It wasn't untill i was recording a disk all quicksteps. It was then i realized all of these tunes are like 1940's and earlier even though some of the recording are a recent issue.I think in those days they wrote tunes that could be danced in a Broadway Show as well as out in a ballroom. Toe taping melodies. Does any one have a favourite Quickstep. Mine goes back a long way. 42nd Street. And still being recorded today.

One should also remember, that many of the "old " songs, were written in 2/4 time--
when 4/4 came into prominence (1946/7 ? ) ,it changed the face of q/step, particularly , for ever .

Terence2. After further study I think you will find that 4/4 Tempo for the Quickstep has been around since it replaced a dance called the One Step in competitions. In the year 1922 in that World Championship the dances were the Waltz the Foxtrot the One Step and the Tango. The Quickstep in 1927 was titled Q T F T.( Quick Time Foxtrot. The Quickstep was danced under its present name in the Star Championships in 1929 Frank Ford and Molly Spain were the winners. Its easy when you've got three books and a good memory. I went to several lectures given by Frank Ford also. His story of how the stucato Tango as we know it today came into being is very interesting.. He was there and I was at the lecture.

Guess I missed that lecture ( frank ) pity .( where was it held ? )

I know 4/4 has been around much longer than I stated. My point was ( as I recall , sometimes memory dims !) that many of the q/s tunes being danced to written in 2/4 were still being used, and not totally abandoned until the forties ( swing influence )
I dont remember dancing to anything that " jazzy " in the early forties .

A song that always makes think of the "Star "-- we used to call it the comp. q/s-- " Youre the cream in my coffee "

The song Singing in the Rain was first used in a Broadway show in 1927. How about The Lady is a Tramp from Pall Joey. How about George Gershwin's S'Wonderful. And don't lets forget. Give my Regards to Broadway. from Yankee Doodle Dandy
Frank Ford came to Sydney Winter's competition nights which was on a Sunday and was held at a hotel in Harrow on the Harrow Road a bit further along than Wembley. He gave some very interesting lectures This was in the early 50's. He must have been well into his seventies then. He explained not everybody owned a radio in those days. Most of the bands belonged to a Hotel. If you found a record from those early days it would most likely be titled Harry Roy and the Palm Court Orchestra. As they played for the customers, and the Charleston and another called the Black Bottom was the rage. There were other crazy dances. How about The Boston. or the Castle Walk and then the One Step. Another was half way between a Quickstep and a Foxtrot called The Midway Rhythm. At that time that was the records being made, not exactly S Q Q S. This is why a dance teacher Victor Silvester got a group together and formed an orchestra to cut some records for the Strictly Ballroom. From there he never looked back. His father by the way was the Bishop of Wembley, which is were I came from.

For some reason, I never made it to Harrow. trying to remember where I would have been on Sundays ?-- Streatham , I think .
Have danced to all of those ( me ,and thousands more ) many, many times .
I also did most of the Old Time, not seriously , but let it slide away over the yrs .

You would like a name of a good quickstep , a little different. How about" I,m so Excited", by the Pointer Sisters