Billy Murray Anthology: The Denver Nightingale

Ask 100 people under the age of 65 who Billy Murray was and I doubt you will find anyone who has ever heard of him. This is really too bad because Billy Murray was the top recording star of the pre-1920 era He was the original purveyor of such classics as "Meet Me In St, Louis, Louis", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "By The Light of the Silvery Moon", "Pretty Baby", "That Old Gang of Mine" and a host of other tunes that baby boomers might recall were revived in their childhood by Mitch Miller. Incredibly, Murrays recordings have been out of print since the early 1940's. This collection, masterfully assembled by Archeophone Records of St. Joseph, Il. is stunning! These are the original recordings, in some cases nearly a century old, and the quality of these recordings is far better than anyone would have a right to expect. Murrays magnificent tenor voice is strong and clear on these recordings and one marvels at his dominence of the businss in that era. This collection includes many of his hits as a solo artist as well as tunes he recorded with the Haydn Quartet and the American Quartet, two of the great vocal groups of that period. Also included are duets with popular female artists of the day, Ada Jones and Aileen Stanley. My favorite cut on the entire disc is is a tune he recorded with Aileen Stanley "You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night". If you really want to get a feel for that era, put on this disc, close your eyes and let your imagination go to work. What a joy it is to hear the tunes our grandparents and great-grandparents listened to. The package also includes a beautiful 24 page booklet packed with photos and information. Kudos to Archeophone records for a project well done!  If you are interested in early 20th century American popular music I strongly recommend that you check out this company.  I have bought several discs from them and each and every one of them is outstanding.