Gisele MacKenzie

Beyond The Sea

Gisele MacKenzie
Arranged and Conducted by Sid Bass, Neal Hefti and George Siravo
Produced and Directed by Herman Diaz, Jr.
Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, June 20, 22 and 23, 1956
Recording Engineer: Fred Elsasser
Vik - RCA Victor LX-1055
1956

From the back cover: Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Gisele speaks French with an impeccable accent. (e.g. Listen to the French lyric portions of "Foolish Things" and "Beyond The Sea" in this album.) Her mother was a concert pianist and singer (billed as Mme. Marietta Monseau) and Gisele's earliest childhood memories revolve around music.

At three she began to study the piano, and at seven, the violin – largely because it was the favorite instrument of her physician-surgeon father. By the time she was 12, Gisele had given her first public violin recital, and two years later she enrolled at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music.

Although Gisele has always possessed her rich, contralto voice, she never seriously considered becoming a singer, until she joined Bob Shuttleworth's band in the middle forties. Shuttleworth (Gisele's manager today) hired her as a combination violinist-pianist-vocalist, but advised her to concentrate on singing.

At the same time, Gisele's valuable Ceruti violin was stolen, so she bowed to the fates and took his advice. Within a week, she was the star of her own 15 minute show over the Canadian broadcasting network, and four years later she moved to the U.S. as featured singer on Bob Crosby's Club 15 and the Mario Lanza program in NBC.

In 1953, Gisele joined NBC-TV's Hit Parade, where her vibrant vocal chords, piquant brunette beauty and extraordinary versatility made her an immediate favorite with American audiences. Whether she is kicking up her he heels in a can-can or solemnly singing a Christmas carol, Gisele's solid showmanship and personal magnetism always register strongly on the screen.

Last year she surprised and delighted the public by blossoming out as an ace comedienne (on Jack Benny's CBS-TV show) and a fine dramatic actress (on Kraft Theater, Studio One, and Justice). Incidentally Gisele's first big Vik record, Hard To Get, was originally introduced on a Justice drama.

Off-stage Gisele is a handy with a skillet as she is with a Stradivarius. Cooking is her hobby, and – at the moment – the only important man in her life is Wolfgang von Bagel. Wolfie and Brunhilda, Gisele's pet dachshunds – long-haired of course – are pictured with her on the cover. The pups go everywhere with their mistress, and when she played a Las Vegas, Nevada, night club last year, it was specified in her contract that the canines would be persona grata at the nitery.

The "kids" most recent jaunt was to the Dallas, Texas, State Fair last summer, where Gisele scored her greatest personal triumph to date as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. The critics raved about her musical comedy debut, and unanimously described her as a "natural" for Broadway stardom. TV and record fans, of course, have know it for a long time. – Notes by June Bundy

These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
You're My Everything
Swinging Down The Lane
On Top Of The World, Alone
Don't Worry About Me
Tiptoe Thur The Tulips
Overtime We Way Goodbye
Do You Ever Think Of Me
Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
Beyond The Sea
You Are My Lucky Star
At Sundown