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Cathy Carr, born Angelina Cordovano in the Bronx in 1936, was a child star on TV and performed in WWII with the USO, and later sang with the bands of Sammy Kaye and Johnny Dee. She got her first recording contract in 1953 when she was 17, and between 1956 and 1962 she had a run of half a dozen US hits, of which the biggest was her No. 2 chart debut in 1956 with “Ivory Tower”. She was very much a singer of the pre-rock ‘n’ roll era, who adapted to the new music by retaining her teen focus, and not moving on to more sophisticated styles until long after her chart career ended. This 58-track 2-CD collection comprises most of her A & B sides on the Coral, Fraternity, Roulette, Smash and Laurie labels from this era, along with almost all the titles from her albums “Ivory Tower” on Fraternity and “Shy” on Roulette. It features all her career hits, including the No. 2 “Ivory Tower”, along with “Heart Hideaway”, First Anniversary”, I’m Gonna Change Him”, “Little Sister” and “Sailor Boy”. It has performances with some notable orchestras of the day, including Don Costa, Dan Belloc, Lew Douglas, Hugo Peretti, Joe Reisman, Henry Glover and Billy Mure. It’s a substantial and enjoyable showcase for an artist we don’t hear too much about, but who was a stylish and distinctive performer.
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