The Jerry Vale Singles Collection 1953-62

Jerry Vale was one of the stylish middle-of-the-road pop singers to come to the fore in the early ‘50s, which was then the heyday of crooners and big-voiced balladeers, when the likes of Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, Tony Bennett and others were having a field day in the charts. He made enough of an impact before the upheaval occasioned by the advent of rock ‘n’ roll to ensure that as a personable and versatile entertainer he was a popular TV performer for many years as well as becoming a successful album artist. This great-value 54-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from the forty or so singles which he recorded for Columbia from his debut in 1953 through to 1962, by which time he had all but one of his Top 50 hits in the US pop charts. The anthology includes at least one side from almost all of his releases, and naturally features all his chart entries from these years, most notably the biggest hit of his career “You Don’t Know Me” from 1956, but also including “You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart”, “Two Purple Shadows”, “I Live Each Day” and “Innamorata”. He was a polished and versatile performer, readily encompassing a range of pop styles, from dramatic ballads through swinging big band material to post rock ‘n’ roll and early ‘60s pop, and this substantial trawl across the first decade of his recording career readily underlines that talent.