ROSS McMANUS AND EMBASSY

Spencer Leigh’s Before The Beatles (RC 326) was best read for a long time. However, I would like to correct the Embassy part, which says Elvis Costello’s dad, Ross McManus recorded under the name of Hal Burton and David Ross. I have been compiling information on the label for several years now and corresponded and spoken to Ross who denies having recorded for Embassy. I sent him tapes of the Hal Burton and David Ross recordings and it was the first he had heard of them, even Johnny Gregory at Embassy could not place Ross McManus, but he did record cover versions of the day’s hits for Crossbow, Rocket and Cannon labels owned by Australian Allan Crawford, for example a cover of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme’s I Want to Stay Here by Hal Prince (Ross McManus) and Joan Baxter. Joan recorded for several labels, even recording the same song for different labels on the same day; they were great days she told me. One classic disc you missed from that period: Baby Sittin b/w Skinnie Lizzie (HMV POP 892 1961) by Bobby Angelo and The Tuxedos.

by Bob Lusty, Bob Lusty’s Records & CDs
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