All The Hits And More 1930-41

A saxophonist and singer from New Jersey, Ozzie Nelson formed his band after graduating from Rutgers University in 1930, and gained visibility by manipulating a popularity poll in the New York Daily Mirror, beating beat Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra to top the poll, leading to a contract with Brunswick Records. Over the next decade he had nearly 40 US hits, many featuring him on vocals, with his future wife Harriet Hilliard on others.  In the 1940s, he and Harriet originated and starred in a long-running radio and TV family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, which eventually also starred their children, providing a TV debut for future teen star Ricky Nelson.  This 49 track 2-CD collection comprises all his 38 career hits plus selected A and B sides of his releases on the Brunswick and Bluebird labels from this era. It features his No. 1 “And Then Some”, the No. 2 “White Sails Beneath A Yellow Moon”, and the Top 5 hits “About A Quarter To Nine”, “Is It True What They Say About Dixie?”, “Roses In December”, “You Can’t Stop Me From Dreaming”, “Says My Heart”, “At Long Last Love” and “Little Skipper”, with vocal performances by Ozzie himself, along with Harriet Hilliard and Rose Ann Stevens.  It’s an entertaining selection of his most popular material, including some of the Great American Songbook classics that originated during that era.