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I knew Kate Smith during the 50's when I was a small child. She was a warm and wonderful woman who loved children, and to cook for others in her "summer home" in Lake Placid, NY. And could that woman SING! She came to embody America during the 40's and and 50's ... to the point that when FDR introduced her to the then King and Queen of England (Elizabeth's parents) he said, "This is Kate Smith. This is America."

This CD brings it all back for me ... brings Kate back as clearly as my memories. It captures the power of her voice, the warmth of her smile, the very essence of the irreplacable Kate Smith.

All of the tracks on this CD, except for "God Bless America," were arranged by Nelson Riddle. It's unfortunate that they did not do more albums together, for their collaboration resulted in twelve wonderful tracks. His arrangements gave her the chance to explore her range from intimate to all-out exuberance. "Ridin' High" and "Who Cares" are two of my favorites on this CD.

I remember Kate Smith from my Mother's recollection of her in the 1930's...

A vivacious dancer, even though she was on the 'heavy' side, always physically 'weight challenged'. But, Kate Smith had an awesome clear singing voice, and, despite her weight challenges in the 30's, had an incredible agility and ability for dancing...............

Her best signature in her later years was 'honorable' guest singer for the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL. When She sang "God Bless America", The Flyers always were inspired and so were the fans.. My friends tell me that Kate was NOT the inspiration of the saying..."The game is not over until the FAT lady sings.........

This was supposedly attributed to the operas...

I think that "Kate" made the saying a "reality" in Philadelphia! We love you, Kate!

Many of the greatest singers in the 1930s and 1940s are all but lost to us today because of the primitive recording techniques of the time.

Fortunately, one such singer is not Kate Smith. She began making records in 1926. Most of her biggest hit records come from the '30s and '40s.

She moved into the LP era in the '50s and, finally, into the stereo era in the early sixties. During the 1960's she made several stereo LPs for RCA records. Many became best sellers. After nearly forty years of singing, her voice was still in remarkably good condition. The songs presented here are culled from those albums, which is fine and good.

However, we need the complete albums. I remember she was a many time guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and would always seemed genuinely excited and thrilled to tell him of her latest recording project. I recall two albums, Kate Smith with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops and Kate Smith at Carnegie Hall (which, if I'm not mistaken, achieved Gold Record status) as two particular favorites.

So, until the moon comes over the mountain, enjoy this compilation. But let's all hope RCA sees their way to digging into the vaults and rewarding this tired old world with a comprehensive reissue of their great collection of Kate Smith.

We could use it.

I ordered the CD for my husband as a Christmas gift. We were both pleased to hear the voice we loved years ago. I ordered it to hear God Bless Ameruca, but we both enjoed all the songs especially (When The Moon
Comes ver the Mountain). We are both in our 70's and wish that there would be more of the good music on TV.

This CD brings a beautiful voice out of the past and into the present. The renditions are all one could ever expect and this CD is a much appreciated addition to my collection.

In the last couple years, have heard Mom saying several times she enjoyed hearing singers Kate Smith and Judy Garland perform many years ago. Before her recent birthday, purchased this CD, believing Mom wouldn't buy a Kate Smith CD and would love receiving it. When opening the gift bag containing the Kate Smith CD, Mom was surprised and thrilled.

Kate Smith still sounds so special; her voice was quite a rare gift. It's wonderful that we can hear her voice today on these tracks! Kate never lets go of a single superfluous note and that's incredible. In addition, the quality of the sound is very good. As I listen to these songs performed exquisitely by Kate Smith, I'm so impressed that I wonder when--if ever--we'll hear such superlative singing ever again.

"When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" is just one of the songs here that features Kate's ability to sing passionately; just one listen proves it! She sings this with all her heart and soul and I really admire that. "That's Life" has Kate Smith squarely front and center--which is right where she always will belong! The brass is used to great advantage on "That's Life," but then again the rest of the musical arrangement leaves nothing to be desired. "Born Free" from the movie of the same name shines brightly in Kate's more than capable hands; she delivers this in such a way that you know she really, REALLY means every word she's singing. It's very rare that I can say that.

"The Impossible Dream" has Kate playing just a bit with the tempo to place her own stamp on this timeless ballad; and it all works very well. Indeed, Kate Smith's "The Impossible Dream" is easily one of my very favorites--and I've heard many renditions of this song! "Climb Every Mountain" is very well done and that lush musical arrangement complements Kate's singing to perfection. Now THIS is truly great music!

"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" would certainly have Tony Bennett smiling as Kate performs this faultlessly while "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" sounds so good! We also get a fine medley of "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place;" "That Old Feeling" which is both romantic and another one of my favorites and "There Goes That Song Again;" and then Kate Smith does a splendid job on "And We Were Lovers" from "The Sand Pebbles." Kate really outdoes even herself on the two final evergreen beauties, "How Great Thou Art" and the song she was probably best known for performing, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America."

Kate Smith fans will want these gems either as MP3 files available for download or on CD. This is also the perfect starter track set for any newcomer getting to know and appreciate Kate Smith's artistry. Moreover, anyone who loves high quality control, five star music will be delighted by this outstanding music to treasure through the years.

Bravo, Kate Smith!!!

I bought this CD for my Mom who is 81 and had mentioned several times she loves Kate Smith. This CD had a lot of great reviews, and I knew she didn't have any of Kate Smith's music, so getting this CD was an easy choice. She was thrilled, she said she knew every single song on the CD and couldn't wait to listen to it.
I am glad I could give her something that will bring her so much pleasure.

The DVD was great but the listing of songs is all screwed up. At least the ones I wanted are on the DVD, just in a different order. It came very quickly and I'm basically pleased with it.