CoronaVinyl Day 337 (W): Songs I Love to Sing by Slim Whitman

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "W," and of the many albums I acquired as part of various lots of records over the years that I probably wouldn't have otherwise purchased are two Slim Whitman albums.  One of those is his 1980 album Songs I Love to Sing.

Whitman was a country singer and yodeler whose career spanned over seven decades, beginning in the 1940s and lasting until shortly before his death in 2013 at the age of 90.  He fought in the South Pacific in World Ward II as part of the U.S. Navy, and thanks to his singing and entertaining his shipmates, his captain blocked Whitman's transfer to another naval ship, which was later sunk, killing everyone on board.  He began his singing career a couple years later, eventually selling over 70 million records worldwide.

He had one Top 10 song on the Billboard Hot 100 (1952's "Indian Love Call" (#9)), and 11 Top 10 songs on the Billboard Country singles chart.  In addition to success in the U.S., he had a great deal of international success.  His 1955 song "Rose Marie" topped the UK pop chart for 11 straight weeks, which remained a record until 1991, when Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" lasted 16 weeks at #1.

Songs I Love to Sing is re-recorded songs that Whitman had previously released over the years, as well as some covers.  It's generally kind of syrupy country pop, sometimes even bordering on yacht rock.  It was Whitman's last Top 25 album on the Billboard Country albums chart, reaching #25.  It also featured his last Top 40 song on the Billboard Country singles chart -- "When," which went to #15 -- as well as two other charting songs, "I Remember You" (#44) and "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine" (#69).

Whitman was 57 when this album was released.  I hope I look that good and dress that garishly when I'm 57.  This album isn't available on Spotify or YouTube.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "When"
This one has kind of a yacht rock and Latin feel to it.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "I Remember You"
Not to be confused with the Skid Row power ballad of the same name, this features Whitman's trademark yodel, and it was also featured in the 2003 horror movie House of 1,000 Corpses.