Collection 1945-62 (4CD)

Gordon MacRae was an actor on stage and screen as well as a radio and TV star who was also a recording artist, having hits from the late 1940s through to the end of the '50s, both as a solo artist and in duets with Jo Stafford. He is best known for his starring roles in two movie versions of Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! in 1955 and Carousel the following year. This great-value 107-track 4-CD set provides a comprehensive overview of his recording career from his early days with the Musicraft label and through his many years with Capitol through to the early '60s by which time his exploits as a chart artist were over. It features his eight solo hits and his ten hit duets with Jo Stafford, including the 1948 No. 1 My Darling, My Darling, and the Top 5 hits 'A' You're Adorable and Whispering Hope. Other artists featured in duets with him are Gisele Mackenzie and June Hutton, and the recordings include performances with some of the top arranger/conductors of the era - Walter Gross, Carlyle Hall, Paul Weston, Les Baxter, Frank De Vol, Carmen Dragon, Alex Stordahl and Van Alexander. Comprising selected A and B sides of his single releases plus tracks from his albums of this era, the collection has been compiled and annotated by former national newspaper showbiz writer Geoff Wilding.