|
Al Donahue was an American violinist and big band leader, born in Massachusetts in 1904, who enjoyed a chart heyday during the 1930s and into the early swing era, playing a mixture of the “sweet” middle-of-the-road style popular on radio during that era, and more swinging material during his later years. This 53-track 2-CD collection comprises selected releases on the Decca, Vocalion and Okeh labels from this era, and features all his career hits including the No. 1 “Jeepers Creepers” and the big sellers “Lambeth Walk”, “Heart And Soul”, “Stop Beating About The Mulberry Bush”, “Stairway To The Stars”, “The Wise Old Owl” and more. Most of his recordings featured performances by one or other of his resident vocalists during these years, who include Paula Kelly, Barry McKinley, Dee Keating and Phil Brito. He recorded prolifically through these years, with more than eighty releases to choose from, so this a very much a cherry-picked selection of his work. It captures the flavour not only of his particular approach to the music, but also the mood and style of the era as he recorded popular standards, plus new compositions from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley by the Great American Songbook composers who were active in those years.
|
