George Morgan - The George Morgan Singles Collection 1949-62 (2018)

George Morgan was a country singer from Tennessee who was described in the same terms as Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves as a “country crooner”, with as much in common with the likes of Bing Crosby and Perry Como as with his peers in the honky-tonk realm. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry even before he had made a record, and when the Opry moved to its new home in 1974, he was last artist to perform at the old one, and the first to perform at the new one, such was the esteem in which he was held. In 1949 he made his chart debut at No. 1 with his first release “Candy Kisses”, and in the first year of his career racked up no less than eight hits, with more following through the 1950 and beyond – he eventually had his last chart entry in 1979. This great-value 54-track 2-CD set comprises selected A and B sides of the fifty or more singles which he released during this era, and so enables us to present a varied and entertaining cross-section of his work. It naturally features all his chart entries from these years, including the Top 5 hits “Candy Kisses”, “Please Don’t Let Me Love You”, “Room Full Of Roses”, “Cry-Baby Heart” “Almost” “I’m In Love Again” and “You're the Only Good Thing”. George Morgan is an artist who is perhaps less high-profile than other country stars of the post-war era, but this collection underlines that he was a distinctive and stylish performer worthy of a wider hearing.