Side by Side

First recorded by Lee Morse (1927).
Hit versions by Ukulele Ike (US #27 1927), Nick Lucas (US #3 1927), Kay Starr (US #3/UK #7 1953), Hayley Mills (US #8 1961).
Also recorded by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys (incl. Bing Crosby) (1927), Ray Charles & Betty Carter (1961).

From the wiki: “‘Side by Side’ was written by Harry Woods (‘When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along)’, ‘I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover’, ‘Try a Little Tenderness‘), a one-handed piano player born without fingers on his left hand.

“Among a slew of ‘Side by Side’ releases in 1927, singer, guitarist and actress Lee Morse was the first to release a recording of the song. Her recording, released on March 16, 1927, preceded other recordings released the same month by Nick Lucas (‘Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips‘), and Ukulele Ike (‘Singin’ in the Rain‘), whose recordings were the first to chart on the Hit Parade.

“The half-dozen or so other releases of ‘Side by Side’ in 1927 included Paul Whiteman’s April recording, notable for its vocal accompaniment by the Rhythm Boys, among whom included Bing Crosby, and the presence of Red Nichols and Jimmy Dorsey in the band, both of whom would go on to lead successful bands of their own.

“In 1953, Kay Starr charted ‘Side by Side’ in both the US and the UK. Child actress Haley Mills charted a Top-10 hit in 1961 with ‘Side by Side’.

“Notable covers included Gene Krupa & Anita O’Day’s 1942 cover, Ray Charles and Betty Carter’s arrangement for the 1961 album Ray Charles and Betty Carter, and the Beatles performing the song alongside UK yodeling singer and entertainer Karl Denver as the intro to one of Denver’s weekly Side by Side BBC Radio programs in May 1963.”

Ukulele Ike, “Side by Side” (1927):