Helen Morgan - Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man

Like I said last week when I posted the 1932 recording of “Ol’ Man River,” Show Boat was the first true American musical. The biggest star of the original 1927 show was Helen Morgan, who played the character Julie. “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” is a turning point in the show because it begins another character’s inquiry into Julie’s racial heritage. How could an apparently white woman know a ‘black song’ (also notice the ‘black style’ of the song’s title)?

This song, along with another great Show Boat tune “Bill,” will forever be associated with torch singer Helen Morgan. I find it unfortunate the way rock and roll seems to have sliced 20th century popular music into two groups: Elvis and later (of which many Americans - even younger generations - are aware) and pre-Elvis (of which many people are sadly ignorant). For the two songs I mentioned, Helen Morgan deserves at least a little lasting recognition in our collective cultural memory!