Song:Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Album:Greatest Hits
The Four Aces were a popular 50s vocal group. The 1955 single Love Is A Many Splendored Thing was one of their two number one hits. Of course like a lot of 50s musical acts, The Four Aces were killed by Rock 'N' Roll. Philadelphia native Al Alberts was the lead singer of The Four Aces. He met Dave Mahoney while serving in the US Navy. Lou Silvestri and Rosario "Sod" Vaccaro were added and The Four Aces were born. At first they were a band but then they dropped the instruments and became a vocal group. When Alberts couldn't get The Four Aces a record deal, he released the 1951 single (It's No) Sin on his own label. It did so well that The Four Aces signed with Decca Records. For the next few years the group had a steady stream of hits. Their two biggest hits were both movie theme songs. The first was Three Coins in the Fountain in 1954 followed by Love Is A Many Splendored Thing in 1955. Both records topped the pop charts. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster for the 1955 film Love Is A Many Splendored Thing starring Jennifer Jones and William Holden. I think the song was sung in the movie by a chorus led by legendary film composer Alfred Newman. It won the 1955 Best Original Song Oscar. Decca house bandleader Jack Pleis arranged and conducted The Four Aces recording. The Four Aces started to fade with the late 50s rise of Rock 'N' Roll. Alberts left the group to go solo in 1958. He didn't have much luck as a solo artist. Alberts is best known as the host of the Philadelphia TV talent show Al Alberts Showcase which ran for 32 years. He died in 2009. You can get all of The Four Aces hits on this budget comp. These are the original recordings. Beware of rerecorded versions. All the original members of The Four Aces are deceased. A version of the group continues to tour the nostalgia circuit today. Here are The Four Aces performing Love Is A Many Splendored Thing on one of those PBS nostalgia shows.
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