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Legend has it that back in the good old days, men were men – strong, silent, and true. By that measure, crooners were a new breed of man. This suave generation of stylists were born in the halcyon, pre-war days of Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby, and a young Frank Sinatra, and they were masculine to their core. But, they were sensitive, too, and ladies swooned at the sound of their velvet voices. By the early 1950s, the crooner was king.
Soon, rockers like Elvis Presley super-charged the crooner mystique and made millions, driving the traditional crooners from the airwaves. But, before that happened, countless crooning classics were committed to wax. Now, Hit Parade Records presents over twenty of these manly gems on one CD, Fabulous Fifties Crooners Sing Their Hard To Find Hits. Every single one of these songs was a Top 40 hit, and no less than 14 were Top 10 – including two #1 smashes! Each rare track has been digitally remastered for the highest quality sound and is presented in its original single version – just the way you heard them on the radio.
Crooners are usually cast as handsome devils pitching seductive ballads, but they were, in fact, a diverse group of singers with a varied repertoire. Witness Fabulous Fifties Crooners, which runs the gamut from Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong’s sweet New Orleans jazz to Stuart Hamblen’s convivial country. Betwixt those two extremes you’ll find the biggest names of the era (Eddie Fisher, Nat “King” Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr.) and a host of nearly-forgotten stars like Nick Noble, Mitch Torok, and Georgie Shaw. Nearly forgotten, that is, until now!
Hit Parade Records is a new Canadian label dedicated to finding, restoring, and preserving lost treasures like these, and they employ many of the same creative folks who lovingly compile those great Eric CDs – including Greg Adams, whose detailed liner notes will fascinate you for nearly as long as the 65-plus minutes of music contained on Fabulous Fifties Crooners! And, don’t miss Hit Parade’s feminine companion album Fabulous Fifties Divas.
– ALL TRACKS MONO / ORIGINAL 45 RPM SINGLE VERSIONS –
– DIGITALLY REMASTERED FOR HIGHEST QUALITY SOUND –
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