Description
Bandleader Woody Herman gave Frances Wayne her big break in 1943 and she gave the band a major hit record with 'Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe'. Neal Hefti, a trumpeter with the band, married Wayne and the couple left Herman in January 1946, settling in Hollywood. There Frances Wayne worked as a solo attraction (the plaintive 'Cheatin' On Me' is from this period) while Hefti maintained a busy dual schedule, playing and writing.
In 1951 Hefti and Wayne were signed by Coral records and their first session resulted in three titles. 'Kissin' Bug Boogie' and 'If You Hadn't Gone Away' have Frances Wayne blending perfectly with a vocal trio while a third title, the instrumental 'Coral Reef' was a tribute to the record company. The catchy arrangement proved to be a big seller and was adopted by many disc jockeys on both sides of the Atlantic as their theme music. Other releases included here are the light-hearted 'Regular Man', 'Somebody Loves Me', which is taken at a nice easy tempo with some mellow trumpet work by Hefti in between the vocal choruses; and the achingly beautiful 'Cabin In The Cotton' sung with intense feeling.
The final eight vocal selections find Frances Wayne in a tribute to Ethel Waters. Ranging from 'Am I Blue'', first introduced by Waters in 1929, through her 1934 triumph 'Miss Otis Regrets' and 'Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe' which she introduced in the film version of 'Cabin In The Sky'.
Almost all the tracks are appearing on CD for the first time.
Additional Details
Label: Sepia Records
Genre: Adult Contemporary/MOR
Release Date: 11/14/06
UPC: 5055122110835
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