Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of record covers from the golden age of LPs


Subscribe to feed Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Tumblr

Singers

You are currently browsing the archive for the Singers category.

Lee Wiley

nsp-651_1.jpg

nsp-649_1.jpg

Two rare Lee Wiley 78’s on Schirmer from Vintage Vanguard. Wiley was the first singer to do songbook albums. I’ve always liked her version of “Careless Love,” but she’s was always good. A later Lp “West of the Moon” (1956) is worth finding.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (22 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

The village Voz

onildafigueiredo1957avozdemocambolp10026a.jpg

The Voice of Onilda Figueiredo.   From a cool site called Bossa-Brasileira.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (19 votes, average: 3.84 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Troup’s toast

img_3505.JPG

Jazz singer Bobby Troup “Here’s To My Lady” (Liberty Records 3078)   Troup was married to Julie London for a while.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (15 votes, average: 4.53 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Freebie and the beans

img_3508.JPG

Long before “Little Miss Sunshine” brought him his Oscar, Alan Arkin (in the middle) tried his hand at folk music in a trio called “The Terriers”

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (10 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Sam Cooke

img_3514.JPG

Sam Cooke on Keen Records with the Bumps Blackwell Orchestra. 1957.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (18 votes, average: 3.89 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

An American treasure

img_3504.JPG

“Ole Buttermilk Sky” by Hoagy Carmichael on Kapp Records (1958)

“When playing this record, care should be taken to use both a sharp needle and a sharp ear, because it contains an unusual number of unexpected lyrical delights and musical surprises, in addition, of course, to the infectiously fetching delivery of this highly-stylized musical institution, Mr. Hoagland Carmichael, LLD and ASCAP.” From the liner notes by George T. Simon.

Ole buttermilk sky — Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief — Moon country is home to me — When love goes wrong — Old music master — Mediterranean love — My resistance is low — The monkey song — Baltimore oriole — Music always music — Rogue River Valley — In the cool, cool of the evening.

One of the great composers of the American popular song, Hoagy Carmichael differed from most of the others (with the obvious exception of Duke Ellington) in that he was also a fine performer. Such Carmichael songs as “Stardust,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Up the Lazy River,” “Rockin’ Chair,” “The Nearness of You,” “Heart and Soul,” “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” “Skylark,” and “New Orleans” have long been standards, each flexible enough to receive definitive treatment numerous times. Carmichael, who was briefly a lawyer, loved jazz almost from the start, and particularly the cornet playing of Bix Beiderbecke. His first composition, “Riverboat Shuffle,” was recorded by Bix and the Wolverines in 1924, and became a Dixieland standard. Carmichael, as a pianist, vocalist, and occasional trumpeter, eventually abandoned law to concentrate on jazz, particularly after recording “Washboard Blues” with Paul Whiteman in 1927. He led a few jazz sessions of his own in the late ’20s (including one that interpreted “Stardust” as an up-tempo stomp), but became more popular as a skilled songwriter. By 1935, he was working in Hollywood and became an occasional character actor, appearing in 14 films including To Have and Have Not and The Best Years of Our Lives, generally playing a philosophical and world weary pianist/vocalist. In the 1940s, Carmichael recorded some trio versions of his hits, and in 1956, he cut a full set of vocals while backed by a modern jazz group that included Art Pepper. After that, he drifted into semi-retirement, dissatisfied with how the music business had changed. His two autobiographies (1946’s -The Stardust Road and 1965’s -Sometimes I Wonder) are worth picking up.           – Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (13 votes, average: 3.08 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

A little R & R

img_3490.JPG

This is Ray Charles’ debut LP for Atlantic Records.   Came out in 1957.   Was reissued in 1962 as “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”.

  1. Ain’t That Love ““ 2:51 (Ray Charles)
  2. Drown In My Own Tears ““ 3:21 (Henry Glover)
  3. Come Back Baby ““ 3:06 (Ray Charles)
  4. Sinner’s Prayer ““ 3:24 (Lloyd Glenn/Lowell Fulson)
  5. Funny (But I Still Love You) ““ 3:15 (Ray Charles)
  6. Losing Hand ““ 3:14 (Charles E. Calhoun)
  7. A Fool for You ““ 3:03 (Ray Charles)
  8. Hallelujah I Love Her So ““ 2:35 (Ray Charles)
  9. Mess Around ““ 2:42 (A. Nugetre)
  10. This Little Girl Of Mine ““ 2:33 (Ray Charles)
  11. Mary Ann ““ 2:48 (Ray Charles)
  12. Greenbacks ““ 2:52 (Renald Richard)
  13. Don’t You Know ““ 2:57 (Ray Charles)
  14. I Got a Woman ““ 2:54 (Ray Charles; Renald Richard)
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (16 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

img_3502.JPG

Louis Prima and Keely Smith “Breaking It Up!”   Columbia Records.   Cover illustration by Arnold Roth.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (15 votes, average: 3.93 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Strike a Match

img_3323.JPG

April Ames Sings with the Hal Hidey Ensemble.   GNP (Gene Norman Presents) Records.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (15 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Murder, Inc.

img_3263.JPG

The soundtrack to the Twentieth Century Fox movie “Murder Inc.” with performances by the great Sarah Vaughan.   This one on the Canadian American Records label.     Notable too for being Peter Falk’s first film.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (12 votes, average: 3.17 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...