Jim Nabors – Kiss Me Goodbye

Jim Nabors passed last November at age 87.  I wanted to put out a Obituary post like I normally do, but I was so busy at that time with many things going on that I neglected to do so, which is somewhat of a disservice to Nabors as well as this blog.  Well, better late than never.  Here is this album that I bought for a dollar.  It was formerly owned by one Laura Lewis who has pretty neat handwriting.  A lot of songs that I like on this album.

People who have never heard Gomer Pyle sing before are often amazed when they hear his deep baritone voice.  Before his move into television, Nabors worked night clubs with an act that featured both singing and an early version of his Pyle character.  Discovered by Andy Griffith, Nabors first played Pyle as a bit role.  However, the character’s popularity lead to a regular spot on the show and eventually a spin-off, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.  It should be noted that Nabors is one of the few people to be named an honorary Marine. Anyway, Nabors sung once on the Griffith Show, but it was his performance of “The Impossible Dream” on his own that really put him in the singing spotlight.

This album, Nabor’s sixth, was released in that turbulent year that was 1968 by Columbia Records.  Pretty good stuff.  As mentioned before, it has a lot of my favorite songs including “Born Free”, “Try To Remember”, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “and “There’s a Kind of Hush”.  That signature Nabors voice dominates this record with a smooth deep sound. Good stuff.

 

For a sample, I went with two of my favorite songs, both French in nature.  First, we have “L’amour est blue(Love Is Blue)”, made famous by Paul Mauriat.  Second, from my favorite movie, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, we have Michel Legrand’s ” I Will Wait For You”.  Both artists works are also on this blog as well.

Satisfactory.

Jim Nabors- Help Me Make It Through the Night

DSCN0042This was only a quarter.  It had a great collection of country tunes.jim-nabors-c

If you are unfamiliar with Jim Nabors singing voice, you may be pleasantly surprised.  Unlike his Gomer Pyle persona, Nabors sings with a rich baritone.  You would know this if you watched the Muppets or Me, Myself, and Irene.  In all, Nabors recorded around 28 records with four of them going gold. Born in Alabama in 1930, as of this date, Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith in a night club.  From this, he would play the iconic Pyle on Griffith’s show as well as Nabor’s own spin-off.  Despite being typecasted, Nabors would continue to work here and there after the show, including three movies with Burt Reynolds. As of this date, Nabors is still alive.

Nabors Web Page

Jim_Nabors_Frank_Sutton_Gomer_Pyle_1968This album is not one of the Gold Records, but it is still quite good.  It is Nabor’s country album, released in 1971.  It contains a good number of country hits. My favorites include “My Elusive Dreams”, “Help Me Make it Through the Night”,”Make the World Go Away”, and “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife”.  Nabor’s rich, baritone voice has a no-nonsense quality.  In turn, he makes these songs his own.DSCN0043There are many good songs on this album.  When I first saw it, I had the title track in mind for a sample.  However, after listening for awhile. I decided to go with “Rose Garden”, made famous by Lynn Anderson.  Nabors’ version kind of stole the show for me so here it is.download

Satisfactory record and to think, only 25 cents.