Andy Russell - Collection 1944-49 (2020)

As WWII drew to a close, and in the immediate years of post-war austerity, the decline of the big bands saw a number of notable solo singers coming to the fore, with several of them being of Latin descent - Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Don Cornell, Vic Damone and Frankie Laine all came from an Italian-American background. Andy Russell, who was of Mexican parentage and always maintained a strong Latin strand in his music, rivalled the top crooners like Como and Sinatra for popularity during the middle and latter years of the 1940s before relocating to Mexico during the 1950s and returning to the US to pick up his chart career in the late 1960s. This great-value 50-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides from his singles on Capitol during the 1940s, including those with The Pied Pipers and in duets with his wife Della Russell. It naturally includes all his twelve chart hits from this era, of which eight made the Top 10 - “Besame Mucho”, “Amor”, “What A Difference A Day Made”, “I Dream Of You”, “I Can't Begin To Tell You”, “Laughing On The Outside”, “They Say It's Wonderful”, “Pretending” and “Anniversary Song”. Those hits also include “Underneath The Arches” with The Pied Pipers. It’s a fine showcase for a singer who has not enjoyed the profile which his talent and his hits deserve.