Always a great favourite, especially in the UK, the inimitable Frank Crumit (1889-1943) performs all his best-loved comic songs on one well-filled CD. A jocular and inventive singer and writer of comic novelties, the American Crumit was a leading figure in stage, radio and recorded entertainment in the 20s and 30s. Especially popular for his sprightly and humorous renderings, he had a pleasant, warm-hearted nature that came through on his recordings, where his friendly voice and lively accompaniments to catchy tunes have given a lasting quality. Surprisingly, he was even more famous in Britain than in his native USA. He is credited with 31 ‘chart hits’ from 1920 to 1929. Retrospective’s A Gay Caballero presents the finest single CD selection of Crumit’s happy material available. All his best-known numbers are here. Comic classics such as A Gay Caballero (in the technically superior 1934 version), The Song Of The Prune and The Insurance Salesman still raise a smile, and of course there’s his most famous epic, Abdul Abulbul Amir. He had a winning way too with many of the Charleston-flavoured numbers of the day – Crazy Words, Crazy Tune, Ukulele Lady etc. – and even standards like Mountain Greenery or ’S Wonderful emerge fresh as paint. There is also a charming duet with his wife Julia Sanderson, Would You Like To Take A Walk?, performing as “The Singing Sweethearts”.

Tracklisting:
1. A Gay Caballero
2. Abdul Abulbul Amir
3. Ukulele Lady
4. I Married The Bootlegger’s Daughter
5. I’m Sitting On Top Of The World
6. Thanks For The Buggy Ride
7. The Girl Friend
8. Mountain Greenery
9. Get Away, Old Man, Get Away
10. Pretty Little Dear
11. High, High, High Up In The Hills
12. Crazy Words, Crazy Tune
13. Frankie And Johnny
14. ’S Wonderful
15. The Song Of The Prune
16. Granny’s Old Armchair
17. Little Brown Jug
18. Donald The Dub
19. Down By The Railroad Track
20. What Kind Of A Noise Annoys An Oyster?
21. Three Little Words
22. Would You Like To Take A Walk?
23. They’re Always Together
24. The Pig Got Up And Slowly Walked Away
25. There’s No One With Endurance Like The Man Who Sells Insurance