101 Strings..Fire And Romance Of Ernesto Lecuona

One of my favourite modern composer's now...I thought that I had posted it before but can't seem to find it on any of my blogs...so here it is again 

          1. Malaguena

The Kalin Twins

 The Kalin Twins (born February 16, 1934), also known as Hal and Herbie, were an American pop singing, songwriting and recording duo, formed in 1958 by twin brothers Harold Kalin and Herbert Kalin. The duo is best remembered for their number one 1958 hit "When".
The Kalin's were the first set of twins to reach number one in the UK as a duo, followed years later by The Proclaimers. They were supported by Cliff Richard on their only UK tour. Their second single, "Forget Me Not", reached Number 12 in the US Billboard chart later in 1958. After two further low-ranking entries in 1959, they never reached the charts again. They continued working as a headline nightclub attraction into the 1960s, but without current records to promote them their exposure was limited.

1. When

2. All I Have To Do Is Dream

3. Why Don't You Believe Me

4. Crazy Arms

5. Canadian Sunset

1. Side by Side

2. Cross Over The Bridge

3. I'll Never Be Free

4. Tonight You Belong To Me

5. Vaya Con Dios

          3. Why Don't You Believe Me

Classical Gassers..VA

I wonder how many people will realise these Pop Gems DID come from Classical Themes ??

          3. Dawning

           8. Asia Minor

Doris Day

A set of semi religious songs sung by DD show just how good a singer she was....lets hope she is singing with the angel choir !.....courtesy of Marcos from Brazil...thanks Marcos !!

1. If I Can Help Somebody

2. Nearer My God To Thee

3. The Prodigal Son

4. Abide With Me

5. Bless This House

6. You'll Never Walk Alone

1. In The Garden

2. Walk With Him

3. Scarlet Ribbons For Her Hair

4. Be Still And Know

5. I Need Thee Every Hour

6. The Lords Prayer

          9. Scarlet Ribbons For Her Hair

Vic Damone.

 A cool interpretations of some exotic songs from the South Seas...with arrangements and Orchestra By "Billy May "...Definitely one for the "Smoochers"!!!!
Although the cover says "Mono" the actual tracks are in "Stereo" courtesy of "WRC"

1. Strange Enchantment
2. The Hawaiian Wedding Song
3. Shangri- La
4. Humming Waters
5. Poinciana
6. Flamingo

1. Beyond The Reef
2. You're Adorable
3. The Moon Of Manakoora
4. Bali Ha'i
5. Forevermore
6. Ebb Tide 

 

          7. Beyond The Reef
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Fire Down Below

 Its mostly mood music with 2 tunes running through the entire L/P....Also with the vocal of the title by "Jeri Southern".....It's still a good soundtrack if you like your "Mood Music" !!

1. Main Title

2. Limbo Like Me

3. Orchestra Playing In Club

4. Irena Boards Boat

5. Fire Down Below....Jeri Southern

6. Music From The Madi Gras

7. Irena Dances At The Madi Gras

8. Irena Goes Back To The Table

1. Fire Down Below

2. Carnival Is Over

3. Boat Pulls Into Jetty

4. Children Singing Spanish Main

5. The Letter

6. Tony Trapped Below Deck

7. Tony Plays Harmonica

8. Tony's Predicament

9. Abandon Ship

10. Irena And Felix Go To Boat

11. Tony Walks Out Of Door

          5. Fire Down Below 

Bobby Goldsboro

 

Thanks to "Bob"who supplied this one I now know "Bobby Goldsboro" has a great and distintive voice...Only hearing him singing his Hit "Summer The First Time" I didn't realise how good he is !!...even tho' these versions are not far removed from the originals his voice makes the difference and you can apreciate them as well as the originals !!

      7. Love The One You're With 

Clodagh Rodgers

Once you have got past the "eurovision"folly then this one is a nice collection of cover versions and some of Clodagh's hit singles...take a good listen to "I Am A Fantasy" which was the "B" side of "Come Back And Shake me"...That should have been the "A" side...but I recon that "Shake Me" was more commercial !!

1. Jack In The Box
2. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
3. Let Me Be The One
4. Tuesday Afternoon
5. Arizona 
6. I Will
7. Come Back And Shake Me

1. Goodnight Midnight
2. You Are My Music
3. Nothing Rhymed
4. Everybody Go Home The Party's Over
5. Someone To Love Me
6. I Am A Fantasy
7. Lady Love Bug

          5. Arizona

Dolores Hawkins

Another forgotten singer appears now...not very much about her I was hoping to find some connection with the statement the "Hip Hop Genres" but couldn't find much the only thing that it might have meant is the fact that she recorded some tracks with "The Four Lads" which I suppose in the era of the 50/60's could be classed as Hip Hop !!

Dolores Hawkins (September 22, 1929 - January 15, 1987) was a singer from Brooklyn, New York. She is a part of the roots of both the rhythm & blues and hip hop record genres.

Almost completely forgotten now, Dolores Hawkins made her LP for Epic Records in 1956. She had a very strong voice and judging by the delivery of these tracks, a strong personality. She is very impressive here with her personal versions of Lover Man and Baby Won’t You Please Come Home..Her collection includes crisp interpretations of lesser known compositions like Dream Of You and Goodnight My Love. She gives a warm reading to I’m In The Mood and is well supported by the Hank Jones quartet with Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson. Some tracks feature soft-focus trumpet by Ruby Braff in mainstream mode and a tenor sax/flute player that Epic failed to identify.....( Info Edited From Jazz Journal )

1. I've Got My Eyes On You

2. Lover Man

3. Dream Of You

4. I'm In The Mood For Love

5. You'd be So Nice To Come Home To

6. No Love No Nothin'

1. Baby Wont You Please Come Home

2. The man I Love

3. Just Squeeze Me

4. Good Lovin'

5. I Must Have That Man

6. Goodnight My Love

          6. No Love No Nothin'    

Clodagh Rodgers

Clodagh Rodgers (born 5 March 1947) is a singer and actress from Northern Ireland, best known for her hit singles including "Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight", and "Jack in the Box".

 In November 1963 she flew to Nashville, Tennessee at the invitation of the American singer Jim Reeves, to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. On his Irish tour earlier that year he had recognised that Rodgers was a promising artist with a bright future.

Rodgers appeared with Honeybus on BBC Two's music programme Colour Me Pop on 12 October 1968. Her career changed dramatically when she married John Morris, who became her manager. She signed a three-single deal with RCA in 1968, but the first 2 failed to chart. When producer and songwriter Kenny Young saw her on Colour Me Pop he telephoned the BBC to find out who she was. Clodagh Rodgers finally shot to fame in 1969 under his creative wing and with Morris' management (Morris also later managed The Rubettes, Kenny and Fox), "Come Back and Shake Me" and "Goodnight Midnight" both were Top 5 hits and made her the best-selling female singles artist of 1969. 

By this time Rodgers had become a TV star and household name. In 1970 she was asked to represent the UK in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin. For the performance in Dublin, Rodgers wore a pink frilly top and spangled hot pants. She finished in fourth place, behind Monaco, Spain and Germany. It was the first time since 1966 that the UK had not placed first or second. After Eurovision, the single reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, her third and last UK Top 10 success. It remains her most famous hit.....( Info Edited From Wikipedia )

          11. I Am A Fantasy

Joni James

Here's a great L/P from 1962... with some great arrangements by "Jimmy Haskell" not forgetting of course the singer !!....It's the Jazz Joni !!

Joni James (born Giovanna Carmella Babbo, September 22, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer of traditional pop music.

James had seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Why Don't You Believe Me?" (#1 in 1952) "Have You Heard?" (#4 in 1953) "Your Cheatin' Heart" (#2 in 1953) "Almost Always" (#9 in 1953) "My Love, My Love" (#8 in 1953) "How Important Can It Be?" (#2 in 1955) and "You Are My Love" (#6 in 1955) as well as sixteen other Top 40 hits from 1952 to 1961. She has sold more than 100 million records and recorded more than 25 albums.

She was the first American to record at London's Abbey Road Studios, and recorded five albums there. 

          7. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Shirley Horn

This is the first time that I have heard of Shirley Horn I wish I had caught up with her earlier !!

Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz greats including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with nearly incomparable independence and ability on the piano while singing, something described by arranger Johnny Mandel as "like having two heads", and for her rich, lush voice, a smoky contralto, which was described by noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones as "like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice".

Horn's Embers and Ashes record attracted the attention of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who praised Horn publicly and invited her to play intermission sets during his performances at the Village Vanguard. Davis's praise had particular resonance in two respects: because he was highly respected as a musician.

Her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You, Paris all reached number one on the Billboard jazz charts.....(Info Edited From Wikipedia)

1. Like Someone in Love

2. He Never Mentioned Love

3. Softly As in A Morning Sunrise

4. I Thought About You

5. Mountain Greenery

6.God Bless The Child

1. Blue City

2. Day by Day

3. If i Should Lode You

4. Wild Is The Wind

5. Come Rain Or Come Shine

6. Just In Time

         4. I Thought About You

Michael Holiday

Norman Alexander Milne, known professionally as Michael Holliday (26 November 1924 – 29 October 1963) was a British singer popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

He had a number of chart hits in the UK, including two number one singles, "The Story of My Life" and "Starry Eyed"

Michael Holliday was born in Liverpool, and brought up in the Kirkdale district of the city. His career in music began after he won an amateur talent contest, 'New Voices of Merseyside', at the Locarno Ballroom, West Derby Road, Newsham, Liverpool. 

According to Elvis Costello, while working as a seaman in the Merchant Navy, he used to smuggle obscure U.S. jazz records into the UK, where Costello's mother, Lilian Ablett, sold them. Finding himself in the U.S. as a seaman, Holliday was persuaded to enter a talent contest at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and again he won, inspiring him to seek a career in show business. In 1951, he secured two summer seasons' work as a vocalist with Dick Denny's band at Butlin's Holiday Camp, Pwllheli. 

In March 1953, he joined the Eric Winstone Band, another Butlin's contracted band that toured when the summer season's work was over. They also broadcast occasionally on BBC Radio.

In December 1954, Holliday wrote to the BBC requesting a TV audition. His audition came in April 1955 and he made his first TV appearance on The Centre Show on 22 July 1955. This TV performance was seen by Norrie Paramor, then head of A&R for EMI's Columbia record label, who signed him as a solo artist. He also sang "Four Feather Falls", the theme tune to the puppet-based television programme of the same name produced by Gerry Anderson.

Holliday's style of singing was heavily influenced by Bing Crosby, who was his idol. The style earnt him the title of "the British Bing Crosby". A biography entitled The Man Who Would Be Bing, written by Ken Crossland, was published in 2004......(Info Edited From Wikipedia)

          12. I Don't Want To Walk Without You

The Puppini Sisters

The 40's Style with a 2023 twist !....

The Puppini Sisters are an English close harmony vocal trio composed of Italian-born singer Marcella Puppini and English singers Kate Mullins and Emma Smith. Although the three are not related, the name was chosen in tribute to the Andrews Sisters. They are known for providing guest vocals on Michael Bublé's cover of "Jingle Bells". The group was founded in 2004 by Marcella Puppini after she was inspired by the animated film The Triplets of Belleville  In 2005, they were signed by UCJ (Universal Classics and Jazz). The Puppini Sisters' debut single, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", was a cover of the hit single by The Andrews Sisters.

 Members......

Marcella Puppini (2004–present)..Kate Mullins (2004–present)..Emma Smith (2012–present)

Past Members.....

Rosana Schura (2004, 2016)..Stephanie O'Brien (2004–12)..Terrianne Passingham (2012)

1. 9 To 5

2. I wanna Dance With Somebody

3. Sing Sing Sing

4. Shallow

5. Dance Dance Dance

6. Ba Ba Baciama Piccina

7. Jealousy

8. Dancing Queen

9. Mack The Knife

10. I Put A Spell On You

11. Putting On The Ritz

12. Groove Is In The Heart

13. Don't Fence Me In

          11. Putting On The Ritz

Wings.

Mixed feelings about this one !!..never really listened to "Wings" before so I think that it comes into my category as "The more you play it the better it becomes"...no doubt there will be some die hard "Wings" fans that will disagree...but what a boring life would be without differences of opinions !!!....The second side I do recognise a couple of tracks !!

1. London Town
2. Cafe On The Left Bank
3. I'm Carrying
4. Backwards Traveler
5. Cuff Link
6. Children Children
7. Girlfriend
8. I've Had Enough

1. With A Little Luck
2. Famous Groupies
3. Deliver Your Children
4. Name And Address
5. Don't Let It Bring You Down
6. Morse Moose And The Grey Goose

          5. Cuff Link