Gisele Mackenzie was a Canadian singer and musician partly of French-Canadian heritage, who was a classically-trained violinist, pianist and dancer who became a singer with her own show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Moving to California in 1951 to take over from The Andrews Sisters on CBS, she started recording for Capitol the same year, performing in a style that was typical of what was often called “the golden age of popular music” during the early ‘50s, and was popular on TV, hosting her own NBC variety show, as well as being a regular with Jack Benny and Mario Lanza on their radio shows.
She went on to star in her own Saturday night NBC variety programme, The Gisele MacKenzie Show, and hosted such guests as Benny, Boris Karloff, Ronald Reagan and folk singer Jimmie Rodgers. She had the benefit of being accompanied on record by some of the finest arranger/ conductors of the era, including Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Buddy Cole, Dave Cavanaugh, Sid Bass and Shorty Rogers, scoring her biggest hit in 1955 with Hard To Get.
This 58-track compilation features most of her A- and B-sides from these years on the Capitol, “X”, Vik and RCA-Victor labels, and includes all her career chart entries like the US No.4 Hard To Get and No.11 Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes, and the UK No.6 Seven Lonely Days.
She returned to television in 1963 as Sid Caesar’s fourth television wife on The Sid Caesar Show, in which she did comedy with Caesar and received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
A songstress very much of her era, this collection offers a substantial and reasonably comprehensive overview of the key period of her career and is an enjoyable showcase for her talents as a vocal stylist.
TRACKS
Disc 1 |
|
|
1 |
Fairyland |
Gisele MacKenzie |
2
|
Jolie Jacqueline |
Gisele MacKenzie |
3 |
J'attendrai (I'll Be Yours) |
Gisele MacKenzie |
4 |
My Greatest Love |
Gisele MacKenzie |
5 |
On Rosary Hill |
Gisele MacKenzie & Gordon MacRae |
6 |
Lover's Waltz |
Gisele MacKenzie & Gordon MacRae |
7 |
I Was Never Loved By Anyone Else (Until I Was Loved By You) |
Bob Crosby & Gisele MacKenzie |
8 |
Sans Souci |
Bob Crosby & Gisele MacKenzie |
9 |
Goodbye Sweetheart |
Gisele MacKenzie |
10 |
It's All Over But The Memories |
Gisele MacKenzie |
11 |
Love Makes The World Go Round (Le Ronde De L'Amour) |
Gisele MacKenzie |
12 |
Please |
Gisele MacKenzie |
13 |
Mississippi River Boat (Tuh-Pocket, Tun-Pocket) |
Gisele MacKenzie |
14 |
Le Fiacre |
Gisele MacKenzie |
15 |
My Buick, My Love And I |
Gisele MacKenzie & Gordon MacRae |
16 |
Wishin' |
Gisele MacKenzie |
17 |
Eggbert The Easter Egg |
Gisele MacKenzie |
18 |
Benny The Bob Tailed Bunny |
Gisele MacKenzie |
19 |
What'll I Do? |
Gisele MacKenzie |
20 |
I'm So Easy To Satisfy |
Gisele MacKenzie |
21 |
Whistle My Love |
Gisele MacKenzie |
22 |
Adios |
Gisele MacKenzie |
23 |
Darlin' You Can't Love Two |
Gisele MacKenzie |
24 |
My Favourite Song |
Gisele MacKenzie |
25 |
Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes |
Gisele MacKenzie |
26 |
Water Can't Quench The Fire Of Love |
Gisele McKenzie & Helen O'Connell |
27 |
Gone |
Gisele MacKenzie |
28 |
The New Wears Off Too Fast |
Gisele MacKenzie |
Disc 2 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Let Me Know |
Gisele MacKenzie |
2 |
A Friend Of The Family |
Gisele MacKenzie |
3 |
Lipstick N' Powder N' Paint |
Gisele McKenzie & Helen O'Connell |
4 |
I Didn't Want To Love You |
Gisele MacKenzie |
5 |
Seven Lonely Days |
Gisele MacKenzie |
6 |
Give Me The Name, Age, Height And Size |
Helen O'Connell & Gisele McKenzie |
7 |
When The Hands Of The Clock Pray At Midnight |
Gisele McKenzie & Helen O'Connell |
8 |
Half-Hearted |
Gisele MacKenzie |
9 |
Till They've All Gone Home |
Gisele MacKenzie |
10 |
A Walkin' Tune (Hot Point) |
Gisele MacKenzie |
11 |
Le Gros Bill |
Gisele MacKenzie |
12 |
A Letter And A Ring |
Gisele MacKenzie |
13 |
Doggone It Baby, I'm In Love |
Gisele MacKenzie |
14 |
Ridin' To Tennessee |
Gisele MacKenzie |
15 |
El Relicario |
Gisele MacKenzie |
16 |
The One Who Broke My Heart Is Back In Town |
Gisele MacKenzie |
17 |
Hard To Get |
Gisele MacKenzie |
18 |
Boston Fancy |
Gisele MacKenzie |
19 |
Pepper Hot Baby |
Gisele MacKenzie |
20 |
That's The Chance I've Got To Take |
Gisele MacKenzie |
21 |
Reserved |
Gisele MacKenzie |
22 |
The Little Child |
Gisele MacKenzie with Billy Quinn |
23 |
Dance If You Want To Dance |
Gisele MacKenzie |
24 |
The Star You Wished Upon Last Night |
Gisele MacKenzie |
25 |
It's Delightful To Be Married |
Gisele MacKenzie |
26 |
He Knows (By The Way I Live Each Day) |
Gisele MacKenzie |
27 |
Hello There |
Gisele MacKenzie |
28 |
Never Go Away |
Gisele MacKenzie |
29 |
Come To Me My True Love |
Gisele MacKenzie |