The tune presented here is entitled "Dames." It's now an obscure little piece that was the title song for the 1934 movie "Dames" starring Joan Blondell. Originally sung by Dick Powell, "Dames" was quite popular at the time. Perry was not overly precise when writing out the tune. It took awhile to determine the first four measures are an introduction. There should probably be a return sign at the beginning of measure 5. Also, Perry left the B note in measure 12 - third beat - as a natural. This was discussed by a variety of musicians as to whether or not Perry wanted it that way. The general consensus was that Perry missed the flat sign. Otherwise, the tune plays very nicely. It is believed that Perry intended tune to be played through twice in it's entirety incorporating the first ending at the bottom of the page to go back to measure 5 and play it all again. "Dames" has a couple of nice single-string runs in it making for good practice.

Because of "Dames" obscurity, it was a challenge finding concise and pertinent information. A number of people wrote in offering assistance. Thanks to all of you for your help. A special thanks goes to Eddy Kebabjian, David "The Sheik" Littlefield and San Francisco Bay Area reed player Jim Rothermel for their help. Without them, this little "gem" would still be hiding it obscurity.

David Frey