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Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1930, Eileen Rodgers began her career as a local nightclub performer before joining Charlie Spivak’s orchestra, giving her a grounding as a big band singer. In the early ‘50s she got work on radio and was offered a recording contract with the Columbia label. Making her first records in 1955, she was one of those singers with her roots in the middle-of-the-road styles of the post-war decade, and who were unlucky enough to come to the fore just at the point when rock ‘n’ roll was arriving in the charts. She nevertheless scored several hits, before turning her talents towards the Broadway stage way in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. This 57-track 2-CD collection comprises most of the A&B sides of singles on the Columbia and Kapp labels, plus the titles from her Columbia album “Blue Swing”, and selected songs from her performances in cast recordings of her Broadway shows “Oh Captain”, “Fiorello”, “Tenderloin” and “Anything Goes”. It includes her US pop hits “Miracle Of Love”, “Give Me”, “The Wall”, “Don’t Call Me Sweetie”, “Third Finger, Left Hand” and “Treasure Of Your Love”. She was a stylish and versatile performer, and this collection is a worthy introduction to an artist we don’t hear too much about.
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