Personnel:

Sam Fletcher (vcl), LeRoy Holmes, Marty Gold, Sammy Lowe, O.B. Masingill, Hugo Peretti, Chuck Sagle, Johnny Pate, Riley Hampton, Ernie Freeman, Johnny Mandel, Harry Betts (dir, arr)

· Collector's Edition

· Issued in Digipack

· 30 Single Tracks

· Comprehensive Liner Notes

· Stereo Recordings

· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit

Sam Fletcher—“The Man With the Golden Voice”—was born Ira Levi Fletcher, on January 15, 1933, in rural Tennessee. His recording career began on the Metro label in 1958 and after his first two singles came out in 1959 critics compared his style and big baritone voice to those of Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler. After two more singles for Cub, he settled in NYC to launch a successful career in Manhattan’s swank supper clubs and jazz spots. He rose to fame through a series of ground-breaking 1960s TV appearances, and his biggest hit followed in 1961 with I Believe in You for RCA Victor, which became his signature song.

In the following years he recorded and performed in the Philippines and toured Europe and Asia. In 1963 he made a single with Warner Bros, and signed for Vee Jay Records in April 1964. Moving with his family to Los Angeles, he was hailed as “the next Nat Cole”. But in 1967 he was arrested for narcotics possession. Though freed on bond, it shocked and saddened fans and his career ground to a halt. His ultimately successful public battle with addiction—and eventual fade into obscurity and death in 1984—were seen by some as “a great American tragedy”, but his most devoted fans retain cherished memories of a shining star and an exquisite talent.

Tracklisting:

01. Torn Between Two Loves (Weisman-Dee) *

02. Before (R. & R. Sherman) *

03. If You Really Love Me (Hymne à l’amour) (Parsons-Piaf-Monnot)

04. Out in the Cold Again (Koehler-Bloom)

05. Time Has A Way (Sherman-Mann)

06. No Such Luck (Allen-Stillman)

07. Only Heaven Knows (Roberts-Katz-Piller)

08. Beyond My Wildest Dreams (Ballard Jr-Tobias)

09. I Just Had To Tell Someone (Schroeder-Gold)

10. Take Me in Your Arms (Markush-Parish)

11. Tall Hope (Coleman-Leigh) *

12. Far Away from Home (Coleman-Leigh) *

13. You Did It (Ollie Jones)

14. Hold Me (Little-Oppenheim-Schuster)

15. Sweet Slumber (Neiburg-Woode-Millinder) *

16. I Believe in You (Frank Loesser) *

17. My Girl (Peretti-Creatore-Weiss)

18. This One Night (Shelley-Whitman)

19. Me and the One That I Love (Peretti-Creatore-Weiss)

20. The Answer To Everything (Bacharach-Hilliard)

21. My Wish (Meredith Wilson)

22. As Time Goes By (Herman Hupfeld)

23. I’d Think It Over (Willingham-Berry)

24. Friday Night (Randy Newman)

25. The Sinner (Roth-Parish)

26. Guess Who (Belvin-Belvin)

27. You’re Next (Tepper-Bennett)

28. Who Can I Turn To? (Bricusse-Newley)

29. Sure As You’re Born (Mandel-Marilyn-Bergman)

30. More Today Than Yesterday (Pat Upton)

Singles:

Tracks #1 & 2, from METRO K20013 (58-TR-23 / 58-TR-24)

Tracks #3 & 4, from METRO K20022 (59-TR-20 / 59-TR-20)

Tracks #5 & 6, from CUB K9032 (59-OR-17 / 59-OR-18)

Tracks #7 & 8, from CUB K9048 (59-OR-50 / 59-OR-51)

Tracks #9 & 10, from RCA Victor 47-7676 (K5PW-7005 / K5PW-7006)

Tracks #11 & 12, from RCA Victor 47-7817 (L5PW-5126 / L5PW-5127)

Tracks #13 & 14, from RCA Victor 47-7832 (M5PI-2231 / M5PI-2232)

Tracks #15 & 16, from RCA Victor 47-7972 (M5PW-3276 /M5PW-3278)

Tracks #17 & 18, from RCA Victor 47-8027 (N5PW-1424 / N5PW-1425)

Tracks #19 & 20, from RCA Victor 47-8076 (N5PW-3032 / N5PW-3033)

Tracks #21 & 22, from WARNER BROS 5384 (FX13264 / FX13266)

Tracks #23 & 24, from TOLLIE T-9012 (64-3942 / 64-3943)

Tracks #25 & 26, from VEE-JAY VJ 623 (64-6555 / 64-6566)

Tracks #27 & 28, from VEE-JAY VJ 640 (64-6873 / 64-6874)

Track #29, from MAINSTREAM 643 (T5KM 2857)

Track #30, from VAULT 502 (101-2)

Sam Fletcher, vocals

Tracks #1-8, Orchestra & Chorus conducted by LeRoy Holmes (1958* & 1959)

Tracks #9-10, Orchestra conducted by Marty Gold (1960)

Tracks #11-14, Orchestra conducted by Sammy Lowe (1960* & 1961)

Tracks #15-18, Orchestra conducted by O.B. Masingill (1961* & 1962)

Tracks #19-20, Orchestra conducted by Hugo Peretti (1962)

Tracks #21-22, Orchestra conducted by Chuck Sagle (1963)

Tracks #23, Orchestra arranged by Johnny Pate (1964)

Tracks #24, Orchestra arranged by Riley Hampton (1964)

Tracks #25-28, Orchestra arranged & conducted by Ernie Freeman (1964)

Tracks #29, Orchestra conducted by Johnny Mandel (1966)

Tracks #30, Orchestra arranged & conducted by Harry Betts (1967)

Original recordings produced by Leroy Holmes, Hugo & Luigi, Chuck Sagle, Randall Wood, Bob Shad and Jack Lewerke

Compiled for CD release by Jordi Pujol

Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered