Frankie Avalon was one of the teen stars to emerge in the post-rock n roll era, as the moguls of Tin Pan Alley encouraged the music to evolve towards a lighter style of pop which had a broader appeal to the mainstream of middle America. Starting his recording career as a boy-star trumpeter in his mid-teens, he was signed by the Chancellor label in his home town of Philadelphia, and between 1958 and the effective end of his chart career in 1962 he had 30 hits in the USA and UK, including the iconic No. 1s Venus and Why. One his pop career began to wane he developed his movie acting, and became a ubiquitous star of beach movies during the 60s.

This great-value 63-track 2-CD collection comprises tracks from his debut releases as a trumpeter for the X label in 1954, plus all his A and B sides for Chancellor in the USA and HMV in the UK during these years, along with selected tracks from his albums during this era, albums Frankie Avalon, Swingin' on a Rainbow, The Young Frankie Avalon, Summer Scene, ...And Now About Mr. Avalon, A Whole Lotta Frankie and Italiano, which often show another side to his talents as a song interpreter. It naturally features all his 26 US and UK chart entries, including the No. 1s Venus and Why, and the Top 10 hits DeDe Dinah, Ginger Bread, A Boy Without A Girl, Bobby Sox To Stockings & Just Ask Your Heart. Its a comprehensive and entertaining overview of the career of one of the archetypal teen stars of the years immediately prior to the cataclysmic arrival of the British Invasion, and a showcase for his versatile talents as a vocalist across rock n roll, teen ballads and sophisticated pop.

REVIEWS

“This is a well-researched and compiled collection that really sums up the era - bland, inoffensive music that sought to combine the traditional virtues of popular music with a primary appeal to teenagers, with Frankie Avalon the perfect example of the genre.” - Gerry Stonestreet (In Tune)