Singer, dancer and actor Fred Astaire became one of the most high-profile personalities in popular entertainment with his legendary screen appearances with Ginger Rodgers and other leading ladies in a succession of movie musicals during the 1930s, '40s and '50s. However, he was also a highly successful recording artist, translating the classic songs from films and Broadway shows into a string of hits, notably featuring the songs of George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, and other top composers of the classic era of the Great American Songbook. This great-value 75-track 3-CD collection comprises most of his releases on the HMV, Columbia (UK & US), Victor, Brunswick and Decca labels during these years. It features all his thirty career hits, including the No. 1s "Cheek To Cheek", "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket", "The Way You Look Tonight", Nice Work if You Can Get It" and "Change Partners" plus Top 10 hits with many other classics of the era like "A Foggy Day", "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" and "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails". Featuring duet recordings with Adele Astaire, and performances with George Gershwin at the piano and with the orchestras of Leo Reisman, Johnny Green, Ray Noble, Benny Goodman, Perry Botkin, Bob Crosby and John Scott Trotter, it captures the spirit of the entertainment that carried the USA through the Depression years.
Singer, dancer and actor Fred Astaire became one of the most high-profile personalities in popular entertainment with his legendary screen appearances with Ginger Rodgers and other leading ladies in a succession of movie musicals during the 1930s, '40s and '50s. However, he was also a highly successful recording artist, translating the classic songs from films and Broadway shows into a string of hits, notably featuring the songs of George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, and other top composers of the classic era of the Great American Songbook. This great-value 75-track 3-CD collection comprises most of his releases on the HMV, Columbia (UK & US), Victor, Brunswick and Decca labels during these years. It features all his thirty career hits, including the No. 1s "Cheek To Cheek", "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket", "The Way You Look Tonight", Nice Work if You Can Get It" and "Change Partners" plus Top 10 hits with many other classics of the era like "A Foggy Day", "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" and "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails". Featuring duet recordings with Adele Astaire, and performances with George Gershwin at the piano and with the orchestras of Leo Reisman, Johnny Green, Ray Noble, Benny Goodman, Perry Botkin, Bob Crosby and John Scott Trotter, it captures the spirit of the entertainment that carried the USA through the Depression years.
