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This collection of fifty relaxing tracks of what might be called "lounge" music is predominantly made up of British artists but with a smattering of American greats thrown in for good measure.
And who better to kick us off than Frank Sinatra? Not for nothing was he called "The guv'nor". He features on three of his classic tracks from the Fifties. Fellow Americans Pat Boone, Vic Damone , Debbie Reynolds, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Anita Ellis, Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford, Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan feature too. All of these contribute one great track each, or more.
Adelaide Hall, strictly speaking, was an American too, but spent the greater part of her career in the United Kingdom where she lived from 1938 until her death in 1993. We can enjoy her previously unreleased rendition of 'Crazy', a song first recorded and issued as a single by Anne Shelton in 1982.
Petula Clark, now well into her seventies and still performing, serenades us with 'With All My Heart' from 1957.
Welsh born pianist Dill Jones (1923-1984) plays for us on a couple of tracks. Dill emigrated to the USA in 1961 and was much in demand as a jazz pianist, recording with Joe Venuti and others.
Reggie Goff's pleasing, deep and dulcet tones are to be enjoyed on the first two sides he made for the Polygon label in the early 1950s, and Maxine Daniels' accomplished vocalising is to be heard in two songs from the 1957 show, 'Harmony Close'.
Other songbirds include Marion Ryan, who began her career with the Ray Ellington Quartet, and Ruby Murray who enjoyed phenomenal success in the latter half of the Fifties.
Sheila Buxton was a regular on television and radio, 'Make Way for Music' being a fondly remembered radio series. Another who appeared in this show was the tenor voiced Roberto Cardinali, who serenades us here with two songs.
Also sadly no longer with us are songstresses Jill Day, Edna Savage, Alma Warren and Jean Campbell. The late 1950s were their most productive years, and Jill Day was originally known as Jill Page in her days as vocalist with Syd Dean and His Band.
Pauline Shepherd's sole contribution is from 1956, the song 'No Not Much' and she seems to have disappeared from the show business scene in the early 1960s.
Like Petula Clark, Joan Regan is fortunately still with us and still performing from time to time. Her top ten hit, 'May You Always', from 1959, is her welcome contribution.
Bob Dale, perhaps unwisely, had left Cyril Stapleton's Orchestra early in 1951. Later the following year, Cyril took up leadership of the BBC Show Band, and their shows soon became a national favourite. Matt Monro sung on a number of broadcasts before the BBC pulled the plug on the show band in June 1957. These three artists all feature on this compilation.
For the remainder, no less worthy, we have Geraldo, Robert French and Ron Goodwin with their respective orchestras. Brilliant Scottish-born pianist Bill McGuffie regales us with 'When The Stars Go To Sleep', and we have one song each from the fine tenor voices of David Hughes and Harry Dawson. In Danny Williams and Dennis Lotis we have two South African born entertainers, Dennis fittingly closing our collection with 'Another Spring' |
