For those unaware, during the era when the 12-inch long-playing album was becoming an increasingly widespread and popular medium, especially after the introduction of stereo recording as a norm in the late 1950s, record companies were seeking out styles and concepts of easy-listening music specifically designed to take advantage of the burgeoning market.

Tommy Snuff Garrett was a DJ from Texas, who became a producer at Liberty Records in Los Angeles in 1959 at the age of 21, producing acts like Bobby Vee and Johnny Burnette, and became A&R director after a few years. He alighted on an approach that he called The 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett, with a lesser-used adjunct of The 25 Pianos Of Tommy Garrett, and with arranger Ernie Freeman, whose hits included Jivin’ Around and Raunchy, he created a guitar-based sound using notable west coast session guitarists like Laurindo Almeida, Al Caiola, Barney Kessel and others, including himself, and the series of concept albums carried on through into the 1970s.

This 60-track 2-CD set entitled The 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett And More 1961-62 (out now via Acrobat Records) features albums from the beginning of that series, comprising the titles from the albums 50 Guitars Go South of The Border Vols. 1 & 2, 50 Guitars Visit Hawaii and 50 Guitars Go Country, plus the Tommy Garrett album 25 Pianos Play Evergreens Of Broadway.

It was one of those masterstrokes of concept creation, production and marketing, and this collection offers an atmospheric introduction to a highly distinctive brand of easy listening music, which was very much of its era, but remains absolutely timeless.

The fuller story was that when he went to Hollywood in the late fifties where he took a job as local promotion man with Liberty before returning into record production. He was asked to produce the hitherto unsuccessful Johnny Bumette for Liberty, and after only two records under Garrett, Bumette achieved his first hit with Dreamin’, a 1960 million-seller. In 1959, Garrett signed Bobby Vee, a 17-year-old from Minnesota, and had him cover Adam Faith’s What Do You Want? for the American market.

This flopped, but Vee’s sequel, Devil Or Angel reached No. 6 in America and under Garrett’s masterful supervision, Vee went on to become a major American teen idol with such hits as Rubber Ball, Take Good Care Of My Baby and Run To Him. Meanwhile, Burnette registered with two more hits, Little Boy Sad and You’re Sixteen and Garrett even managed to launch a failed jazz singer named Gene McDaniels with a series of hits including A Hundred Pounds Of Clay and Tower Of Strength. In the period between 1961 and 1963, Garrett was probably, as aforementioned, the most successful A&R man in America.

At 22, he was made head of A&R at Liberty and hired a contemporary prodigy, named Phil Spector, to work for Liberty in New York. Although Garrett’s productions were generally aimed at America’s white middle-class and epitomized the artless sterility of pop in the early Sixties, he was, nevertheless, solely responsible for Liberty’s inroads into the mainstream rock market.

He also launched a series of best-selling middle-of-the-road albums in the 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett. During 1965-56, Garrett produced no less than ten successive American Top Ten hits by Jerry Lewis’ son, Garry Lewis and the Playboys, most of which were arranged by Leon Russell.

Leaving Liberty in 1966, Garrett formed his own Viva label but, ironically, did not achieve even one hit and in 1969 he sold his assets for $21 million and retired until 1973 when he produced a run of comeback hits by (Sonny and) Cher.

Disc 1:
1. Guadalajara 2. Come Closer To Me 3. Frenesi 4. Be Mine Tonight 5. Adios 6. La Virgen De La Macarena 7. Besame Mucho 8. You Belong To My Heart 9. La Bamba 10. Perfidia 11. South Of The Border 12. Granada 13. El Rancho Grande 14. Mexicali Rose 15. Cielito Lindo 16. Fantasia Mexicana 17. Magic Is The Moonlight 18. Malaguena 19. Mexican Hat Dance 20. Amore 21. Estrellita 22. Green Eyes 23. La Paloma 24. Vaya Con Dios 25. Blue Hawaii 26. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au) 27. Pagan Love Song 28. My Little Grass Shack (In Kealalekua Hawaii) 29. Now Is The Hour (Maori Farewell Song)

Disc 2:
1. Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai) 2. The Hukilau Song 3. Song Of The Islands (Na Lei O Hawaii) 4. Lovely Hula Hands 5. Sweet Leilani 6. The Moon Of Manakoora 7. Aloha Oe 8. Wabash Cannon Ball 9. I Can’t Help It 10. Tennessee Waltz 11. Wildwood Flower 12. Am I Losing You 13. Just Out Of Reach 14. Sugar Foot Rag 15. Missing You 16. You Win Again 17. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold 18. Oh Lonesome Me 19. Send Me The Pillow You Dream On 20. The Carousel Waltz 21. Fanny 22. I Could Have Danced All Night 23. The Sound Of Music 24. Hey There 25. Everything’s Coming Up Roses 26. Tonight 27. Hey, Look Me Over 28. Till There Was You 29. Baubles, Bangles And Beads 30. Bali Ha’i 31. Manhattan

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