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 Posted By: Jim Liddane on: 02/11/2010 20:11:56 ESTSubject: RE: Looking for song , lyrics, singer |
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"Majorca Isle Of Love" was written in 1953 by Georges Bonnet and Louis Gaste with English words by Johnny Lehmann, and recorded by Bob Manning for Capitol Records in 1955 - the fourth of five singles on Capitol in 1955 by Manning, but who is probably remembered nowadays mainly for being the first singing partner of Eydie Gorme. The song was also recorded an an instrumental by The Harry Arnold Orchestra. Manning was from Philadelphia and started out singing in hotels in his home town, where he even had his own radio show. He went on the road with Tommy Dorsey in 1947, but his big break came when he won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show, although the big labels initially ignored him - in some cases because it was said he sounded too like Dick Haymes. However, he got a contract with the very small Magic Records, where he met Eydie Gorme. The two of them recorded as Bob & Eydie, and their first release was called "M & X" on the Magic Records label. The record flopped, and Bob introduced Eydie to a friend of his named Steve Lawrence, and so the Steve Lawrence/Eydie Gorme partnership was formed. Although Bob was making a good living on the road, he suffered terrible pain from a very bad hip condition and found touring difficult, so he aimed for a second record contract - but after a dry spell with MGM, he managed in 1952 to get a pal to put up the money to record a private version of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness Of You". Carmichael was sent a copy, and when he announced that it was the best version of the song he had ever heard. Capitol Records picked up on it. It charted in June 1953. Billboard, Cash Box, and and Variety all named him as "Most Promising Male Vocalist Of The Year" and he went on to have more hits including "All I Desire", "Venus De Milo", "The Very Thought Of You", "It's Easy To Remember" and "My Love Song To You", as well as appearing on loads of television shows (see YouTube), including the Ed Sullivan and Dick Clark TV Shows, The Jackie Gleason Show and even in an episode of the weekly "Blondie" series. He failed to chart any single in 1955 and by 1957, Capitol had dropped his contract. He moved to RCA, and later to Everest Records, and played night clubs along the East and West Coasts. However, he contracted pnemumonia in October 1997, dying at the age of 71. His work is still available on such albums as "Lonely Spell", "Our Wedding Songs" and "Great Gentlemen of Song" and the single "Majorca Isle Of Love" can also be found on Ebay from time to time. |
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