Ted Hawkins...Watch Your Step.

Next few posts is courtesy of JohnF from Down Under (NZ) !...thanks John 

Ted Hawkins (October 28, 1936 – January 1, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter born in Biloxi, Mississippi. He split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California, where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, and Europe and Australia, where he and his songs were better known and well received in clubs and small concert halls.

        14. I Gave Up All I Had

The Best Of Sonny & Cher.

Thanks JohnF for the Early Cher ! & Sunny !

       6. Let It Be Me

The Spinners...The Singing City.

The Spinners were a folk group from Liverpool, England, who formed in September 1958.They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972. One of them, Spinners Live Performance (1971), spent three months in the listing and peaked at No. 14.

The band became popular by singing folk music and singing new songs in the same vein. Although sounding like traditional English folk songs, some of their material was in fact composed by Jones, such as "The Ellan Vannin Tragedy" and "The Marco Polo". One of their best known songs, particularly in their native Liverpool, was "In My Liverpool Home", written by Peter McGovern in 1962. Cliff Hall also introduced traditional Jamaican songs to their repertoire. 

1. The Orange And The Green

2. The Leaving Of Liverpool

3. In My Liverpool Home

4. Dirty Old Town

5. Maggie May

6. Marco Polo

1. Liverpool Lullaby

2. Manchester Rambler

3. Liverpool Judies

4. Jug O'Punch

5. Drunken Sailor

6. Three Jolly Boys

      4. Dirty Old Town

Steeleye Span...Hark! The Village Wait.

Steeleye Span are an English folk rock band formed in 1969. Still active today, along with Fairport Convention, they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat". They had three Top 40 albums. 

        4. Blackleg Miner

Shirley Bassey...12 Of Those Songs.

The year is 1968 and " Shirley" is in top form showing us just what a great singer she is..just on the start of her worldwide popularity...One of the best of her early recordings even "007" gives it a thumbs up !!

        4. If Love Were All

Don McLean...Solo

This is a Double L/P of Dons "Live" Concerts in England....recorded at "Manchester,Bristol and Oxford"....Some of the tracks I have recorded have two or three songs in them , that's when he does go from one song into another so no gaps..He is one of the few singers that sounds exactly as he does on his records hence all the cheers of his audience...all 27 tracks are good !!

 Side 1 & 2....Side 3 & 4

 Side 1

1. Magdalene Lane

2. Masters Of War

3. Wonderful Baby

4. Where Were You Baby

5. Empty Chairs

6. Geordie's Lost His Penker

7. Babylon

Side 2

1. And I Love You So

2. Mactavish Is Dead

3. Cripple Creek / Muleskinner Blues

4. Great Big Man

5. Bronco's Bills Lament

6. Happy Trails

7. Circus Song

8. Birthday Song

9. On The Amazon

Side 3

1. American Pie

2. Over The Waterfall / Arkansas Traveler

3. Homeless Brother

4. Castles In The Air

5. Three Flights Up

Side 4

1. Lovesick Blues

2. Winter has Me In Its Grip

3. The Legend Of Andrew McCrew

4. Vincent

5. Till Tomorrow

Jimmy Smith...Any Number Can Win.

One Jazz Organ on the menu now with cool sounds....

1. You Came A Long Way From St Louis

2. The Ape Woman

3. Georgia On my Mind

4. G'Won Train

5. Theme From Any Number Can Win

1. What'd I Say

2. The Sermon

3. Ruby

4. Tubs

5. Blues For C A 

James Oscar Smith (December 8, 1925 or 1928 – February 8, 2005) was an African American jazz musician who achieved the rare distinction of releasing a series of instrumental jazz albums that often charted on Billboard. Smith helped popularize the Hammond B-3 electric organ, creating an indelible link between 1960s soul and jazz improvisation. In 2005, Smith was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honour that America bestows upon jazz musicians.

       10. Blues for C.A

Harry Secombe & Moira Anderson...20 Unforgettable Songs.

Now for something different !!....for those with a quiet peaceful sense of music !!...some great songs from shows and films sung by the singing Goon !!...and a Scottish Lass!!

       19. Try To Remember

Dorothy Ashby...Soft Winds

A venture into the Swinging Jazz Harp !!...not many of those about I should think !!

Sounds are great !!

        10. Misty

Tony Bennett...A String Of Tony's Hits.

Here's the Hits and then some !!...all on a string !!

        10.There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight

The Righteous Brothers Greatest Hits. VOL 2.

The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo of Bill Medley and (formerly) Bobby Hatfield. They began performing together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called the Paramours, but adopted the name "The Righteous Brothers" when they embarked on their recording career as a duo. Their most active recording period was in the 1960s and 70s, and although the duo was inactive for some years, Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1981 and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003. Their emotive vocal style is sometimes dubbed "blue-eyed soul".

        5. Bye Bye Love

Don McLean...Homeless Brother.

The lyrics to any Don McLean song are well worth taking note and listening to they make perfect sense and do tell a story if you listen to the tracks on this L/P they all seem to follow on and tell a story...I suppose you could call it a concept album....he defiantly has a way with words...

 1. Winter Has Me In Its Grip
2. La La Love You
3. Homeless Brother
4. Sunshine Life For Me
5. The Legend Of Andrew McCrew

1. Wonderful Baby
2. You Have Lived
3. Great Big Man
4. Tangled
5. Crying In The Chapel
6. Did You Know

    5. The Legend of Andrew McCrew

British No1 Hits...1954.

Shoot forward 13 years from the post below and we are now in England !!....with 5 British Singers and 6 USA ones...we Brits have not yet made an impact on the music scene yet !!

1. Oh Mein Papa......Eddie Calvert

2. I See The Moon......The Stargazers

3. Secret Love......Doris Day

4. Such A Night......Johnnie Ray

5. Cara Mia......David Whitfield

6. Little Things Mean a Lot

7. Three Coins In The Fountain......Frank Sinatra

8. Hold My Hand......Don Cornell

9. My Son My Son......Vera Lynn

10. This Ole House......Rosemary Clooney

11. Lets have Another Party......Winifred Atwell

        5. Cara Mia

Your Hit Parade...1941.VA

Continuing sounds from the 40's when swing bands and their singers were all the rage !!

Plenty of well known singers on their first outings as band singers !!

100% from over the Pond not a Brit in sight !!

1. Stardust......Artie Shaw & His Orchestra

2. There'll Be Some Changes Made......Benny Goodman & His Orchestra

3. God Bless The Child......Billie Holiday

4. Dolores......Bing Crosby

5. New San Antonio Rose......Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys

6. I Hear A Rhapsody......Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra

7. Take The A Train......Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

8. Let Me Off Uptown......Gene Krupa & His Orchestra

9. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy......The Andrews Sisters

10. Racing With The Moon......Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra

11. Oh Look At Me Now......Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra

12. Amapola......Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra

13. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good......Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

14. Elmer's Tune.......Glenn Miller & His Orchestra

15. You Made Me Love You.....Harry James & His Orchestra

16. Till Reveille.......Kay Kyser

17. I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time......The Andrews Sisters

18. Green Eyes......Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra

19. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire......The Ink Spots

20. Daddy......Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra

21. Maria Elena......Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra

22. Chattanooga Choo Choo.....Glenn Miller & His Orchestra

23. Perfidia......Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra

         8. Let Me Off Uptown

Louis Armstrong...Disney Songs The Satchmo Way.

Here's one of the most recognisable voice of the 20th century

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He is among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and different eras in the history of jazz.

With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song. He was also skilled at scat singing. 

1. Bibbidi- Bobbidi- Boo

2. 'Bout Time

3. The Ballad Of Davy Crocket

4. The Bare Necessities

5. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

1. When You Wish Upon A Star

2. Whistle While You Work

3. Ten Feet Off The Ground

4. Heigh Ho

5. Chim-Chim-Cheree

          5. Chim-Chim-Cheree

Don McLean...Tapestry.

Do not listen to this L/P as background music otherwise you will miss a great set of lyrics on every song....he certainly knows how to compose the music... and the lyrics that make perfect sense and do actually tell a story so at the end of the song you do have a beginning-middle and an end....an excellent storyteller in music !!....Tho' the last track seems to have been recorded in a bit of a hurry !!....Take particular note of "Three Flights Up" doesn't get any better than that !!!

1. Castles In The Air
2. General Store
3. Magdalene Lane
4. Tapestry
5. Respectable
6. Orphans Of Wealth

1. Three Flights Up
2. And I Love You So
3. Bad Girl
4. Circus Song
5. No Reason For Your Dreams

     1. Three Flights Up.

Dusty Springfield.Complete A Sides 1963-1970 (45 's)

Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer whose career spanned over five decades. 

         3. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

Diana Panton...I Believe In Little Things.

We now have a singer from the 21st Century bringing this selection right up to date !!

Great Singer ! Great Jazz Accompaniment!....even though the songs may be for tiny tots don't let it put you off !!...it's a A1 Sound !!

Diana Panton a lauded jazz vocalist and educator with a bent toward delicate, heartfelt readings of standards. Panton first drew accolades after emerging in Ontario in the early 2000s, A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Panton grew up listening to classical music and was first introduced to jazz when her father played her an Ella Fitzgerald album. Along with singing, she studied clarinet and violin in high school. It wasn't until her senior year, however, that her voice teacher encouraged her to audition for the local youth-based ensemble, the Hamilton All-Star Jazz Band. She was accepted, and her vocal career took off as she toured Europe and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

 I Believe in Little Things debuted at #8 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.   

         9. When You Wish Upon A Star

Earl Bostic...Hits Of The Swing Age.

A jump back now with this post to 1958 !!

This 1958 release is a very early example of a King stereo LP, with a blue stereo label that features a small crownless logo, and bright orange sticker applied to the front of the generic mono jacket. 

Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and a pioneer of the post-war American rhythm and blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep", "Special Delivery Stomp", and "Where or When", which all showed off his characteristic growl on the horn. He was a major influence on John Coltrane.He formed his own band in 1945 and made the first recordings under his own name for the Majestic label. He turned to rhythm and blues in the late 1940s. His biggest hits were "Temptation", "Sleep", "Flamingo", "You Go to My Head" and "Cherokee". At various times, his band included Keter Betts, Jaki Byard, Benny Carter, John Coltrane, Teddy Edwards, Benny Golson, Blue Mitchell, Tony Scott, Cliff Smalls, Sir Charles Thompson, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine, and other musicians who rose to prominence, especially in jazz.

         

Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American jazz alto saxophonist

         3. Jumpin' At The Woodside