"Illinois" (By Thy Rivers Gently Flowing).
N.p. N.p., 1966. 12mo. Glossy pictorial card stock sleeve housing 6 3/4" diameter black vinyl 45rpm record. Fine/fine. Item #48074
First and sole printing, bright and pristine, of the Illinois Sesquicentennial jazz arrangement of the official state song -- written pre-1893, designated official in 1925 and here arranged by Luboff and with some new lyrics by folk music legend Stracke. Sleeve verso reproduces then-Illinois governor Otto Kerner's letter to Bill Reinhardt endorsing this new recording and noting, "Ralph Newman tells me a record is going to be made of this arrangement...." -- and tipped below this endorsement is a bold full signature of Newman on a 3¼" X ½" slip. Newman (1912-98), founder of Chicago's noted Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, was also chairman of the Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission. This new version recorded by Chicago jazz club owner Reinhardt; "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" on backside.
Price: $35.00