The Chris Connor Bio-Discography
Bethlehem Period
by Iván Santiago

Return to the Chris Connor intro page

For an overview of Chris Connor's stay with the Bethlehem record company (a brief but mutually beneficial period), see this page's final note.

Chris Connor (ldr), Sy Oliver (con, pdr), The Sy Oliver Orchestra (acc), Sid Cooper, Milt Yaner (as), Boomie Richman, Sam Taylor (ts), Dave McRae (bar), Jim Bright, Jimmy Nottingham, Red Solomon (t), Vernon "Vern" Friley, Frank Saracco, Ward Silloway, Kai Winding (tb), Sid Block (b), Dave Martin (p), Jimmy Crawford (d), Chris Connor (v)

Dating & Masters

1 & 2. Everything I Love & Indian Summer

Dating these two Bethlehem masters (Ev'rything I Love" and "Indian Summer") presents significant difficulty. A variety of dates is given in discographical texts and relevant sheets. One source places both masters under Connor's last sessions for Bethlehem (April 1955). Another source lists "Ev'rything I Love" under her debut session for the label (December 1953), but places "Indian Summer" under her 1955 Bethlehem sessions. Still another text lists "Ev'rything I Love" under both sets of sessions (December 17-18, 1953; April 1955), thereby giving the odd impression that Connor re-recorded the song for the same label, two years after she first did so.

I have chosen to follow none of the sources to which I referred above. Instead, I have trusted documentation that places both performances under Connor's debut session. The documentation in question is the earliest and more reliable of the alternatives at my reach. In addition to that documentation, the liner notes of original Bethlehem LP BCP 56 (1957) are also worth noting. In them, Joseph P. Muranyi lists "Ev'rything I Love" among songs recorded on Connor's first date for Bethlehem.

My own aural assessment of both "Ev'rything I Love" and "Indian Summer" is another reason for the decision to trust the earlier documents. The brassy instrumentation in these two performances has a big band feel, thereby sounding closer to Connor's 1953 numbers (featuring The Sy Oliver Orchestra) than to her 1955 small combo numbers (featuring Herbie Mann and Ralph Sharon). In the Sharon-arranged numbers, the piano is heard with a regularity that is nowhere to be found in neither "Ev'rything I Love" nor "Indian Summer."

For both masters, the dating should still be considered tentative, rather than definitive; I have not come across any evidence in print that may categorically date either one.


Personnel

Sy Oliver, the session's arranger and conductor, was also at this point also the general musical director and A&R man for the East Coast operations of Bethlehem Records.


Issues & Collectors' Corner

1. The Rich Sound Of Chris Connor
The LP Bethlehem BCP 56 has been issued under two titles: Chris and The Rich Sound Of Chris Connor. The two versions contain the same tracks, and the same Burt Goldblatt photo on the front covers. But there are a few, minor differences, in addition to the titles. Most notably, the front cover of The Rich Sound Of Chris Connor lists the album's twelve tracks, and announces the accompaniment as "Sy Oliver and others." On the other hand, neither tracks nor accompaniment are to be found in the front cover of Chris.

For another Bethlehem album that was (re)pressed in twin versions, see next session, under Collectors' Corner.

2. Carmen McRae Vs. Chris Connor
The Japanese LP MP 2378 contains this entire session by Chris Connor (side B) and Carmen McRae's entire output for Bethlehem Records (side A). Polydor used the cover artwork of Carmen's original LP on Bethlehem, adding only the catalogue number and the words "vs Chris Connor" to the title. My thanks to Brian Yordnoff for directing me to a site that showed this cover, and to Keizo Takada for identyfying Connor's tracks in the LP.

Chris Connor (ldr), Creed Taylor (pdr), The Ellis Larkins Trio (acc), Everett Barksdale (g), Beverly Peer (b), Ellis Larkins (p), Chris Connor (v), Bob Garrity (spk)

Songs

1. Come Back To Sorrento
is a famous Italian original ("Torna A Surriento") which has been recorded by numerous singers, many of them of Italian-American background. Various lyricists have penned different sets of English lyrics for it. Most issues identify Averling and DeCurtis as the authors of the set sung by Chris Connor, and I have tentatively followed suit in this discography. However, Avenue Jazz R2 759 credits "Little" instead, and specifies that Ellis Larkins arranged it. Yet another completely different answer is provided by ASCAP, which lists Eddie Safranski as the author of the versions by Connor and by one other vocalist.

2. All About Ronnie
became a radio, non-charting hit for Chris Connor, and remains the song most often associated with her. Not surprisingly, it is also the song with the highest number of versions in this discography. For some of the singer's earlier versions, see sessions dated April 8 and May 25, 1953, on the page dedicated to her Big Band Singer Period. She also recorded later versions, mostly live in concert; see, for instance, the session dated September 13, 1959, on the page for Concert, Radio & Television Dates.

3. Why Shouldn't I (Alternate Take)
Most so-called alternates from the Bethlehem catalogue are merely edits. Such seems to be the case of "All About Ronnie," "Out Of This World," and others. To my ears, the above-listed takes of "Why Shouldn't I" constitute an exception: they do seem to differ one from another.

Issues & Collectors' Corner

1. Chris Connor With Ellis Larkins Trio
An issue, simply titIed "Chris Connor with Ellis Larkins Trio" in various sources, is actually the 10" LP Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland.

2. Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland (London EP)
Judging from photos that I have seen, this British EP seems to have been pressed in two versions. One pressing (EZ-N19010) is identical to the domestic original. The second pressing features peculiar artwork. An artist has tried to do a very close reproduction of the original Burt Goldblatt photo used on the Bethlehem original cover (10" & EP). Unfortunately, the attempt at drawing Connor's face has fallen short. In this version, Connor looks like a cross between singer Margaret Whiting and comedienne Phillys Diller. (Another noticeable difference between pressings: the words "jazz series - EZ-N19010" are absent from the second pressing.)

3. Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland (Bethlehem 10" LP)
This issue starts out with a brief spoken introduction by Bob Garrity, the announcer who used to broadcast jazz concerts from the Birdland Club. The following is a transcription, courtesy of Chris Connor fan and collector Jason Perry:

"Hi, this is Bob Garrity of the Birdland Show. I'm very proud to welcome you to an album of songs by a girl we first heard in Birdland with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. Since that time, she made her solo debut in the club and, well, we feel this young gal is headed right for the top. She's picked eight wonderful compositions and three great musicians to accompany her. Ellis Larkins at the piano; Everett Barksdale, guitar and Beverly Peer on bass. It's our pleasure to present The Lullabys of Birdland with Chris Connor."

The concert announcer utters these words while the tune of "Lullaby Of Birdland" plays behind him. Presumably, the inclusion of Garrity's intro was a means to the end of establishing the album's credentials as a jazz date. More specifically, the album must have been intended as a recreation of Connor's successful engagement at Birdland. (n. b.: Garrity's contribution is not included in the 12" LP of the same title.)

4. Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland (Bethlehem 12" LP)
The 12" LP BCP 6004 (Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland) was released with slightly different photos in the front covers. In both covers, Connor is seen from her torso up, wearing a yellow shirt, and caught in the act of singing. In the more commonly found of the two covers, the singer's mouth is wide open, and her eyes are closed. In the rarer cover, her mouth is barely open (showing just her upper teeth) and her eyes are open. Her blonde hair is also more distinctively visible in the rare cover. Otherwise, cover and artwork are essentially identical, and the tracks are the same in both versions.

It is also worth noting that, contrary to logical assumption, this 12" LP is not a straight reissue of the 10" LP that bears the same title. For specifics, see this page's notes about Connor's original Bethelehem albums, under session dated December 17-18, 1953.

For another Bethlehem album with two versions, see Issues & Collectors' Corner notes under previous session.

5. Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland (Toshiba CD TOCJ-9381)
This non-domestic disc is a digital reissue of the 10" LP that bears the same title. Although all tracks can be found in many domestic releases, I have incorporated it to the discography due to its collectors' value, insofar as it is a CD facsimile of the 10-inch LP, -- not the 12-inch version --. In other words, this CD reproduces the original 10" front cover, as well as the back cover, whose extensive liner notes, and photos are not found elsewhere.

6. Lullaby Of Birdland (King CD, catalogue number unknown, released in 2003)
Despite its deceptive title, this CD does not contain Bethlehem material. See notes under studio session dated April, 2002.

Chris Connor (ldr), Creed Taylor (pdr), The Vinnie Burke Quartet (acc), Ronnie Odrich (f, cl), Joe Cinderella (g), Vinnie Burke (b), Don Burns (pac), Art Madigan (d), Chris Connor (v)

Songs

1. "Lush Life"
Asked in 1995 what were her favorite songs, Connor singled out "All About Ronnie" and "Lush Life." 'One of the hardest songs to sing is "Lush Life," she said, 'but I like to give myself a challenge.'


2. "Goodbye"
For a televised version of "Goodbye" that features the same arrangement as the version on this session, see notes under September 13, 1962, on the page for Concert, Radio & Television Dates.


Issues & Collectors' Corner

1. Toshiba CD Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland
The Japanese issue Toshiba EMI CD TOCJ-62016 is the only known source for the alternate take of "Stella By Starlight" that is listed in this session.

(Further clarification: This Toshiba EMI CD contains an alternate take of "Why Shouldn't I," too. The take can also be found in various domestic CD issues. For that reason, I have not entered this CD under the alternate "Why Shouldn't I." As explained at greater length on the main page's notes, this discography's policy for non-domestic issues is to list them only under performances that have not been released domestically.)

2. Nippon CD Chris / This Is Chris
Domestically, Connor's three albums for Bethlehem have been released separately, never as a twofer or a threefer. Therefore, this Japanese twofer CD (Nippon Columbia 33 CY-1641) qualifies as a Connor collectors' item.

3. Toshiba CD TOCJ-9382, Chris Connor Sings Lullabys For Lovers
This Japanese disc is a digital reissue of the 10" LP that bears the same name. Although all tracks can be found in many domestic releases, I have incorporated it to the discography due to its collectors' value, insofar as it is a CD facsimile of the 10-inch LP, -- not the 12-inch version --. It thus reproduces the original front cover, as well as the back cover, which contains two additional photos, plus extensive liner notes.

Chris Connor (ldr), Creed Taylor (pdr), The Ralph Sharon Group (acc), Herbie Mann (f, ts), Joe Puma (g), Milt Hinton (b), Ralph Sharon (p), Osie Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

Dating

The likelihood that Connor recorded 8 songs in one single day is very low. This 8 song-session from August of 1955 (per Bethlehem's files) may actually reflect the outcome of two sessions, or more.


Issues

1. This Is Chris

Connor's April 1955 sessions were dedicated to the making of her first 12" LP for Bethlehem, BCP 20. Of her three 12" original Bethlehem LPs on the label, it would be the only one released while she was still working for the label.

Collectors' Corner / A Note On EP Albums

I have not been able to locate copies of Chris Connor's EPs on Bethlehem, nor have I heard from collectors who may own copies. Therefore, my information about Bethlehem EP material relies entirely on print and online sources, not on visual inspection of the issues themselves. I have also resorted to some logical inferences, as part of an effort to fill minor gaps in the information at my reach.

Bethlehem released 9 Chris Connor EPs, itemized below:

1) #114
Documented above (December 1953 session). Additional comments, about the photo on the cover, below.

2-5) #101A, #101B, #102A, #102B
Part of the singer's Lullabys series, and also documented above (August 1954 sessions). All four EPs use the same couple of photos found in the two 12" LP counterparts.
The two EP's with the same cover photo as the 12" LP Chis Connor Sings LullabysFor Lovers differ in the tint used, to color each photo: yellowish in 102A, blue-greenish in 102B. As for the covers of the Lullabys Of Birdland EPs, the coloring of 101B seems to be darker than on 101A. (Once again, I must stress that I'm relying on picutres found online, not on actual inspection of the EPs.)

6-9) #126, #127, #129, #130
This quartet of EPs contain material from the singers' other original 12" LPs on Bethlehem, This Is Chris (126, 129, 130) and Chris (127). The photos are also the same ones as on those 12" LP's. Given the close numerical sequence (126. 127, 129, 130), BEP #128 might have also been a Chris Connor issue. However, I have yet to find any verification that BEP 128 was ever produced, and released. (Furthermore, Connor's output for Bethlehem catalogue is entirely covered by the other 9 EPs. A 10th EP would thus amount to a reissue of material from other EPs.)

If the information found online is correct. then EPs 126 and 129 are titled This Is Chris, and feature the same photo as the 12" LP of the same title. The coloring of 126 is reddish, as in the LP, but ywllowish in 129. In order to differentiate between the two EPs in this discography, I have taken the liberty of adding the sub-title Part 1 to the EP with the lower number, and the sub-title Part 2 to the EP with the higher number.

My sources give the title Chris to EPs 129, 130, and to the aforementioned 114. All three EPs use the photo found in the 12" LP of the same title. Once again, coloring differentiates them: red (114), yellow (127), blue (130).

In the case of BEP 130, only 3 of its songs are listed in the sources, rather than the standard 4. However uncharacteristic, three may actually be the correct song total of BEP 130. It seems to contain leftovers: the only 3 songs not used in Connor's earlier EPs. Two of them are from the This Is Chris sessions, whereas the third ("Indian Summer") is from Connor's debut session on the label.

"10") Parlophone EP
Also listed in this discography is the British EP Chris Connor Meets J. And Kai, whose full track listing does not exactly duplicate any of the US-released EPs. This EP also features its own original cover, a drawing of Chris Connor (face and shoulders), J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding (playing trombones).

Chris Connor (ldr), Creed Taylor (pdr), The Ralph Sharon Group (acc), Herbie Mann (f, ts), J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Joe Puma (g), Milt Hinton (b), Ralph Sharon (p), Osie Johnson (d), Chris Connor (v)

Dating

The likelihood that Connor recorded 8 songs in one single day is low. This 8 song-session from August of 1955 (per Bethlehem's files) may actually reflect the outcome of two sessions. (Notice also that only the first four songs were included in the album This Is Chris. The fact in itself is by no means conclusive, but it certainly enhances the possibility that those 4 songs constitute one session.)

Issues

1. Chris [EP]

The title given to BEP 127 is tentative. See notes under previous session (April 1955, Earlier Date).

Bio-Discographical Notes: Chris Connor At Bethlehem Records (1953-1955)


I. The Arrival: Chris In Bethlehem

In June of 1953, Chris Connor had left behind her years as a big band vocalist. Due to exhaustion from life on the road, she had amicably quit her job with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. Six months later, the former canary would make her first recording date as a solo artist.

Moving back home to the New York - New Jersey area, she acquired a manager, Monte Kay. He booked her for the fall of 1953 as a solo act at the Birdland night club. After seeing one of Connor's appearances at the venue, Gus Wildi offered her a recording contract with his brand new label, Bethlehem. At that point in time, Bethlehem's catalogue consisted of a few pop singles, which had made no impact on the market. Connor says that Wildi "was looking for a star to boost his label, which was going under. On the spot he offered me a contract, and I agreed." She became the first jazz-oriented act signed to the roster. The singer's work for Bethlehem started out with a session comprised of pop songs, however, for which she was backed by a big band ensemble (1953).

The following year, Wildi also hired Creed Taylor, who was then at the very begining of his career as A&R man and producer. In an interview published at jazzwax.com , Taylor told Marc Myers that "in 1954, the label was on its last legs. They were still recording 78-rpms at a time when the 10-inch LP was coming in. I told them, There are 10-inch LPs out there and you guys have a singer who's great named Chris Connor. She had already recorded for Bethlehem in December 1953 with Sy Oliver's orchestra, but they didn't know what to do with her. In the summer of '54, I talked to Chris and found out she had vast knowledge of great songs that were hip and that she wanted to record them. I told Bethlehem to let me go in and produce the label's first 10-inch LP with her. I told them I was going to call it Lullaby of Birdland. They gave me the go ahead. Even though the company wasn't in great shape, the owner had funds and realized it was a necessary investment."

"I told Chris," continues Taylor, "we should do her album with the Ellis Larkins' trio. She oved the idea. So I called Ellis and booked the Fulton Recording Studios, at 80 West 40th St., across from Bryant Park. I knew Tom Dowd, the engineer there. I had met him at Birdland, and he was a very musical guy. So when Ellis and Chris came to the studio in early August, I sat in the booth with Tom and did what I do today. Chris and I had decided which songs to record in advance. The result was so terrific that a few weeks later we recorded her with the Vinnie Burke Quartet for another 10-inch LP. We also recorded an album in 1955 with Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson.

Taylor also talked at length about the promotional efforts that were made for the initial 10" album: "Once Chris recorded, I had to get the record on the radio. I listened to the radio a great deal then. So I went over to WNEW and WABC with a dub of the session and did on-air interviews. I also worked on point-of-sale efforts. When Lullabys of Birdland came out, I had a big six-foot high cutout of Chris standing in front of Birdland to promote the album. I also brought special copies to radio stations that allowed radio announcers [such as WINS' Bob Garrity] to dub in their voices, so it sounded like they were announcing her [at Birdland] ... I reached out to radio stations popular with black audiences. The disc jockeys there knew which jazz records were great and which weren't. Their audiences and other jockeys in the city knew that what they played often set the trend. I became friendly with many of these jockeys. They, in turn, were friends with jockeys who broadcast during drive-time hours, which had the largest audiences. Fortunately they thought Chris' album was very hip. I asked if they would talk to the other jockeys and get them to play the album, and they did. I had to become friendly with record distributors and store buyers and merchandisers. Through all of these combined efforts, Lullabys of Birdland became something of a hit for Bethlehem. But none of my efforts would have paid off if the album hadn't been superb to begin with."

Thus Wildi's Bethlehem company debuted its album series with the twin releases Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland and Chris Connor Sings Lullabys For Lovers. Together, those 10" albums constituted a career-making success for both the emerging record label and the solo recording artist.

After the commercial success of the jazz-oriented Lullabys [sic] albums (1954), Connor's other dates for the label continued to use combos (trio, quartet/quintet, septet) rather than big band accompaniment, and the repertoire was culled chiefly from the Great American Songbook.

The time period that Chris Connor spent with the Bethlehem company was a successful but short one: less than a year and a half. For general details about the termination of Connor's relationship with Bethlehem Records, see the final note on this page.


II. The Bethlehem Record Company

The Bethlehem label has a byzantine issue history. Multiple changes in ownership have resulted in numerous reissues and re-pressings of the catalogue.

For discographers, Bethlehem's catalogue numbers constitute one potential source of confusion. Over the decades, the same code numbers have been assigned and then reassigned to entirely different issues. For instance, Bethlehem 6010 is the catalogue number not only for the original 1956 album The Voice Of Audrey Morris but also for Cocktails And Dusk, a 1978 reissue of the 1955 album This Is Chris.

Alternate takes are problematic as well. Close listening suggests that the majority of such so-called alternates are instead edits of the previously issued masters, with bits of studio talk occasionally included. This is, however, a subject matter that remains up for debate. Hence, in this discography, I have dutifully given individual entries to all alleged Bethlehem takes.


III. Connor's Original Bethlehem Albums (Chronology & Statistics)

Chris Connor's earliest original albums for Bethlehem were a pair of 10" LPs titled Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland and Chris Connor Sings Lullabys For Lovers, both released in 1954, and both containing songs recorded in August of 1954. The songs in those 10" LPs were also issued on (4) EPs. A few of those songs were issued on 45 singles as well.

Probably in 1955, there was a 5th EP issue (# 114), containing hitherto unreleased songs from Connor's debut session. No 10" LP counterpart was issued.

This Is Chris, Connor's first twelve-inch LP, was released in 1955. It contained brand new numbers, recorded in April of 1955.

Chris, the second twelve-inch LP, was released in 1956, when the singer was no longer recording for the label. It contained:

a) 4 previously unissued songs, from the 1955 This Is Chris sessions.
b) 8 songs previously issued on EP (all eight of them) and on 10" LP (six of them).

Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland, the third twelve-inch LP, was released in 1957. This LP contains 14 songs, which can be itemized as follows:

a) 11 songs from the singer's 10" Lullabys albums (which contained 8 songs each, for a grand total of 16).

b) 3 songs culled from Connor's debut Bethlehem session. (All three of them had been previously issued on 78 and EP, but not on 10" or 12" LP.)

The 12" LP Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland is therefore a partial reissue of Connor's two 10" albums, missing 5 tracks out of 16. The probably reason why those 5 numbers: they had already been issued on the 12" format, as part of the LP Chris.

For additional (and more specific) comments about Connor's EPs, see notes under session dated April 1955 (Earlier Date).


IV. Discographical Parameters For Bethlehem Albums (Technical Note)

Chris Connor's trio of 12" LPs for Bethlehem (Chris, Chris Connor Sings Lullabys Of Birdland, This Is Chris) has been issued and reissued, pressed and re-pressed on LP and CD many times, both in the United States and abroad. For those three albums, I have tried to enforce the following policies:

1) In the case of LPs, I have included only the original domestic issues.

2) In the case of CDs, I have included only the two most recent series of domestic reissues, one series being from the Evidence label, and the other from the (Rhino-distributed) label Avenue Jazz. Earlier domestic series may be included in upcoming updates of the discography. (Contributors' information about those earlier CD issues would be appreciated.)

3) Japanese or European CD issues have not been included, aside from a few notable exceptions, such as Japanese CDs without US counterparts, or with alternate tracks not found in releases from the United States. (For further comments about Japanese issues throughout this discography, see introductory notes in the main, index page.)

The 3 above-listed policies are not extended to non-original albums -- i. e. , compilations of Bethlehem material, a category for which my aim is to list all issues (irrespective of country of origin, or resemblance to American counterparts).

Corrections and further assistance from owners of Bethlehem issue copies would be appreciated.


V. Chris Connor's Departure From Bethlehem

Chris Connor stopped recording for Bethlehem when her contract was up for renewal. The singer had received another contract offer, from Atlantic Records, which she had accepted. For its part, Bethlehem (perhaps misinformed about their artist's departure, or perhaps unhappy with her decision) sent out an unappreciative press release. The release suggested that Bethlehem had let the singer go, after she had refused to do any further recordings.

On its July 13, 1955 issue, Downbeat magazine gave the following account: "Bethlehem Records suspended its leading star, Chris Connor, as of June 1. She was suspended because, the firm said, she refused to record more than the minimum number of sides guaranteed in her contract. The label says it also may add the time Chris is suspended to the length of her regular contract. Thereby, Bethelehem adds, Chris' contract, which ends this December, could be extended by the length of time she is under suspension and during that period, she could record for no other company. Monte Kay, Chris' manager, denies Bethlehem's claims and says that Chris, in fact, has recorded more than the minimum number of sides. He added further that the registered letter the label says it mailed Chris concerning the mater has not yet been received. When he is formally notified, Kay adds, he will turn the matter over to his attorney. Kay implied that in view of the company's action, it is quite unlikely that Chris will re-sign with Bethlehem when her contract is up."

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