Connie Francis Portrait Of A Song Stylist (LP)

(The Harmony Collection) 14 tracks - Original 'MGM' recordings from the 1950s and 1960s

Connie Francis was born Concena Maria Franconero 011 December 12th 1938 in Newark. New Jersey. Shc mastered thc accordion as a child and became a competent vocalist. By the age of eleven her precocious talents had found hcr a place as one of Marie Mose, starlets. a chtldren's group that performed on radio. on Paul Whiteman's television show and on the R.K.O. theatre circuit where they entertained between feature films. In 1951 she successfully auditioned for George Scheck's Startime Kids, a Saturday afternoon television show and, in 1954, she took on solo work making demonstration recordings for song publishers. In 1955 shc signed with MGM for whom she made her debut with a song called 'Freddy'. Over the next two ycars she entertained at night dubs and found success on record with 'The Majesty of Love', a duet with Man, Rainwater which made U.S. Billboard Hot Hundred in December, 1957. It was her next release, her eleventh, which brought her solo success and led to international stardom. At her father's suggestion she recorded Bert Kalmer and Harry Ruby's 1923 classic 'Who's Srry Now'. The record made the U.S. charts in February, 1958, remained there for twenty two weeks and gave Connie a million seller. It reached the U.K. Hit Parade in April and gave her a Number One record. Over the next few years Connie Francis established herself as the leading female vocalist in popular music.

Between 1958 and 1969 Connie chalked up fifty live U.S. chart hits in a run that included such Number Ones as 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool',  'My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own' and 'Don't Break The Heart 'That Loves You'. During the same period she scored twenty seven U.K. hits, ten of which reached the TopTen. She earned a total of eight Gold Discs with such classicsas 'My Happiness', 'Lipstick On Your Collar', 'Among My Souvenirs' (1959), 'Mama', 'Many Tears Ago' (1960) in addition to the aforementioned titles - 'Who's So, Now', 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool' and 'My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own' (1960).

By 1967 her record sales were estimated at thirty five million. Apart from her singles she had twenty one chart albums between 1960 and 1969, with such varied concepts as Italian Favourites, Greatest American Waltzes, Jewish Favourites, Award Winning Motion Picture Hits and Live At The Copea. In addition to her success on vinyl Connie became a major live attraction and toured all over the world. She also triumphed in Hollywood with such successful MGM musicals as 'Where The Boys Are' (1960) and 'Follow The Boys' ( 1963).

This album features Connie Francis's exciting interpretations of a selection of standards - songs that have achieved that status because they have retained their appeal for many years and been performed and recorded on innumerable occasions. The featured titles include such Academy Award Winners as 'Love Is A Many Splendourcd Thing' (1955 Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing), 'All The Way' (1957 The Joker Is Wild) and Moon River (1961 Breakfast At Tiffany's). Aprat from showcasing the range and variety of Connie's voice the album is a tribute to some of the twentieth century's greatest composers including, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Henry Mancini and Cole Porter.
Liner Notes Bill Williams