Sallie Blair

Complete Albums & Singles 1957-1962 (2 Lps On 2 Cds) + Bonus Track

Featuring: Sallie Blair (vcl), accompanied by The Bethlehem Orchestra & Strings, featuting Urbie Green (tb), Frank Socolow, Romeo Penque (saxes), Sanford Gold (p), Sal Salvador (g), Milt Hinton (b), Sol Gubin (d), Mongo Santamaria (conga)

Born in Baltimore as Sara Bolling Hutchins (1935-1992), Sallie Blair drifted into music as a child. She took her stage name while at Douglass High School, then spelling it Sally with a Y, and gained experience singing with local bands that encouraged her to change her brunette hair to blonde. So in 1952 she made her first mark as the blonde, band singer with the Johnny Otis Band of “Hand Jive” fame.

Subsequently, she sang with the Illinois Jacquet and Duke Ellington bands. In July 1953, tired of one-nighters, she left the band business in Los Angeles to work as a single. Early in 1956, she began a solo career as Sallie Blair. In 1957, Cab Calloway signed her for his “Cotton Club Revue.” The show was a hit, and from then on, it was one triumph after another for the ‘blonde bombshell’.

This 2-CD set compiles her two 12-inch albums and all her singles. Her sexy and intimate approach made her recordings ideal for radio programming and as a night-club singer. Walter Winchell’s column earned her spots on the Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson TV shows and she became an international star with appearances in South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Although her stage persona became more sophisticated in style of delivery, voice and dress with the years, one thing is for sure: Sallie Blair delivered more sex and surging, sultry emotion in a song than many singers in their whole careers.


Tracklisting:

CD 1

01. Squeeze Me (Williams-Waller) 3:23
02. Almost Like Being In Love (Lerner-Loewe) 3:06
03. Better Luck Next Time (Irving Berlin) 3:05
04. The More I See You (Warren-Gordon) 3:12
05. You Make Me Feel So Young 
(Myrow-Gordon) 2:53
06. What Is This Thing Called Love (Porter) 2:16
07. Come by Sunday (Murray Grand) 2:29
08. Ain’t She Sweet (Yellen-Ager) 2:56
09. How Long Has This Been Going On 
(G. & I. Gershwin) 3:03
10. Then I’ll Be Tired of You 
(Harburg-Schwartz) 2:49
11. Similau (Coleman-Clar) 2:47
12. Witchcraft (Coleman-Leigh) 4:30
13. Whatever Lola Wants 
(Lola Gets) (Adler-Ross) 2:47
14. When the Sun Comes Out (Koehler-Arlen) 2:49
15. Fever (Cooley-Davenport) 2:27
16. That Old Black Magic (Arlen-Mercer) 4:48

CD 2

01. Daddy (Bobby Troup) 3:35
02. Early Winter (Abbott-Lewis) 2:36
03. Don’Cha Go ‘Way Mad 
(Jacquet-Stillman-Mundy) 2:20
04. (Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World
Was Young (Gerard-Philippe-Mercer) 2:47
05. I’m Through with Love 
(Kahn-Malneck-Livingston) 3:02
06. Everything Is Yours (Rodgers-Hart) 3:03
07. She Serves a Nice Cup of Tea 
(Wayne-Reichner) 2:20
08. More Than Anything 2:42
(Adapted from P. Tchaikowsky 
“Swan Lake Ballet” / arr. Bobby Worth)
09. That Remains to Be Seen (Steward, Jr.) 2:07
10. A Kiss a Day (Otis Blackwell) 2:00
11. It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie (Billy Mayhew) 1:53
12. Keep an Eye on Your Man (Mike Kelly) 2:41
13. In the Still of the Night (Cole Porter) 2:01
14. Let Me Come In (Holt-Friedman) 2:51
15. Walk, Proudly Walk (Billy Page) 3:15
16. My Man’s Gone (Gershwin-Heyward) 3:55 *

(*) Bonus Track


Sources CD 1: 

Tracks #1-11, from the 12" album 
“Squeeze Me” (Bethlehem BCP-6009)

Tracks #12-16, from the 12" album 
“Hello, Tiger!” (MGM SE-3723)


Sources CD 2:

Tracks #1-6, from “Hello, Tiger!”

Track #7, from 7" single MGM K 12725
Tracks #8-9, from 7" single Top Rank RA-2029
Tracks #10-11, from 7" single Top Rank RA-2045
Tracks #12-13, from 7" single Scepter 1216
Tracks #14-15, from 7" single Bell B-967 

Track #16, taken from the 12" 3-LP box set 
“Porgy and Bess” (Bethlehem EXLP-1)



Personnel on "Squeeze Me" (1957)

Richard Wess conducting the following groups 

The Bethlehem Orchestra (#1,6,7 & 11): Bernie Glow, Frank LoPinto, Al Derisi, Joe Cabot, trumpets; Urbie Green, Frank Rehak, Chauncey Welsh, trombones; Frank Socolow, Romeo Penque, Joe Soldo, Gerry Sanfino, reeds; Sanford Gold, piano; Sal Salvador, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Sol Gubin, drums; Will Correa, bongos; Mongo Santamaria, conga.

The Bethlehem Strings (#3,4,9 & 10): Harry Lookofsky, violin (concert master); Urbie Green, trombone; Richard Wess, piano and celeste; Gerry Sanfino, Romeo Penque, woodwinds; Sanford Gold, piano; Sal Salvador, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Sol Gubin, drums.

Quartet (#2,5 & 8): Sanford Gold, piano; Sal Salvador, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Sol Gubin, drums.


Personnel on "Hello Tiger" (1958)

Orchestra Arranged & Conducted by Neal Hefti 


Personnel on CD 2, tracks #8 & 9:

Orchestra & Chorus Conducted by Bill Sanford (1959)


Personnel on CD 2, tracks #10 & 11:

Orchestra supervised by Sonny Lester (1960)


Personnel on CD 2, tracks #12 & 13:

Orchestra supervised by Luther Dixon (1961)


Personnel on CD 2, tracks #14 & 15:

Orchestra Arranged by Billy Page (1962)


Personnel on CD 2, track #16:

Russ Garcia Orchestra (1956)



Compiled & produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol


Mono / Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered

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Review:

-Squeeze Me

"With its saucy title and come-hither cover photo, Squeeze Me promises an abundance of sex-kitten thrills, but what separates Sallie Blair from dozens of other postwar bombshells is her bluesy, earthy voice -- sultriness notwithstanding, the girl can sing. This Bethlehem debut pairs Blair with arranger Richard Wess and a small-combo support unit headlined by bassist Milt Hinton, guitarist Sal Salvador, and pianist Sanford Gold. The record's candlelit ambience emphasizes Blair's prowess on romantic ballads, but a few uptempo, Latin-inspired cuts underscore the breadth of her vocal range."

Jason Ankeny -All Music Guide