PRE-ORDER: This item will be shipped with the aim to deliver on release day.
Release Date: 11 April 2025
Label: Stage Door
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5055122191070
Genres: Soundtracks Twentieth Century
Description
Stage Door are pleased to present their second retrospective collection dedicated to the recordings of John Raitt with 'Songs of the Open Road and Other Rarities'. This anthology collates 20 rare studio and broadcast recordings made between 1946 and 1959, showcasing the brilliant baritone of John Raitt, arguably one of the most iconic voices in Broadway history.
The set opens with Raitt's debut studio recordings, a mini album recorded for the Decca label in May 1946 entitled 'Songs of the Open Road'. These six rare sides include songs from the operettas 'The Vagabond King', 'The New Moon' and 'Great Day'. Raitt issued a further two sides on Decca in 1952 highlighting two themes from the film 'Because You're Mine'.
A constant and welcome presence on live television and radio throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the remainder of the collection is dedicated to broadcasts Raitt made across the airwaves and on the small screen. This includes an incredible archival discovery album co-producer and longtime associate of John Raitt, Nicholas van Hoogstraten made in 1983 when assisting John to "clean out the garage". During the clear out, an entire collection of historic kinescopes was found - among them these priceless television performances, now remastered and preserved on this collection.
Produced in conjunction with John Raitt's Estate, all the recorded selections featured on 'Songs of the Open Road and Other Rarities' make their debut on CD. Presented in a deluxe full gloss six panel digipak sleeve, the CD features detailed sleeve notes by Broadway historian and author George Dansker.
Tracklisting
Tommy Steele
Gloria Hunniford
Original Broadway Cast
Max Bygraves
Original London Cast
The Nolans
Moira Danis
1967 London Studio Cast Recording
Various Artists
Various Artists
John Raitt
