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Chanteur US né Ralph Stuart Emanuel Donner, le 10
Février 1943 à
Chicago (Illinois). Ral Donner a débuté en 1957 après avoir vu un show
d'Elvis Presley. A partir de 1959, il
enregistre pour Scotty Records et il est accompagné par les "Gents", parfois baptisés "Starfires".
Il a enregistré pour Scottie (59), Gone (61-62), Reprise (62-63) et Tau Records
(63). Ral a succombé à un cancer le 6 Avril 1984.
Ral Donner is
the classic example of a musician who was doomed to a marginal career by the
very attribute that got him public notice in the first place. In a period during
which Elvis Presley was the
quintessential rock & roll star, Donner was the most successful of all the
Elvis sound-alikes, getting a career, a year's worth of charting singles,
and years of steady work out of the fact that his singing bore an uncanny
resemblance to the King of Rock & Roll's ballad style. He was never able to
transcend those beginnings, however. Donner was part of American rock & roll's
third wave, young enough to have been a fan of Elvis Presley
when the latter first emerged nationally. Born in Chicago in 1943, he started
singing in church choirs as a boy, and by his early teens was a regular
competitor in local talent contests. He organized his two groups -- the Rockin'
Five and then the Gents -- while still in his teens. His work with the Rockin'
Five in his high school days was good enough to get them on television in
Chicago, even earning a spot alongside Sammy Davis Jr. on one show. At 17, he
broke through to Alan Freed's Big Beat show and, in 1959, appeared at the Apollo
Theatre in New York. That same year, he cut a demo with his new group, the
Gents, got a pair of sides out on a small label, and got to tour with the
legendary South Carolina rockabilly band the Sparkletones. Donner was doing
little better than treading water professionally, however, until a pair of
Chicago producers heard his demo of "The Girl of My Best Friend," a song that
Elvis Presley sang on his LP Elvis Is
Back. The
Presley side had been issued successfully as a single by RCA in England, but
in America it was only available on the album. With a new band called the
Starfires backing him up, "The Girl of My Best Friend" was re-recorded and
licensed to Gone Records, the New York-based label founded by George Goldner.
Suddenly, Ral Donner had a national Top 20 hit, and he sounded so much like
Presley that some members of the public, utterly unfamiliar with Donner,
wanted to know if he actually was Elvis Presley.
This coverage in the fan magazines, though hardly serious by today's standards,
was enough to keep Donner in the public spotlight while Goldner and Gone Records
searched for a follow-up single, which they got in the summer of 1961 with "You
Don't Know What You've Got (Until You Lose It)," which peaked at number four.
Donner enjoyed another pair of hits, "Please Don't Go" and "She's Everything,"
over the next year, but by the spring of 1962, hit days in the Top 40 were
behind him. He later left Gone Records to sign with Frank Sinatra's Reprise
Records (a surprising opportunity, given that Sinatra had founded the label
specifically to release his kind of music, which didn't include rock & roll). By
1965, he was at Red Bird Records, Goldner's latest music business venture, but
Donner's days as a rock & roll contender were over. Red Bird folded soon after
he rejoined Goldner's stable and Donner was never able to return to the charts.
By the '70s, he was working in music only part-time and recording very
sporadically for small labels. It took
Presley's death in 1977 to revive interest in Donner's work; although he was
always more dignified, and never as grotesque as the burgeoning group of overt
visual
Elvis imitators who began manifesting themselves soon after the singer's
death, his stylistic link with
Presley in his prime brought him new attention and more work than he had
seen in years. Perhaps the final irony -- one hesitates to say indignity, since
Donner truly admired
Presley -- came when he was chosen to do the Vocals impersonation of
Presley for the narration in the 1981 documentary This Is Elvis. Still, in a
way, little could have been sadder -- after 20 years in music, he'd not only
failed to escape
Presley's shadow but had become part of its manifestation in popular
culture. He died of cancer in 1984, an anomaly in music history and a footnote
in popular culture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ral_Donner
Talents : Vocals, Guitar
Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll
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GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND (1961)
YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU'VE GOT (UNTIL YOU LOSE IT)
(1961)
SCHOOL OF HEARTBREAKERS
(1961)
I GOT BURNED
(1963)
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Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles
| 10/1959 | SP SCOTTIE 1310 (US) | . |
That's All Right With Me
 /
Tell Me Why
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| 02/1961 | SP GONE 5102 (US) | . | Ral DONNER & The STARFIRES -
Girl Of My Best Friend
/
It's Been A Long
Time
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| 06/1961 | SP GONE 5108 (US) | . | And Then / To Love | ||
| 06/1961 | SP GONE 5108 (US) | . |
You Don't Know What You've Got
/
So Close
To Heaven
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| 09/1961 | SP GONE 5114 (US) | . |
Please Don’t Go
/ I Didn’t Figure On Him
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| 11/1961 | SP GONE 5119 (US) | . |
School Of Heartbreakers
/ Because We're Young |
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| 12/1961 | SP GONE 5121 (US) | . |
She's Everything
/
Because We're Young
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| 12/1961 | SP GONE 5121 (US) | . |
She's Everything
/ To Love Someone |
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| 12/1961 | SP GONE 5121 (US) | . | She's Everything /
Will You Love Me In Heaven
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| 03/1962 | SP GONE 5125 (US) | . |
Will You Love Me In Heaven
/
To Love Someone
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| 05/1962 | SP GONE 5129 (US) |
 |
Loveless Life
/
Bells Of Love
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| 11/1962 | SP GONE 5133 (US) | . |
To Love
/
Sweetheart
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| 12/1962 | SP REPRISE R-20.135 (US) | . | Second Miracle / Christmas Day | ||
| 02/1963 | SP REPRISE R-20.141 (US) |
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| 05/1963 | SP REPRISE R-20.176 (US) | . | I Wish This Night Would Never End / Don't Put Your Heart In His Hand | ||
| 05/1963 | SP TAU 105 (US) | . | Ral DONNER with The STARFIRES -
Loneliness Of A
Star
/
And Then
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| 07/1963 | SP REPRISE R-20.192 (US) | . | Run Little Linda / Beyond The Heartbreak | ||
| 1963 | SP END GG19 (US) | . |
You Don't Know What You've Got
/
She's Everything |
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| 1964 | SP ROULETTE GG19 (US) | . |
You Don't Know What You've Got
/
She's Everything |
||
| 1964 | SP ROULETTE GG97 (US) | . | Girl Of My Best Friend / To Love Someone | ||
| 1965 | SP FONTANA F1502 (US) | . | Poison Ivy League / A Tear In My Eye | ||
| 1965 | SP FONTANA F1503 (US) | Poison Ivy League / You Finally Said Something Good | |||
| 1965 | SP FONTANA F1515 (US) | . | Good Lovin’ / The Other Side Of You | ||
| 1965 | SP SMASH 34774 (promo) (US) | . | Good Lovin’ / The Other Side Of You | ||
| 1966 | SP RED BIRD 10-057 (US) | . | Love Isn’t Like That / It Will Only Make Me Love You More | ||
| 1968 | SP MID-EAGLE 101 (US) | . | Life To Live Over / Lost | ||
| 1968 | SP RISING SONS 714 (US) | . | If I Promise / Just A Little Sunshine | ||
| 1970 | SP M.J. MJP-222 (US) |
 |
My Heart Sings / Lovin’ Place | ||
| 1972 | SP SUNLIGHT 1006 (US) | . | Don’t Let It Slip Away / Wait A Minute Now | ||
| 1973 | SP ABC / DUNHILL 2490 (US) | . | You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / So Close To Heaven | ||
| 1973 | SP GOLDIES 45 D-2489 (US) | . | Ral DONNER with The STARFIRES - Girl Of My Best Friend / It's Been A Long, Long Time | ||
| 1974 | SP CHICAGO FIRE 7402 (US) | . | The Wedding Song / Godfather, Per Mé | ||
| 1976 | SP MID-EAGLE 275 (US) | . | The Wedding Song / So Much Lovin’ | ||
| 1978 | SP THUNDER 7801 (US) | . | The Day The Beat Stopped / Rock On Me | ||
| 1978 | SP STARFIRE 100 (US) |
 |
Don’t Let It Slip Away / Wait A Minute Now | ||
| 1978 | SP INFERNO HEAT3 (UK) | . | Don’t Let It Slip Away / Wait A Minute Now | ||
| 1978 | SP STARFIRE 103 (US) |
 |
Second Miracle / Christmas Day | ||
| 1979 | SP STARFIRE 114 (US) |
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Rip It Up / Don’t Leave Me Now | ||
| 1980 | SP CHI-TOWN 4 (US) | . | Maria Forever / A Message To Ayatullah Khomeni (MICKEY & LARRY) | ||
| 1995 | SP COLLECTABLES 128 (US) | . | Girl Of My Best Friend / To Love Someone | ||
| 1995 | SP COLLECTABLES 129 (US) | . | You Don't Know What You've Got / She's Everything |
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Unissued Tracks
| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#47) / Collectables CD 5627 (#10) / Gone CD 5101 (#4) / Murray Hill LP 000393 (#13) / Sequel CD 190 (#16)) |
Creampuff
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#49) / Collectables CD 5627 (#2) / Murray Hill LP 000393 (#9) / Sequel CD 190 (#31)) |
Half Heaven, Half Heartache
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#53) / Sequel CD 190 (#28)) |
Juarez
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#51) / Collectables CD 5627 (#4) / Sequel CD 190 (#14)) |
Little
Miss Heartbreak
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Norton LP 312 (#18) / Norton CD 312 (#18)) | Miss Ann |
| 19?? | Unissued - (Pye LP 28269 (#15) / Sequel CD 190 (#11)) |
Night Owl
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#44) / Collectables CD 5627 (#13) / Gone CD 5101 (#15)) | Nite Owl |
| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#46) / Pye LP 28269 (#17) / Sequel CD 190 (#24)) |
Puddle Of
Tears
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#37)) | She's My Baby [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#54) / Sequel CD 190 (#30)) |
Silver And
Gold
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#45) / Pye LP 28269 (#16) / Sequel CD 190 (#4)) |
Standing Here
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#52) / Sequel CD 190 (#15)) |
Tears Of
Misery
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| 19?? | Unissued - (Castle Music CD 043 (#50) / Sequel CD 190 (#12)) |
You Haven't Lived Until You've Loved
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Need Info
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#32)) | I Didn't Figure On Him (To Come Back) [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#34)) | Lonely Star [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#42)) | Loveless Life [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#35)) | Nine Times Out Of Ten [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#31)) | Please Don't Go [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#48) / Murray Hill LP 000393 (#4)) | Please Don't Tease |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#38)) | Pray For Me [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#36)) | School Of Heartbreakers [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#39)) | She's Everything (I Wanted You To Be) [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#30)) | So Close To Heaven [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Gone CD 5101 (#25)) | Take Me Back |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#43)) | To Love [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#33)) | Turn Back The Clock [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#41)) | ( What A Sad Way) To Love Someone [alt. vers.] |
| 19?? | Need info - (Castle Music CD 043 (#40)) | Will You Love Me In Heaven [alt. vers.] |
Albums
| 1961 | LP 12" GONE 5012 (US) |
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TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS - Turn Back The Clock / I Didn’t Figure On Him / Lonely Star / You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / With You Now / Nine Times Out Of Ten / I Don’t Need You / School Of Heartbreakers / Please Don’t Go / She’s My Baby / Girl Of My Best Friend / Your Skies Of Blue / For Love Nor Money / Pray For Me | ||
| 1963 | LP 12" CROWN CLP-5335 (US) |
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RAL DONNER AND Ray SMITH AND BOBBY DALE - Ral DOONER : That's All Right With Me / Tell Me Why / Ray SMITH : Blond Hair Blue Eyes / Rebound / Baby Just Because / Bobby DALE : Born To Be A Loser / Fly By Night / Six Feet Of Trouble / What Is The Secret / When The Time Comes | ||
| 1977 | LP 12" GYPSY TRG-LP-1000 (US) |
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THE ELVIS PRESLEY SOUND OF RAL DONNER - Girl Of My Best Friend / It's Been A Long, Long Time / To Love / You Don't Know What You've Got / So Close To Heaven / Please Don't Go / I Didn't Figure On Him / She's Everything / I Don't Need You / Will You Love Me In Heaven / To Love Someone (What A Sad Way) / Baby Just Because / Loveless Life / Bells Of Love / Sweetheart / Christmas Day / I Got Burned / A Tear In My Eye / I Wish This Night Would Never End / Don't Put Your Heart In This Hand / Run Little Linda / Beyond The Heartbreak | ||
| 1977 | LP 12" GONE 5033 (US) |
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RAL DONNER'S ELVIS SCRAPBOOK | ||
| 1978 | LP 12" RONDO RLP 22436 (US) |
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TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS - Turn Back The Clock / I Didn’t Figure On Him / Lonely Star / You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / With You Now / Nine Times Out Of Ten / I Don’t Need You / School Of Heartbreakers / Please Don’t Go / She’s My Baby / Girl Of My Best Friend / Your Skies Of Blue / For Love Nor Money / Pray For Me | ||
| 1978 | LP 12" RONDO RLP 22437 (US) |
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TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS... - VOL. 2 - Run Little Linda / Beyond The Heartbreak / I Wish This Night Would Never End / Don't Put Your Heart In His Hand / To Love Someone / Will You Love Me In Heaven / Sweetheart / To Love / I Got Burned / A Tear In My Eye / It's Been A Long Time / Girl Of My Best Friend / Bells Of Love / Tell Me Why / That's All Right With Me | ||
| 1978 | LP 12" PYE NSPL 28269 (UK) |
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YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT - You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / Please Don’t Go / Girl Of My Best Friend / School Of Heartbreakers / She’s Everything / To Love Someone / Loveless Life / Bells Of Love / To Love / She’s My Baby / Your Skies Of Blue / For Love Nor Money / Pray For Me / Will You Love Me In Heaven / Nite Owl / Standing Here / Puddle Of Tears / Nine Times Out Of Ten / I Didn’t Figure On Him / So Close To Heaven | ||
| 1979 | LP 12" SUN 1011 (UK) |
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DUOS - JERRY LEE LEWIS & FRIENDS - Jerry Lee LEWIS & Friends (Ral DONNER) - Save The Last Dance For Me / Sweet Little Sixteen / I Love You Because / C.C. Rider / Am I To Be The One / Sail Away / Cold Cold Heart / Hello Josephine / It Won't Happen With Me / What 'd I Say / Good Golly Miss Molly | ||
| 1979 | 2 LP 12" MID-EAGLE ME2M7902 (US) |
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1935-1977 : I'VE BEEN AWAY FOR AWHILE NOW... :
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| 1980 | 2 LP 12" SESSIONS ARI-1014 (US) |
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1935-1977 : I'VE BEEN AWAY FOR AWHILE NOW... :
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| 1980 | 2 LP 12" PICADILLY ND 135 (UK) |
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1935-1977 - I'VE BEEN AWAY FOR AWHILE NOW... :
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| 1982 | LP 12" STARFIRE 1004 (US) |
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AN EVENING WITH RAL DONNER - Loneliness Of A Star / And Then / Life To Live Over / Lost / Rip It Up / Don’t Leave Me Now / The Wedding Song / Godfather, Per Mé / So Much Lovin’ / Moments | ||
| 1986 | LP 12" FIRE STAR FIRESTAR 1010 (NL) |
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SOUNDS LIKE ELVIS - Girl Of My Best Friend / You Don't Know What You've Got / Please Don't Go / She's Everything / (What A Sad Way) To Love Someone / She's My Baby / Nine Times Out Of Ten / I Didn't Figure On Him / For Love Nor Money / I Got Burned / A Tear In My Eye / I Wish This Night Would Never End / Will You Love Me In Heaven / It's Been A Long, Long Time / Run Little Linda / Beyond The Heartbreak / Poison Ivy League / You Finally Said Something Good | ||
| 1987 | LP 12" TREASURE LSP 1057 (US) |
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THE ELVIS PRESLEY SOUND OF RAL DONNER - Don't Leave Me Now / ( If I Had My) Life To Live Over / Lost / Lonely Star / Turn Back The Clock / Tell Me Why / That's All Right With Me / Poison Ivy League / Loveless Life / Second Miracle (Of Christmas) / ( Things That Make Up) Christmas Day / Don't Put Your Heart In His Hand / So Close To Heaven / I Don't Need You / Baby, Just Because / Rip It Up | ||
| 1988 | LP 12" MURRAY HILL 000393 (US) |
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SHE'S EVERYTHING - She’s Everything / So Close To Heaven / She’s My Baby / Please Don’t Tease / You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / I Didn’t Figure On Him / To Love Someone / Girl Of My Best Friend / Half Heaven, Half Heartache / Turn Back The Clock / Will You Love Me In Heaven / Nine Times Out Of Ten / Creampuff / Please Don’t Go | ||
| 10/1994 | 2 CD SEQUEL NED CD 190 (UK) |
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THE COMPLETE RAL DONNER 1959-1962 - Girl Of My Best Friend / It’s Been A Long Long Time / I Didn’t Figure On Him / Standing Here / To Love / Nine Times Out Of Ten / Please Don’t Tease / School Of Heartbreakers / You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / Lonely Star / Nite Owl / You Haven’t Lived Until You’ve Loved / So Close To Heaven / Little Miss Heartbreak / Tears Of Misery / Creampuff / She’s My Baby / Turn Back The Clock / With You Now / Please Don’t Go / Pray For me / I Don’t Need You / Bells Of Love / Puddle Of Tears / For Love Nor Money / Your Skies Of Blue / Because We’re Young / Juarez / Sweetheart / Silver And Gold / Half Heaven, Half Heartache / To Love Someone / Loveless Life / She’s Everything / Will You Love Me In Heaven / Tell MeWhy / That’s All Right With Me / And Then / Loneliness Of A Star | ||
| 04/1995 | CD COLLECTABLES 5627 (US) |
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YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT - You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / Half Heaven, Half Heartache / To Love Someone / Little Miss Heartbreak / She’s Everything / Please Don’t Go / So Close To Heaven / Will You Love Me In Heaven / Girl Of My Best Friend / Creampuff / Lonely Star / Turn Back The Clock / Nite Owl / To Love / School Of Heartbreakers / Bells Of Love / Nine Times Out Of Ten / I Didn’t Figure On Him | ||
| 1999 | CD CANADIAN 241 (CAN) |
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RIP IT UP - 27 ROCKIN' HITS - Rip It Up / Beyond The Heartbreak / Good Lovin’ / My Heart Sings / I Got Burned / Greatest Moments / Take Me Back / Don’t Leave Me Now / Poison Ivy League / The Other Side Of You / Run Little Linda / It Will Only Make Me Love You More / If You Love Him / So Much Lovin’ / Lost / Just A Little Sunshine / Life To Live Over / Lovin’ Place / I Wish This Night Would Never End / A Tear In My Eye / Love Isn’t Like That / You Finally Said Something Good / Don’t Put Your Heart In His Hands / If I Promise / The Wedding Song / Christmas Day / Second Miracle | ||
| 01/2001 | 2 CD CASTLE MUSIC CMEDD043 (UK) |
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THE COMPLETE RAL DONNER 1959-1962 -
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| 07/2009 | CD COLLECTABLES COLCD 1388 (US) |
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Bobby Freeman Meets Ral Donner - Do You Wanna Dance? (Bobby FREEMAN) / C'mon And Swim (Bobby FREEMAN) / Betty Lou Got A New Pair Of Shoes (Bobby FREEMAN) / The Mess Around (Bobby FREEMAN) / S-W-I-M (Bobby FREEMAN) / You Don't Know What You've Got (Ral DONNER) / I Didn't Figure On Him To Come Back (Ral DONNER) / Nite Owl (Ral DONNER) / Little Miss Heartbreak (Ral DONNER) / Half Heaven, Half Heartache (Ral DONNER) |
© Rocky Productions 15/04/2013
