Mitchell Torok - Red Light, Green Light - The Singles Collection 1949-1962

JASMINE RECORDS

£10.49

Cat. no: JASMCD3758
Format: CD
Barcode: 604988375824
Release Date: 29th January 2021
Genre: Country

He may not be as well remembered these days as some of his 1950s peers are, but Mitchell Torok did something that a great many more famous names of his era never did, by scoring two very big UK Top 20 hits in the mid-50s and touring the country for over a month to support his unexpected local success.

One of those hits was ‘Red Light, Green Light’, the other was ‘When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba’. It’s after the former that Jasmine’s collection of Mitch’s most significant singles from the end of the 1940s to the beginning of the 1960s is titled.

A songwriter of considerable strength, Mitch wrote all his own hits and helped get the career of the great Jim Reeves under way by writing his first significant chart success ‘Mexican Joe’. The composer’s own version is included here, along with his own biggest US hit ‘Caribbean’ - another strong seller in the UK that took nearly 5 years to hit the Billboard Hot 100 (originally issued in 1954, charted in 1959!) Oddly, neither of his UK Top 30 hits made any US charts at all.

As always, this collection is remastered from the best possible sources and features a comprehensive biography of this prolific singer-songwriter in the booklet. Catchy and always ear-friendly, Mitchell Torok’s recordings stand the test of time well and will be fondly remembered and bought by those of a certain age who enjoyed hearing ‘Red Light’ and ‘Rhumba’ on the Light Programme more than half a century ago.

Tracks: Nacogdoches County Line - Mitchell Torok And The Tex Sons / Clingin’ Heart - Mitchell Torok With The Sabine River Valley Boys / Yearnin’ - Sally Lee And Mitch Torok / Someday When Someone Hurts You - Sally Lee And Mitch Torok / Little Hoo-Wee / Caribbean / Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii) / Edgar The Eager Easter Bunny / The Haunting Waterfall / Roulette / The World Keeps Turning Around / Too Late Now / Marching My Blues Away / Red Light, Green Light - Mitchell Torok And The Tulane Sisters / When Mexico Gave Up
The Rhumba (To Do The Rock ‘N’ Roll) / Drink Up And Go Home / Pledge Of
Love / Two Words (True Love) / Be Kind To Me / Sweet Revenge / These Things
I Hold Dear / Memories Of You Haunting Me Night And Day / All Over Again,
Again - The Great Pretender With The Tennessee Two And A Half / The P.T.A. Rock ‘n’ Roll / Caribbean (Alternate Take) / Mexican Joe / I Want To Know Everything / Pink Chiffon / Little Boy In Love / El Tigre / Rio Grande