A Half-Dozen (Singers) for a Desert Island

[Jersey Warren]

1.) Matt Monro
2.) Frank Sinatra
3.) Tony Bennett
4.) Jerry Vale
5.) Linda Ronstadt
6.) Gloria Estefan

[mariana44]

Hi again--good to see a list from you so quickly.

Several of those names have popped up in other lists, but Gloria Estefan is rarely mentioned--or Linda Ronstadt. I like both those singers---and I especially love the collection that Linda Ronsdadt did with Nelson Riddle called "Round Midnight"--I have it as a 3 cd set--Linda sings those American standards so beautifully.

[paul jh]

Yes, Marian, the Linda Ronstadt collection is not mentioned here much. I have it on vinyl and CD. Actually, this collection got me interested in discovering more recordings of standards. I love her version of My Funny Valentine, You Took Advantage of Me, and It Never Entered My Mind.

Thanks for posting your six artists, Warren, from the state of jughandles and the greatest diners in the US! Happy to see Matt Monro at the top and Jerry Vale and your new neighbour Gloria Estefan on the list. She's had so many great recordings, with Here We Are, Don't Wanna Lose You, and Mi Tierra my favourites.

[Jersey Warren]

Thanks for posting your six artists, Warren, from the state of jughandles and the greatest diners in the US! Happy to see Matt Monro at the top and Jerry Vale and your new neighbour Gloria Estefan on the list. She's had so many great recordings, with Here We Are, Don't Wanna Lose You, and Mi Tierra my favourites.

Paul, I thought you were English like almost everyone else here and wondered how you knew about New Jersey's jughandles and diners! Then I saw you were from Maryland! (For you Britishers, a jughandle is a traffic configuration something like half a roundabout used to avoid making left turns at traffic lights. Though if you had them in England, you would use them to avoid right turns! And diners are informal restaurants serving a wide variety of food, many open 24 hours a day. New Jersey is known for both.) I see you also employ British spellings, and I do also on this board, as a sign of solidarity with the others, and also because I happen to like them. I once insisted on writing "sulphur" rather than "sulfur" on a fifth-grade spelling test, and the teacher allowed it! Gloria Estefan is the daughter of a Cuban exile who served in the U.S. military in Vietnam. And Linda Ronstadt, despite her German last name, has a strong Mexican heritage and has recently recorded in Spanish. Though I don't understand Spanish well enough to decipher all of the sung words, I like the sound of Latin-based languages for music.

[paul jh]

Jon

You are quite correct - my list does not include the very best voice boxes I have heard, rather a list compiled from an artisit's body of work.
I apologise.

Further, I would like to submit a revised wish list!

1) Matt Monro
2) Aretha Franklyn
3) Luciano Pavarotti
4) Gordon MacRae
5) Barbara Streisand
6) David Ruffin

If I could take a 7th, it would be Otis Redding

Just heard Alan Titchmarsh play Softly As In A Morning Sunrise sung by Gordon MacRae. Absolutely incredible voice and performance. I love this song performed by anyone, but it was fabulous to hear Mr MacRae's voice. I went back and played it again. I may go back for a third time after the programme ends.

Message to all the new forum members:

Please tell us your six singers for a desert island.

[Gray]

I am so pleased you enjoyed Gordon MacRae's performance, Jeff.
He seems to be a very underestimated singer, in my book, and hardly gets a mention anywhere.
Three Cheers for Alan Titchmarsh!

[mariana44]

I think ,without Gordon Macrae [and Shirley Jones ] neither "Carousel" nor "Oklahoma" would have been such wonderful films.

I know that Frank Sinatra auditioned for "Carousel", but never heard of anyone else auditioned for "Oklahoma".

[Lena & Harry Smith]

Gordom MacRae was a great singer and made some nice albums. One of our favourites is his Duets with Jo Stafford.

[ROBERT M.]

Are you back on the internet full time at work now Jeff ?? as you say you listened to Alan Titchmarsh show I'm just listening to it at the moment, to hear Gordon MacRae

[ROBERT M.]

Listening to Gordon now he was pre-ceded by Strauss, so that was a bonus

[paul jh]

Listening to Gordon now he was pre-ceded by Strauss, so that was a bonus

Yes, that was a bonus. I repeated Voices of Spring several times too. Shortly after he played Zadok the Priest, which I never get tired of hearing him play. One can't have too much Handel this year (or any year!). I just wish he'd file away the Temptations version of Night and Day; I really don't like it.

Yes, I have full access to the MM forum and BBC. But usually I'm sitting in meetings so I don't have much time to read and post on the forum. Sometimes it's hard to fit in Melodies for You. But it's a bit easier now that it's 90 minutes.