Blossom Dearie was a jazz pianist and vocalist with a style and technique which skilfully interwove her piano and voice as she accompanied herself. Her approach to piano was distinctive, using chord... more
Bob Newhart was an advertising copywriter in Chicago who wrote comic satirical monologues with a work colleague, sending tapes of them to radio stations, which led to an introduction to Warner Bros.... more
Jazz drummer Buddy Rich is famous as one of the most extrovert and impressive instrumentalists of his day, known for his virtuoso technique, power and speed, and one of the most influential drummers... more
Ray Charles was one of the most iconic and influential artists in the annals of pop as a singer, songwriter and pianist, and while he is considered one of the godfathers and great innovators of soul... more
This great-value 60-track 2-CD set comprises the A & B sides of his US and UK singles during this era. - Along with Frankie Avalon and Freddy Cannon, Bobby Rydell was one of the Philadelphia-born... more
Ritchie Valens was one of leading lights in what became known as the Chicano style of rock - music from the Mexican-American community of the USA, often sung in Spanish and heavily influenced by R&B,... more
Ack Scott was one of the first rock 'n' roll stars to emerge either from his native Ontario in Canada or from his adopted home of Detroit, Michigan, making his chart debut in 1958 and racking up... more
Frankie Avalon was one of the teen stars to emerge in the post-rock 'n' roll era, as the moguls of Tin Pan Alley encouraged the music to evolve towards a lighter style of pop which had a broader... more
The Diamonds were a Canadian vocal group who scored a string of US hits during the latter half of the 1950s, primarily as their record company Mercury's vehicle for cover versions of hits from the... more
In the era following the rock 'n' roll explosion and before the British Invasion, Pat Boone was second only to Elvis Presley as the USA's most popular and successful male artist, racking up over 50... more
An immense influence on the development of rock 'n roll, Johnny Otis is a key element in the history of modern music. He produced and played on the original recording of "Hound Dog" with "Big Mama"... more
Blending R&B with doo-wop, the music of Dion DiMucci helped pave the way for countless rockers who followed. Gaining prominence as lead singer with The Belmonts, Dion was the most debonair of teen... more
Charlie Spivak was a trumpeter and bandleader of Ukrainian heritage, who played with a string of well-known bands during the 1920s and '30s, including those of Paul Specht, Ben Pollack, Tommy and... more
Arthur Smith was a country guitarist, banjoist, composer and record producer, who was also a popular radio and TV host, with The Arthur Smith Show becoming the first nationally-syndicated country... more
Sammy Davis Jr. Was a multi-talented artist, a singer, dancer, stage and movie actor, comedian and TV personality, whose career encompassed not only performing and recording in those arenas, but also... more
Leroy Anderson was an American composer and conductor of light orchestral music, who wrote many pieces for the Boston Pops Orchestra before starting to record under his own name. Highly educated and... more
The Crests were a ground-breaking multiracial pop/doowop group formed in the mid-1950s when singer Johnny Mastrangelo joined forces with a doowop quartet comprising three African-Americans and one... more
Annie Laurie was an R&B, blues and sophisticated jazz and pop singer born in Atlanta, Ga., in 1924, who came to prominence in 1947 with her debut hit "Since I Fell For You", and over the next 15... more
Composer and conductor Dimitri Tiomkin, born in Russia in 1894, but who emigrated to the USA after the First World War, is one of the most successful and celebrated composers of film music in the... more
Composer, arranger and conductor Henry Mancini is renowned for his involvement in music for the movies, none more so than his memorable and legendary collaboration with lyricist Johnny Mercer on... more
Frankie Lymon was just 14 years old when he burst onto the scene as leader of an R&B doowop group in the wake of the first flush of rock 'n' roll in the charts during the mid-50s, and the... more
Jeri Southern was a highly-regarded singer and pianist, well-known as a jazz performer, but whose recordings ranged across the spectrum of sophisticated and commercial pop as well as jazz in both... more
Jonathan Winters was an American comedian, actor, broadcaster, TV presenter, artist and author who received eight Grammy nominations for Best Comedy Album during his career. He had a troubled... more
The Harptones were one of the many doowop vocal groups to emerge from New York City in the early '50s, and although they did not have an illustrious chart career, they were one of the most... more
Martha Tilton was one of the coterie of big band vocalists who made their mark in the late 1930s and early 1940s with the big swing bands of the era, and then forged successful solo careers in the... more
