broadcast of these ceremonies that the first transcontinental radio link was established, allowing NBC listeners from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast to tune into the broadcast.
NBC recorded the broadcasts and later issued a record of the arrival ceremonies, edited down to fit onto a 10" record. It is one of the earliest surviving transcriptions of an actual live radio broadcast.
Finally, here is the original Fox News newsreel footage of Col. Lindbergh's flight, landing, and reception back in the USA. This is the original silent newsreel shown in theatres at the time, but this version has background music added.
