Carl Dobkins Jr. - The Complete Releases 1958-62 (2023)

Carl Dobkins, from Cincinnati, was a typical aspiring teenage pop artist who formed a band at school in the 1950s and got noticed when they started being promoted by a local radio station. Once signed by the Fraternity label, his first record, featuring his own songs, got some attention, leading to his next records coming out on Decca, and they included his million-selling No. 3 hit “My Heart Is An Open Book”. He was never able to repeat that success but became a fixture on the scene through into the 1960s. This 28-track collection comprises all the A & B sides from his singles on the Fraternity and Decca labels, plus all the tracks from his Decca album “Carl Dobkins Jr.” not otherwise released on singles. It natural features his No. 3 US hit “My Heart Is An Open Book”, plus his other chart entries with “Lucky Devil”, “If You Don’t Want My Lovin’” and “Exclusively Yours”. He did not record prolifically, so this entertaining album offers about as thorough and comprehensive of his primary career as a teen idol as could be achieved.