Althea Gibson blazed a new trail in tennis, winning some of the sport’s biggest titles in the 1950s; later in her life, she broke racial barriers in professional golf as well. But in addition to a tennis champion and a source of inspiration, she was also a talented singer with a rich voice, who tried to jumpstart her career in 1958 with the album ALTHEA GIBSON SINGS and two television appearances on Ed Sullivan’s show. It wasn’t enough though, and she didn’t go any further in the world of music.
Still, listening to her voice today, there is a distinctly tasteful sort of beat and phrasing that characterizes her singing style above everything else. The content of her songs is varied —sophisticated and torchy in Don’t Say No, full of pathos and tears in A Cottage For Sale, inspirational in So Much to Live For. But each number is sung with winning sincerity, and an impeccable sense of timing. by Jordi Pujol
Tracklist:
A1. Don’t Say No 2:26
(James Kennedy)
A2. Around the World 2:07
(Young-Adamson)
A3. I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance 2:04
(Young-Crosby-Washington)
A4. Because of You 1:45
(Wilkinson-Hammerstein)
A5. A Cottage For Sale 2:38
(Robison-Conley)
A6. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love 2:06
(McHugh-Fields)
B1. Dream a Little Dream of Me 2:08
(Kahn-Schwandt-Andree)
B2. You’re My Everything 2:28
(Warren-Dixon-Young)
B3. If 2:05
(Hargreaves-Damerell-Evans)
B4. September Song 2:04
(Weill-Anderson)
B5. Once in a While 2:16
(Green-Edwards)
B6. So Much to Live For 2:40
(James Kennedy)
Credits:
Althea Gibson, vocals with The Doles Dickens Quartet
Doles Dickens, bass; Bert Keyes, piano; Everett Barksdale, guitar; Samuel “Sticks” Evans, drums.
Recorded in New York City, 1959
