50' s

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing…

Welcome to the unforgettable Instrumental Gold of the 1950's! Our 14 song trip down memory lane begins with a Number One hit from 1955, Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White. This latin-flavored song, a hit by Perez Prado and his Orchestra, comes from France and was written by “Louiquy.” It was heard on the soundtrack of the film Underworfer which starred Jane Russell and Gilbert Roland. The 1959 hit film, A Summer Place, starring Richard Egan and Sandra Dee gave us a fine score by Max Steiner. The Percy Faith Orchestra release of the Theme From A Summer Place reached the top of the charts that year and earned a Grammy Award in 1960.

Prior to the 1992 release of the five-disc box set The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters, RCA's approach to reissuing Elvis Presley on CD - or on LP, for that matter - was rather scatter-shot, seeming to follow the dictates of the market more than the demands of history. There were some excellent releases of archival material and in 1987, on the tenth anniversary of the King's death, there was a stellar series of compilations, but most of what was released was a constant stream of recycled hits, which this box most certainly is not. This set is sharply and expertly assembled, presenting Elvis' peak as a creative and cultural force in staggering detail…

Love , lust and angst were the biggest topics of teen love songs back in the 50s, a time where the idols of the day , no longer your Mom and Dad s crooners, dominated the charts. The 1950s marked the birth of rock’n’roll. From big band tracks to jazz standards, until midway through the 20th century, music was a resolutely parent-friendly zone. But then everything changed. Elvis had flustered teenagers all shook up, while the likes of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and the like were destroying the old safety nets with a virile, passionate new sound.

This five-disc set was the first release in BMG's effort to present Elvis's recorded legacy in a manner befitting the most important musical artist of his time. The strategy was simple–showcase, in chronological order, remastered versions of the King's 1950s output, from his sessions with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios (where they arguably invented the very notion of rock & roll) through his 1958 Army induction. Not everything Elvis recorded in the '50s was great (just as not everything he recorded in Hollywood was rotten), but there are dozens of tracks here that, quite simply, can make a bad day seem all that much better. Which surely still makes him the king of something. Suffice it to say this is one box set that lives up to its title.

Three decades after the fact, people looking at releases like This Time by Basie would tend to dismiss it as pandering, Count Basie doing a "pops"-type outing - the cheesy cover art even emphasized the songs over Basie and his band. Nothing could be further from the truth, however - this release reveals a wonderful body of work, and deserves to be better known. For starters, This Time by Basie swings, smooth and easy but taut, or hot and heavy. From Sonny Payne's understated cymbal intro to "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" to the bluesier notes of "One Mint Julep," Basie and company sound like they're enjoying themselves, whether elegantly stretching out on "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" or "Moon River," or soaring into the air on the hotter numbers - one of the more surprising covers here is "Walk Don't Run," which even works in a big-band arrangement…