Italia! - The Gaylords

 

Mamma

Italia!

Sung by The Gaylords

Billy, Burt and Don

With Orchestra Conducted by George Ennis

Mercury Records MG 20186

1957

From the back cover: Along a wide street in Detroit with a French name, Gratiot, is strewn a greater Italian population than many big cities in Italy can boast. Like Italians everywhere, they are a singing folk and the fountain of music for the Detroit Italians is the little record shop of Bonaldo Banaldi.

Enrico Caruso, Ferruccio Tafliavini and Ezio Pinza are big sellers in the record shop of Papa Bonaldi – that's what everybody calls him – but a trio of young Americans, month after month, top all of Papa Bonaldi's sales. They are the Gaylords. And this pleases Papa Bonaldi for he is the papa of the Gaylords' leader, Burt Bonaldi. He has known the other two Gaylords, Ronald Fredianelli and Billy Christ ever since they learned to roll spaghetti on a fork.

When the boys first got together to sing in their days at the University of Detroit – in fact Billy was still at Pershing High School – they sang, somewhat to the chagrin of Papa Bonaldi, American songs. Not long ago, they appeared on television in Detroit and were discovered by Mercury Records. They were asked to record their zingo arrangement of Cuban Love Song and, the talent scout added as an afterthought, "any old song for the other side."

Papa Bonaldi saw his opprotunity and grabbed it. "Sing a song from the Old Country," he urged. "Sing Per Un Bacio D'Amore." On a hunch, the boys fixed up some American words to the Old Country classic and recorded Tell Me Your Mine. To everyone's surprise, except Papa Bonaldi's, that was the socko side. So later when Papa suggested Parla Mi D'Amore – Tell Me That You Love Me Tonight and Se Avessi Un Mandolino – Strings Of My Heart, the boys listened with profound respect and conformed.

Here is an album of Gaylord gems for Papa Bonaldi – and for the millions of devoted Gaylord fans who shout "Si, si," at every new Gaylord offering in the music market.

From Billboard - March 16, 1957: Dealers in Italian neighborhoods should do brisk business on this package. The Gaylords warble (mostly in Italian) on a group of sure-fire Neapolitan diities – "O Sole Mir," (There's No Tomorrow), "Marenariell" and "Mattinata (You're Breaking My Heart," etc.). Moderate potential in pop market, but powerful wax for jockeys with Italian-language audiences, the afore-mentioned dealers, and, of course, loyal Gaylords fans.

Quel Mazzolin Di Fiori

La Spagnola

Santa Lucia

Sorrento

Tarantella

O Sole Mio (There's No Tomorrow)

Mamma

O Marenariello (I Have But One Heart)

Tra Vegila E Sonno

Bella Ragazza Dalle Trecce Bionde

Cielito Lindo

Mattinata (You're Breaking My Heart)