Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing is the eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams. It was released in early 1962 by Columbia Records. This was his first project after leaving Cadence Records, where his albums each had a specific theme. Additionally, it was his first in a series of LPs that covered songs established on stage, screen, and other hits from the pop chart and the Great American Songbook. This trend would not be interrupted until his 1966 album, The Shadow of Your Smile, hinted at a shift toward contemporary material with its inclusion of songs first recorded by the Beatles. The album made its debut on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated March 3 of that year. It stayed around for 36 weeks, eventually reaching number 19. it also debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated April 7, of that year, and remained on the chart for in a total of 4 weeks, peaking at 42 The album's first single, "Danny Boy", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the issue dated October 30, 1961, and reached number 64 during its six-week stay. It further fared as it was his first single to appear on Billboard's recently christened Easy Listening chart, peaking at number 15 and only hinting at the even greater success Williams would have with the Easy Listening audience. The album was released on a compact disc for the first time by Sony Music Distribution on May 15, 2001, as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Williams's Columbia album from April 1962, Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes. It was also released as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on February 5, 2002, the other album being Williams's Columbia album from January 1964, The Wonderful World of Andy Williams. Collectibles included the CD in a box set entitled Classic Album Collection, Vol. 2, which contains 15 of his studio albums and two compilations and was released on November 29, 2002.

Reception

Allmusic's William Ruhlmann wrote that this was an "entertaining collection" and "features some excellent performances of well-known tunes." Billboard gave the album a postive results, saying it features "a group of old songs, each with a gentle, romantic flavor" Variety notes "His Warm baritone gives plenty of meaning to such as "Danny Boy", [and] "Misty"

Track listing

Side one

Side two

Recording dates

From the liner notes for the 2002 CD:

Grammy nomination

The single "Danny Boy" brought another of the six Grammy nominations that Williams received over the course of his career, this time in the category for Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male. The winner was Jack Jones for "Lollipops and Roses".

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album: