Greatest Hits

Vaughn Monroe was a trumpeter, bandleader and baritone singer who became hugely popular during the 1940s and through '50s, helped not only by his matinee-idol good looks but also a continuous presence on radio through regular 'live' broadcasts, as well appearances in Hollywood movies. His music initially was very much part of the swing era, but as time went on he moved much more in the straight pop arena, providing a vehicle for his trademark vocals, and eventually flirting with rock 'n' roll flavoured pop in the late '50s. He recorded prolifically for RCA, and in the course of his career had nearly 60 hits. In the context of this great value 48-track 2-CD set, we are only able to accommodate the biggest of those hits, and the collection comprises every single one of his releases which made the US pop Top 20, covering a period from 1940 through to 1956, presented in chronological order. It includes, of course, all of his five No. 1s - "There I've Said It Again", "Let It Snow!", "Ballerina", "Riders In The Sky" and "Someday" - and it's evocative anthology of the mainstream popular music of the era, as well as a great showcase for his talents as bandleader and big-voiced vocalist, and is an evocative.