The Gaylords - The Gaylords Collection 1953-61 (2020)

The Gaylords were an Italian-American vocal trio formed in Detroit in 1949, its members being Ronald Fredianelli, Bonaldo Bonaldi and Don Rea, with Fredianelli also making solo records under the name of Ronnie Gaylord. They made a record privately to be sold in Ronnie’s father’s store and the engineer on the session was so impressed he got them a deal with Mercury, and that record “Tell Me You’re Mine” was their first release and a No. 2 hit in 1952. Performing sentimental ballads and novelty material, partly in English and partly in Italian, it proved a commercial formula in tune with the times, and they rattled up a string of ten hits before the advent of rock ‘n’ roll changed the make-up of the charts, although they partly adapted to the new idioms and recorded through into the 1960s. This great-value 61-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from the nearly 50 singles released on Mercury during this era by The Gaylords and Ronnie Gaylord as a solo artist. It features all their twelve career hits in the Billboard charts, including the Top 10 entries “Tell Me You’re Mine”, “From The Vine Came The Grape” and “The Little Shoemaker”, plus Ronnie Gaylord’s solo hit “Cuddle Me”. It’s a substantial and representative trawl across their primary decade or so as recording artists and an entertaining showcase for their highly distinctive style.