Review: Becoming famous during the 1940s and '50s for his radio and TV shows which brought him the accolade of being "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". Fred Waring was a remarkable and high-profile personality in American popular music over many decades, becoming famous during the 1940s and '50s for his radio and TV shows which brought him the accolade of being The Man Who Taught America How to Sing. However, he began his career as a trombonist and bandleader performing hot dance music in the early 20s, and with his brother Thomas formed Waring's Pennsylvanians, whose recordings for Victor over the ensuing decade into the 1930s became hugely popular in the era often called The Roaring Twenties, before Waring's band abruptly stopped recording in 1932. Although there were no record sales charts in those days, there were sheet music and other listings, which have been analysed by researchers to produce chart listings for records. This great-value 46-track 2-CD set consists entirely of recordings by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians which feature in Top 15 positions in those chart analyses, and it comprises most of their listed hits. It includes early recordings of some of the songs from the era which became classics over the years, and features the No. 1s Sleep, Memory Lane, Laugh, Clown, Laugh!, Little White Lies and I Found a Million Dollar Baby. It's a hugely evocative musical snapshot of a remarkable era in popular music as it became a mass market phenomenon.

Songlist: Sleep, Stack O' Lee Blues, Memory Lane, Down Home Blues, Maytime, June Night, At the End of the Road, Collegiate, Freshie, I Love My Baby, Thanks for the Buggy Ride, Cherie, I Love You, Looking at the World Thro' Rose-Coloured Glasses, The Little White House (At the End of Honeymoon Lane), It Made Me Happy When You Made You Made Me Cry, I Love the College Girls, Where Do You Work-A John, Hello, Swanee, Hello, Just Another Day Wasted (Waiting for You), The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream, Was It a Dream!, Laugh, Clown, Laugh!, I Can't Do Without You, Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life, Roses of Yesterday, I'm Sorry, Sally, The Song I Love, Button Up Your Overcoat, My Lucky Star, and more

Review: Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Suite is given a twist as performed by Fred Waring and the Pennslyvanians. Conceived by arranger Harry Simeone he combines the charming lyrics written by Jay Johnson, Frank Cunkle, Daisy Bernier and Fred Waring. The arrangement was debuted on October 27, 1947 on Waring's radio program for General Electric and recorded for Decca Records later that year. It has been delighting audiences ever since. The performance heard here was originally broadcast August 19, 1948.

Songlist: The Overture, Dance of the Sugar Plums, Trepak, Dance of the Toy Flutes, Waltz of the Flowers

Review: In the early 1920s Fred Waring was a student at Penn State, where he formed Waring's Pennsylvanians (which featured a trademark glee club) who entered radio on pioneer station WWJ in Detroit. This generous, fascinating compendium of 24 (all accompanied) songs is from 1925 to 1928, a boom time of heady first success for the Pennsylvanians. Fred's amazing career as a bandleader stretched from the 1920s to the 1970s, enjoying his greatest success in the 1930s, appearing in many movies. These songs have the "jazz age" manic optimism that fit so well in the backgrounds of early cartoons. This is feel-good, funny, tongue-in-cheek dance music with titles like "Keep Sweeping The Cobwebs Off The Moon," "Don't Sing Aloha When I Go," "Syncopation Sal," "How About Me?," "What Do You Say?" and "Any Ice Today, Lady?" (with a bit that sounds like Popeye singing to Olive). It's not possible to be in a bad mood while listening to a Fred do the vocals on a truly silly song like "Bolshevik." Great stuff, digitally restored and remastered!

Songlist: Collegiate, Syncopation Sal, Mighty Blue, Freshie, I Love My Baby, Collegiate Blues, Any Ice Today, Lady?, Bolshevik, Don't Sing Aloha When I Go, I Love the College Girls, My Regular Girl, Hello, Swannee, Helllo, Wob-A-Ly Walk, ICE CREAM, Keep Sweeping the Cobwebs Off the Moon, If I Can't Have You, The Yale Blues, Who's Blue Now?, What Do You Say?, Lila, Farewell Blues, Hello! Montreal, How About Me?, Glorianna

Review: For many years Waring and his Pennsylvanians entertained America with radio and tv broadcasts, as well as stage shows and a multitude of recordings. Culled from the Waring archives, the spontaneity and energy of these live recordings comes through from the first cut. Featured are famous Pennsylvanian soloists and the incomparable Waring Glee Club on these 21 wonderful (all big band accompanied) songs of Christmas. We can't really pick favorites here. The jazzy "Jingle Bells" perhaps, or the Teen Trio's solo on "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer" that segues into manic sound-effect silliness." Certainly the "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Medley," Frank Davis' soulful solo on "One for the Little Bitty Baby," and Jack Best and Gordon Goodman on "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Oh, and we have to include Jane Wilson's solos on "Away In A Manger" and "Cantique De Noel" (Oh Holy Night). The bottom line is, this is great, classic entertainment by, in our opinion, the premier choral organization of all time. Christmas music just doesn't get any better than this!

Songlist: Opening: I Hear Music, Jingle Bells, Christmas Was Meant For Children, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, One For The Little Bitty Baby, Medley (Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, The Sleigh, Winter Wonderland), White Christmas, The Christmas Song, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, Medley (Adeste Fidelis, The First Noel, Carol Of The Bells), Beautiful Savior, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Rise Up Shepard And Foller, Oh Gathering Clouds, Behold That Star, Medley Of English Carols (Suzzani, Coventry Carol, Gloucestershire Wassail), Away In A Manger, Cantique De Noel (Oh Holy Night), Silent Night/Come Unto Him, Closing Sleep

Review: Called "the man who taught America how to sing" Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians were a fixture on radio in the '40's and '50's and these 23 songs were recorded in 1949 and 1950 when at the height of their popularity. The group, including the instrumentalists, was over 50 members strong and sing beautifully some of the classic songs from the era. The arrangements were from some of the top choral arrangers in the country such as Roy Ringwold and Harry Simeone. A great trip down memory lane.

Songlist: I Hear Music, I Feel A Song Comin' On, Sentimental Journey, Here I'll Stay, Country Style, Someone to Watch Over Me, I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Japanese Sandman, Moonlight and Roses, Runnin' Wild, April Showers, The Continental, Somebody Loves Me, Ballynure Ballad, Temptation, Ain't Misbehavin, It's Only A Paper Moon, I Only Have Eyes for You, Riders in the Sky, Hit the Road to Dreamland, Roumanian Rhapsody, What Makes the Sunset, Sleep

Review: Songs of patriotism and inspiration were always part of Fred Waring's broadcasts and stage shows. By popular request, Songs of Freedom was compiled from recordings in their collection. Selections include John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever," "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" from Miss Liberty by Irving Berlin and "Battle Hymn Republic," which was made popular by Roy Ringwald's arrangement and won a gold record. Also included is Fred Waring's "love song for America," "My America." Waring wrote the song for his bicentennial shows in 1975.

Songlist: Pledge of Allegiance, Stars and Stripes Forever, America, The Beautiful, God Bless America, This Is My Country, No Man Is An Island, America, Where Are You?, America Our Heritage, You're A Grand Old Flag, Stars of Glory, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, My America, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Star Spangled Banner

Review: This excellent Christmas carol collection supplements Hawley Ades' best-selling general collection, the Fred Waring Songbook. Hawley Ades, long regarded as one of America's most skillful arrangers of music for singing, has been associated with the Fred Waring organization since 1937. This long and fruitful relationship is reflected in the imaginative treatment of the music in this book and in the many other published settings by Mr. Ades. Over 30 a cappella carols for either SATB, SSA and TTBB.

Songlist: Angels From The Realms Of Glory, As Lately We Watched, Bring A Torch, Jeannette Isabella, Christ Was Born On Christmas Day, The First Noel, Friendly Beasts, Fum, Fum, Fum, Glad Christmas Bells, Go, Tell it on the Mountain, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Good Christian Men Rejoice, Good King Wenceslas, Here We Come A-Caroling, Holly And The Ivy, I heard The Bells on Christmas Day, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, Joy To The World, Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming, Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child, March Of The Kings, Masters In This Hall, O Christmas Tree, O Come Little Children, O Come, O Come, Little emmanuel, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Pat-a-Pan, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Shepards Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep, Sing We Now Of Christmas, Snow Lay On The Ground, and more