The Tab Hunter Collection 1956-62

Tab Hunter was a heartthrob Hollywood star before he was a singer, being plucked from obscurity by actor Dick Clayton who met him when he was working in a stable in California. His blond hair and clean good looks gave him a ready appeal to young fans, making his first film in 1950 and eventually signing to Warner Bros. where he was hugely successful, as he starred with Natalie Wood in two box office hits. Randy Wood of Dot Records asked him to record a version of Sonny James’ country hit “Young Love”, and he had a No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. He had three more chart entries for Dot before Warner Bros insisted he record for them and set up their own label. This great-value 61-track 2-CD set comprises most of the A and B sides he recorded for Dot and Warners during these core years of his recording career, along with the titles from his Warner Bros albums “Tab Hunter”, “When I Fall In Love” and “R.F.D. Tab Hunter”. It features all his career chart entries, including the US and UK No. 1 “Young Love”, and the UK Top 5 hit “Ninety-Nine Ways”. His foray into pop music did not last long into the 1960s, and he was soon focusing again on screen roles, starring in a number of beach movies. However, his hits of the late ‘50s remain an evocative touchstone for baby boomers who lived through those times, and this collection provides not only a substantial slice of his recorded work, but a fascinating window into the creative and commercial world of a teen idol largely created by Tin Pan Alley who found a voice of his own.