Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas With Me (STEREO)

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChhbtA6hobq35Mi4XBiJJnOg3Rw0Yv1zN_c3v1oRKWBVKV8XrnGtR2L4xwpTILZGlcfHFlHdPHXettAKNLxLeAvbmM1B04fK0j1u4Xijl0L1hcl6FoOBshrvdt0HayjcCFfAuPN8xdFZ/s1600-h/collins,+dorothy+-+A.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412573809859312114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChhbtA6hobq35Mi4XBiJJnOg3Rw0Yv1zN_c3v1oRKWBVKV8XrnGtR2L4xwpTILZGlcfHFlHdPHXettAKNLxLeAvbmM1B04fK0j1u4Xijl0L1hcl6FoOBshrvdt0HayjcCFfAuPN8xdFZ/s400/collins,+dorothy+-+A.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 399px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In <a href="http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/bobby-breen-songs-at-yuletide.html">yesterday's post</a>, I gave props to Buster over at Big 10-Inch Record for posting some darn good shares this downloading season. Late last month, I <a href="http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/three-days-late-and-several-dollars-out.html">posted</a> an entry that mentioned that two albums I originally had planned on sharing out were already posted to Buster's blog.<br /><br />One of those two albums was this gem of a Christmas album. I was ready to file it away for the winter and move on to other shares when our friend <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/">Ernie (not Bert)</a> pointed out in a comment that Buster had posted a high-fidelity copy of the album whilst mine read STEREO!<br /><br />It's commonplace here for me to miss small things like that. Maybe it's the early stages of Alzheimer's... Thanks for bringing that to my attention Ern!<br /><br />Backstory: Marjorie Chandler was born in 1926 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada - just across the river from Detroit, Michigan. She developed a love for music and began singing on radio stations on BOTH sides of the river in her teens. It was also during this time she adopted a new stage name: Dorothy Collins.<br /><br />On a trip to Chicago in 1940, 14-yr. old Dorothy met bandleader/composer Raymond Scott and was quickly hired into his band. Throughout the 1940s, Scott mentored, tutored, and taught everything Collins needed to know about phrasing, breath control, etc., and became a popular vocalist of the day.<br /><br />In 1949, CBS asked Scott to take over the bandleading duties for one of its popular shows, "Your Hit Parade". Just as they were getting their feet wet in radio, NBC decided to create the television version of "YHP". With her good looks and style, Dorothy quickly became a fan favorite and rose to stardom.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TEgn_5IEzrY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TEgn_5IEzrY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />"Your Hit Parade" was a huge hit on television throughout the 1950s. People tuned in weekly to see and hear the popular songs of the day with male vocalists Snooky Lawson, Russell Arms, and another popular female Canadian vocalist named <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2005/12/from-great-white-north-eh.html">Gisele MacKenzie</a>!<br /><br />Then came rock-n-roll. With the advent of Elvis, Ricky, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and others climbing the charts, "Your Hit Parade" tried desperately to stay in touch with the times.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kb81NDtbZpI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kb81NDtbZpI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Needless to say, "Your Hit Parade" took a dive in the ratings. Before its run ended, Collins went into the recording studio to create the album you're looking at. With the backing of Nathan Van Cleve & His Orchestra, she recorded twelve straightforward rendtions of Christmas songs.<br /><br />Nothing really jumps out at you, style wise. Except Collins' wonderful voice. <br /><br />After the demise of "YHP" in 1959, Collins appeared on television shows and in musical theater. In 1971, she was one of the original cast members in the Stephen Sondheim landmark musical "Follies" and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role.<br /><br />For five years (1974-1979), she was co-host of a syndicated version of "Candid Camera" with Allen Funt. One such stunt that I remember was Dorothy driving a Volkswagen bug into a gas station and asking the attendant to fill it up. They had replaced the gas tank with a 55-gallon drum inside the car! One guy stood there for 20 minutes in bewilderment!<br /><br />After "Candid Camera" ended, Collins settled into semi-retirement and made occasional public appearances after that. She had suffered with asthma for most of her life and as she got older, the disease took its toll in 1994. She was 67.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/299732391/Collins__Dorothy_-_Won_t_You_Spend_Christmas_With_Me.zip">Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas With Me (STEREO)</a><br /><br /><br />Happy listening...<br /><br /><br />Capt</span></span>

Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas With Me (STEREO)

In yesterday's post , I gave props to Buster over at Big 10-Inch Record for posting some darn good shares this downloading season. Late...

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Three Days Late and Several Dollars Out

<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The 2009 Christmas downloading season is under way. I'm saddened to learn that my friend <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/">Ernie (Not Bert)</a> had a computer hard drive crash and burn (I feel your pain - same thing happened to me five years ago.) Don't fret - his collection is so huge that anything he posts is worth a first or second look. In my case, it's the 203rd look.<br /><br />Two days in and there are new releases all over the place. If you haven't bookmarked it yet, <a href="http://santasworkingovertime.blogspot.com/">Santas Working Overtime</a> does just that - finding all these new releases and highlighting them faster than any RSS feed can ever hope to do.<br /><br />During these same two days, I discovered that two albums I was preparing to share... were already shared out! The first is this amazing chestnut:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNLB0CxuWIKj4VX572PlKD2ufFQcG-FIjHb1R1BovI5SK4I9G8YjgP-Tj5ZF9qvd4dcw9on18kEnY1Wlmk1bdUPLEDf7N1pTvz_ZZltPfdROTj_Ffz6g290-_mzFY9m0sPzlg0zXRonf-/s1600/ferrante+%26+teicher+-+xmas+hi-fivories+-+A.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406532265440763602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNLB0CxuWIKj4VX572PlKD2ufFQcG-FIjHb1R1BovI5SK4I9G8YjgP-Tj5ZF9qvd4dcw9on18kEnY1Wlmk1bdUPLEDf7N1pTvz_ZZltPfdROTj_Ffz6g290-_mzFY9m0sPzlg0zXRonf-/s400/ferrante+%26+teicher+-+xmas+hi-fivories+-+A.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 396px;" /></a><br />Recorded in 1954, this 10" was the first full-length Christmas album for Messrs. Ferrante and Teicher. All of the eight songs on this album were later re-released on their "<a href="http://falalalala.com/?p=6">Adventures In Carols</a>" album from 1956 (available to download @ FaLaLaLaLa.com).<br /><br />Turns out Buster, who runs the great blog entitled <a href="http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/">Big Ten Inch Record</a>, posted this album <a href="http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-part-5.html">last Christmas</a> and I just discovered it this Christmas. Disappointed? Yeah, a little. But his cover of this album looks way better than mine. And I'm sure his copy sounds better too.<br /><br />But... I got him trumped. He didn't include a BACK cover. And I have one, yes I do! I sure do... well, I have SORTA a back cover... okay, I'll fess up. I have a damaged back cover... honest. You sure you want me to continue with this?<br /><br />I found my copy at the bottom of an immense stack of vinyl at a flea market in northwest Indiana. It must have been down there for an eternity because anytime the stack shifted, was moved from a dusty shelf to a moldy carpet, the back cover bore the brunt of the friction.<br /><br />You have been warned:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQP0jT2awkMa2201IT1I2IFZeGgAQJ-NRCGQMPsa3s2AMarWiuJfWE5715q8XW79msWAlrcHV5P5H5N5sMw0VYq40YXXp5FU4OyF-6U4HSkg0KOf1YdpVfVycitGRvqxlhdC48vT_7UaE/s1600/ferrante+%26+teicher+-+xmas+hi-fivories+-+B.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409384041303626978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQP0jT2awkMa2201IT1I2IFZeGgAQJ-NRCGQMPsa3s2AMarWiuJfWE5715q8XW79msWAlrcHV5P5H5N5sMw0VYq40YXXp5FU4OyF-6U4HSkg0KOf1YdpVfVycitGRvqxlhdC48vT_7UaE/s400/ferrante+%26+teicher+-+xmas+hi-fivories+-+B.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 395px;" /></a><br />Well worth the $2.00 I paid for it, no?<br /><br />As for the second album, I found this at <a href="http://www.beverlyrecords.com/">Beverly Records</a> in Chicago and thought I had won the lottery. Of all the nine or ten albums I'm planning on sharing out this Christmas, this was THE one that would wow the general public. That is until yesterday. A certain someone who's been mentioned here posted it to his blog.<br /><br />Buster, you did it again! And Dorothy Collins asks that eternal question, "Won't you spend Christmas with me?":<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEWzDATTnTwO4ouGulAiQ8cmEk7rin4AA1OySOM8GfDwpJM_9R8xcVg7NJQoVfqjPKWgKVn-cTte19vL6ng2TZY1GnKMYUaJd77zElOpMNWNY5CWXCwlPgyfgrsgUjgDiej9en1Gl1Xou/s1600/collins,+dorothy+-+A.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409385883210997826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEWzDATTnTwO4ouGulAiQ8cmEk7rin4AA1OySOM8GfDwpJM_9R8xcVg7NJQoVfqjPKWgKVn-cTte19vL6ng2TZY1GnKMYUaJd77zElOpMNWNY5CWXCwlPgyfgrsgUjgDiej9en1Gl1Xou/s400/collins,+dorothy+-+A.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 399px;" /></a><br />This is a great album - easy on the ears as well as the eyes. For a great listen, go check out Buster's <a href="http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-with-dorothy-collins.html">blog entry</a> and get yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed. Hope this didn't cost you as much as it did for me (we're talking Andrew Jackson territory, folks!).<br /><br />So this leaves me with about nine new Christmas releases that I'm hoping to start sharing just as soon as my schedule permits, including my 2009 edition of the Yuleblog Sampler.<br /><br />There's plenty of Christmas music to be had... get out there and find it!<br /><br /><br />Capt<br /></span></span>

Three Days Late and Several Dollars Out

The 2009 Christmas downloading season is under way. I'm saddened to learn that my friend Ernie (Not Bert) had a computer hard drive cr...

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