Rudy Vallee - The Hits Collection 1929-43 (2024)

Rudy Vallee was a singer, saxophonist, bandleader and actor, who was probably the first star to emerge from performing on radio in its early days in the 1920s to become a hugely popular crooner, taking advantage of the introduction of microphones to project his light and sensitive voice. With his band The Connecticut Yankees, he started recording in 1928 and immediately had a succession of hits through the next decade and more, as well as becoming heartthrob movie star through into post-war years. This 67-track 3-CD collection consists entirely of hits and comprises nearly all the 72 records listed as hits during his career, featuring releases on the Harmony, Victor Columbia, Bluebird and Decca labels. It includes his No. 1 hits with Honey, The Stein Song, Brother Can You Spare A Dime, Vieni Vieni and As Time Goes By, plus many other classics of the era as he recorded many new songs that were being composed for Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pin Alley which would become Great American Songbook standards. He was a performer who pioneered a particular style of pop that characterised his era, and this is a great showcase for that talent, projected through all his big sellers.