Canadian actor Lorne Greene (1915-1987) is best known for his role as Ben Cartwright, the gruff family patriarch on the western-themed TV series Bonanza, which aired from 1959-73, and for originating the role of Commander Adama on the original Battlestar Galactica series, which aired between 1978-80. Greene's platform as the lead actor on one of America's most popular television westerns gave him a built-in audience for a long string a "personality" albums, records which didn't exactly sell like hotcakes, although he did score a few actual hits, notably his pop/country crossover single, "Ringo." Greene's co-stars Dan Blocker, Michael Landon and Pernell Roberts also each capitalized on their Bonanza fame by releasing celebrity souvenir albums, usually pursuing western or patriotic themes, as well as a holiday album or two. Here's a quick look at Lorne Greene's recordings... apologies for any of the gaps or inaccuracies I'm sure are included in this list.
Lorne Greene "Robin Hood Of El Dorado" (MGM Records, 1961) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Viner)
Lorne Greene "Bonanza Ponderosa Party Time" (RCA Victor, 1962) (LP)
Lorne Greene "Young At Heart" (RCA Victor, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Reisman & Steve Sholes)
Lorne Greene "Christmas On The Ponderosa" (RCA Victor, 1963) (LP)
Lorne Greene "Peter And The Wolf" (RCA Victor, 1964) (LP)
The whole Prokofieff classic, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, with Lorne Greene narrating... Jinkies.
Lorne Greene "Welcome To The Ponderosa" (RCA Victor, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Reisman & John Norman)
This album contained his one real country hit, "Ringo," a song that topped both the American and Canadian pop charts, and reached #21 in the US country Top 40. Though western-themed albums and singles continued to be released through the late 1970s, Greene's appeal as an actual country chart artist remained limited, and he was primarily seen as a novelty-oriented "personality album" producer.
Lorne Greene "The Man" (RCA Victor, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Reisman & John Norman)
This was probably Greene's next biggest commercial hit, issued in the wake of the success of the "Ringo" single, as well as Lorne Greene's award of the Canadian "Man Of The Year" award, which gave the album its name. Just to enhance the corniness factor, Greens provides spoken introductions ot each of the songs.
Lorne Greene "American West" (RCA Victor, 1965) (LP)
Lorne Greene "Have A Happy Holiday" (RCA Victor, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Reisman & John Norman)
Lorne Greene "Portrait Of The West" (RCA Victor, 1966) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Reisman & Dick Bogert)
