This Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen number was introduced in the 21st edition of the Cotton Club Parade, which opened on October 23, 1932. Cab Calloway’s orchestra, featured in the revue, had a hit on the charts with the number that year:

• Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (1932, vocal, #18)
• Bing Crosby, accompanied by the Dorsey Brothers’ Orchestra (1933, vocal, #19)
• Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Nelson Riddle’s Orchestra (1953, vocal, #14)

The 21st edition of the Cotton Club Parade was the second production that the songwriting team of Koehler and Arlen wrote for New York’s Cotton Club, and they would go on to write the music for two more of the shows, the 22nd and 24th editions. They had one outstanding number from each Parade that went on to be a hit, an impressive achievement. Koehler would continue on as lyricist for one more, and the productions ended in 1939. The Harlem Cotton Club closed in 1936, moving to a new location on Broadway and 48th Street, which closed in 1940.

Even though Calloway’s band was considered a swinging jazz ensemble, his version of “...String” is a more sedate, dance band reading of the tune. Record producers often would back a ballad or medium-tempo number with a “hot” tune, and the flip of the original 78 of “...String” was the jazz number “Harlem Hospitality,” another number from the Parade.

The tune was on a roll into 1933, as evidenced by Bing Crosby’s recording with the Dorsey Brothers’ Orchestra. Another reserved rendition (backed by a “hot” version of “My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms”) featured Crosby with the Mills Brothers.

Arlen and Koehler’s hit collaborations retained their popularity through the years, and “...String” continued to find favor with recording artists. Frank Sinatra’s swinging rendition from 1957, with a superb arrangement by Nelson Riddle and accompaniment by his orchestra, is a classic of Sinatra’s great work during his years with Capitol Records.