Song:The Enchanted Sea
Album:The Golden Age Of American Popular Music: Hits With Strings and Things
This instrumental classic The Enchanted Sea was a top 20 hit in 1959. You might think The Islanders were Hawaiian. Not only were they not Hawaiian but they weren't really a group. The man behind The Islanders was known in New York City as Dr. Warren Nadel The Singing Dentist. He was born July 2, 1930 in The Bronx, NY. He studied violin as a child and then he went to dental school. While establishing his practice, he still messed around with music. Nadel recorded a song called After School in 1957 that was supposed to sound like the Sonny James hit Young Love. Believe it or not, the American Dental Association would not allow Nadel to use his real name so he called himself Randy Starr. After School was a top 40 hit. Nadel appeared on TV and toured. He even appeared on To Tell The Truth. Nadel wanted to continue in music but he didn't enjoy performing. So in 1959 he got together with accordionist Frank Metis. They met on a cruise. Nadel released The Enchanted Sea on the small Mayflower label and it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Basically Nadel and Metis wanted to record music that sounded like the Martin Denny hit Quiet Village. So it has that feel of exotica without actually being exotic. Nadel played guitar and did the whistling on the record. The Islanders continued to record but they never charted again. Nadel returned to his dentistry practice. But he also became a prolific songwriter especially for Elvis Presley films. Most of the songs were written with veteran songwriter Fred Wise including Kissin' Cousins. Nadel retired from his dentistry practice in the 90s and he lives in New York City. You can get The Enchanted Sea on this Ace Records various artists comp. Here's a video for the Enchanted Sea by The Islanders.
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