by Jerry Osborne in:
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Part 03 Part 04 Part 05 Part 06 Part 07 Part 08 Part 09 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 |
 There
are only two female singing stars whose names are found among the Top 20
in all three chart achievement categories: Most Charted -For the record, the records -From 1958 until the British invasion, Connie Francis and Brenda Lee were clearly the queens of rock and roll, not just in America but worldwide. However, looking just at the top artists, overall, of the rock era, as compiled by Joel Whitburn from Billboard, Connie is ranked No. 18, and ranks behind only one other lady singer, Aretha Franklin (No. 8). -To fully comprehend the incredible recording success of Connie Francis, though, it's important to keep in mind, no matter how immense she was in the States, she was never as popular here as she was internationally. -Yes, for the record & the records, Connie Francis is clearly a Promethean performer - 
and interviewing this courageous lady was a rare treat.
Connie: "Absolutely, although my 45 rpm hits were not my best efforts. My best songs appeared on albums, many of which the public never heard because MGM was a singles-oriented label. They didn't really want my albums to interfere with the air play of my singles. It was the singles at the time that earned them the most money. Therefore, some of the best tunes I recorded - ones I'm really proud of - much of the  record
buying public has never heard. Some of the hit songs I feel are kind of
corny, but the public loved them and that's wonderful. I guess for
the time it was great, but when I hear them now it makes me wish folks
remembered something else that I recorded. That's one point I want to make.
And then another is that, before we're through, I'd like to talk about
some of the songs that I turned down. There are some very funny stories
there."
Disc: "On the subject of albums, I believe you had many more LPs out - perhaps two dozen from 1958 through 1966 - than most of the other stars of that same period. Some singers, in fact, who had big hits didn't even manage to get on LP released." Connie: "I did, that's very true. I once recorded five albums at one time in London." Disc: "Why were there so many Connie Francis Albums?" |
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