Caroleer Singers

The Caroleer Singers, frequently appearing as the Caroleer Singers and Orchestra, were North American recording artists who performed children's music, which was sold on millions of commercially issued sound recordings, primarily during the late 1940s, 1950's, 1960s and 1970s. Their recordings were produced by Peter Pan Records, manufactured by Synthetic Plastics Company of Newark, New Jersey, and issued on the children's labels Peter Pan Records, Rocking Horse, Diplomat Varsity and Tinkerbell Records, among others. Their recordings were extensively repackaged and sold with sometimes only minor variations in content. Examples of this repackaging include popular holiday issues such as "Frosty the Snowman, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer," and various others. The records were marketed towards children and were frequently sold in discount, chain and variety stores.
Their recordings themselves span several eras and styles of music, with issues existing sometimes in 78rpm, 45rpm and 33 1/3 LP formats. "Billboard" reviewed one of their Christmas releases: "The Caroleers sing out with gentle effectiveness on a group of traditional Yule items." Selections from albums can be heard online on various sites, such as YouTube. Large selections of holiday-oriented issues featuring the Caroleer Singers can be found online where used records are sold, such as eBay. Given that these recordings were often issued for children or on budget labels, it is common to find Caroleer recordings in poor condition.
PERSONNEL
Labels frequently failed to identify all musicians on the recording, with some discs having only being identified as "Written by Tony Eira," "Directed by Vicki Kasen," "Caroleer Singers and Orchestra," and or "The Caroleers with the Peter Pan Orchestra." Some additional performers noted include Dick Edwards, Suzy Williams, Frankie Starr, and Bobby Stewart. Given that records identified as The Caroleers were issued and recorded in various formats over several decades and styles, personnel may have changed frequently as recording needs demanded.
REPRESENTATIVE DISCOGRAPY
* Frosty The Snowman
* Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1950)
* Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells
* Santa Claus is Coming to Town
* T'was The Night Before Christmas

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