Barbara Gryfe

Barbara Gryfe was 18 when she recorded this pop vocal album in 1969 for CBC records (LM 68). A regular performer for the CBC, Barbara had appeared on a number of tv shows and won the CBC Song Market in 1968 with ‘Colours Of The Rainbow’. On this album, she covers songs by Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb, as well as a couple of tracks from Fiddler on the Root. The orchestra was arranged and conducted by Rick Wilkins and it was recorded at Eastern Sound in May 1969.

The track linked below is Who Am I, written for Petula Clark by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent. Upon hearing the song for the first time, Glenn Gould remarked that it was a "document of despair [which] catalogues [the] symptoms of disenchantment and ennui". Enjoy!

The CBC recordings were intended for distribution on vinyl to affiliate stations and were limited to only 250 copies, making the albums extremely rare collectors items. The vaults are being opened through the MajikBus transcription series which is releasing vinyl re-issues and other treasures. The full list of CBC recordings is on discogs.