Easy Living - Ruth Olay

Easy Living

Easy Living
Ruth Olay
Cover Photo by Garrett-Howard
Furs by Harry Rosoff, Los Angeles
Diamonds by Marvin Him, Beverly Hills
Mercury Records SR 60069
1959

From the back cover: Born in San Francisco but virtually a native of Los Angeles, having lived there from infancy, Ruth was the daughter of a rabbi and a professional opera singer. Though her mother was responsible for her initiation into into a general interest in music, it was through a group of youthful friends that she was attracted to popular music and jazz by the records of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.

Ruth spent three years living a double life as secretary and singer. Around the time when her typewriter chores for the noted screen writer Preston Sturgis got under way at Paramount Studios, she began to take singing lessons from Florence Russell, the well known vocal coach. Later, Ruth took her dictation from F. Hugh Herbert and Cy Bartlett during the day and studied music with tireless diligence during the evenings. At long last she decided the time had come to sacrifice the security of her studio work and concentrate on a singing career. After an appearance at an avant garde club known as the Cabaret Concert she earned a recording contract with a small, since-defunct company. More recently she has been heard around the club circuit of Los Angeles, occasionally venturing as far as Chicago and other cities. It was while she was playing the Little Club in Beverly Hills that she signed a personal management contract with Bill Burton, the man who guided Jimmy Dorsey and Dick Haymes along the road to national prominence. A contract with Mercury Records followed. And now, after TV appearances that brought her acclaim as the "Singing Sensation of the Jack Parr show", Ruth Olay displays her remarkable vocal talents in this second Long Play album.

From Billboard - December 8, 1958: Ruth Olay Gets Paar Send-Off

Ruth Olay, of Mercury Records, was given the vocal guest spot on the Jack Parr "Tonight" show and was accorded the "new star" introduction which has proved extremely helpful to others in the past.

The network exposure, the big plug given her album "Olay," and the three offerings sung by the new jazz stylist will undoubtedly whet the appetite of other TV bookers.

Miss Olay, strangely enough, did a much better job on the songs that were not from her album, songs like "New Orleans" and "Easy Living." The former tune, a ballad was afforded fine vocal treatment along with smart backing by Jose Melis and his ork. "Easy Living," however, was her best number. Miss Olay reminds one of Lena Horne and gives the same deep feeling and sincere projection to each tune. More appearances of this type could stir up attention.

Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
Hurry-Hurry
Tess's Torch Song (I Had A Man)
Nocturne For The Blues
Undecided
Easy Living
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Never Do
Now You Know
Blue Prelude
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
I Wanna Be A Friend Of Yours