New Crooner Matthew Long finds the essence of Perry Como

It's always amazing to find what some folks have posted on the internet....Makes me think my interest in nostalgia isn't so rare after all!

I've always loved the singing of Perry Como and try to collect just about any recording he made. A fellow blogspot blogger went even further and created an interesting webpage featuring some "Faux Como" recordings....back in the fifites heyday of pop, other record companies and singers were trying to get a bit of the Como success by issuing their own versions of Perry's songs. Click here to see this interesting blog and if you download the zip file you can listen to some pretty good and sometimes very lame renditions of the hits.

There is no reason to re-record what Perry has done, he did it well. I have recorded several of his songs just for my own fun using karoeke type tracks. So far no record labels have been pounding at my door to mass market release these. I guess I won't be the next Susan Boyle type discovery, but it was a lot of fun recording them anyhow.

A very talented guy in the UK however has captured the essence of Perry Como. His name is Matthew Long. Click  here to listen to an original V-disc recording by Perry of his first RCA 78 called "Goodbye Sue." Then click here to listen to Matthew's acapella version. Pretty awesome, huh?

Matthew is another addicted Como fan. Unlike me, he has enough sense not to try to re-record Perry's songs (like those cheap record labels did back in the 1950s). Instead he has released a brand new song called "Dancing With You" featuring his smooth voice and a great new tune. The lyrics bring back the days of couples dancing and a big band playing. Click here for a preview.

Matthew says he is hoping to work on an entire album and if the songs are anything like this preview, it's gonna be a great recording! He gets the essence of Perry. After all, he started the Como Appreciation Society. Click here to visit.

It's Easter Time

Spring is here and Easter is around the corner. This holiday has plenty of nostalgic images available and I'm presenting a few here.

There are strangely only a few Easter songs that stand out in popular music. Irving Berlin's Easter Parade is quite a relic now as I haven't seen an Easter bonnet in years nor an Easter parade for that matter. Click here for a lovely Easter medley from The Perry Como Show, including a song that you may not have heard before.

The significance of this day holds special meaning for me. Like Christmas and Santa Claus, the true meaning of this Christian holiday has been dumbed down by Easter bunnies and jelly beans, but it remains one of my favorite holidays. It calls attention to my risen Savior.

I recalled my childhood Easter memories in my book "The Little Grownup: a nostalgic Michigan boyhood" (which if you STILL haven't purchased, you can do so by clicking here ) Perhaps some of the family time we shared in the 1960s and beyond is still relevant today...

"Easter was a major holiday that included church, Easter baskets full of candy, and a family feast. The dinner would include the annual Easter egg fight. This involved us all choosing partners and cracking the ends of the colored hard-boiled Easter eggs against the end of our opponent's egg. The person with the last uncracked egg would be proclaimed the winner of the year.
After dinner we would usually join the adults for a card game Grandpa called "help your neighbor." I think he substituted the word "help" for something else, as you exchanged cards with the person next to you, usually to their disadvantage. Later Grandpa would usually play a game of chess with us..."

Happy Easter everyone!


above pics include Doris Day and a magnificent Saturday Evening Post cover featuring lots of chocolate bunnies being made! How cool is that?!