This group of twenty shellac records spans the formative decades of popular recorded music, from the mid-1920s to the early 1950s. It combines major international figures such as Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier, Rudy Vallée, Gene Austin, and Vera Lynn, alongside important British and Commonwealth artists including Peter Dawson, Lew Stone, Layton and Johnstone, and Jay Whidden. Together with strong supporting material from dance bands, harmony groups, and novelty performers, the selection illustrates the transition from early electrical recording through the height of the British dance-band era and into wartime and post-war popular song. It balances clear headline names with solid period recordings that collectively reflect mainstream taste and recording practice in the UK market across three decades. Records are in VG+ to EX condition. Bing Crosby – Stardust / I Cried for You – Brunswick 2805 – UK – c.1931. A cornerstone early British Brunswick pressing from Crosby’s prime. His relaxed phrasing and intimate microphone technique define the crooner style that shaped popular vocal recording for decades. Vera Lynn – When They Sound the Last “All Clear” / Good-Bye Heartaches – Decca F 7977 – UK – c.1942. An iconic wartime Decca release. Lynn’s reassuring delivery, supported by Mantovani’s orchestra, captures the emotional atmosphere of Britain’s home front during the Second World War. Maurice Chevalier – Maurice Chevalier Medley (Parts 1 & 2) – HMV B 3686 – UK – c.1930. A major British HMV medley celebrating Chevalier’s most recognisable repertoire. Sung with charm and theatrical flair, accompanied by Jack Hylton’s orchestra, this record reflects his enormous international popularity at the turn of the decade. Rudy Vallée and His Connecticut Yankees – Love Made a Gypsy Out of Me / Stein Song – HMV B 5834 – UK – c.1931. A popular UK issue by one of the first radio superstars. Light foxtrot rhythms and collegiate sentiment typify Vallée’s polished dance-band sound. Gene Austin – Behind the Clouds / Bye Bye Blackbird – HMV B 2345 – UK – c.1928. A classic late-1920s crooner pairing. Austin’s soft, emotive vocal style illustrates the transition from stage singing to microphone-centred popular performance. Peter Dawson – Boots / The Smuggler’s Song – HMV B 3072 – UK – c.1929. Dramatic Kipling settings delivered with authority and clarity. Dawson’s powerful baritone made him one of the most respected classical-popular crossover singers on British shellac. Lew Stone and His Band – Songs the Tommies Sing, No. 1 – Decca F 7278 – UK – c.1933. A spirited medley of soldiers’ favourites. Bright tempos, male chorus vocals, and polished arrangements capture the popular taste of early-1930s Britain. Lew Stone and His Band – Songs the Tommies Sing, No. 2 – Decca F 7279 – UK – c.1933. The companion disc continuing the medley format. Strong ensemble playing and familiar tunes reinforce Stone’s status as a leading British dance-band director. Layton and Johnstone – When Your Hair Has Turned to Silver / Overnight – Columbia DB 468 – UK – c.1931. An elegant British Columbia pressing. Close harmony singing with piano accompaniment, perfectly suited to reflective and sentimental repertoire. Layton and Johnstone – The Song Is Ended / My Blue Heaven – Columbia 4694 – France – c.1931. A French-pressed Columbia issue for the continental market, demonstrating the duo’s wide international appeal during the early electrical era. The Four Lads – I Hear It Everywhere / Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea – Philips PB 304 – UK – c.1952. A smooth early UK Philips release. Polished close harmonies balance sentimental pop with light novelty. Monty Norman – Secret Love / Why Does It Have to Be Me – Columbia DB 3435 – UK – c.1954. A refined early-1950s ballad record by the future composer of a famous film theme. Tasteful orchestration and restrained vocal delivery define the period style. Jay Whidden and His Midnight Follies Band – Shepherd of the Hills / Sheila O’Shay Waltz – Columbia 4266 – UK – c.1927. An attractive late-1920s hotel-orchestra release combining dance-band elegance with light vocal chorus passages. The Broadway Nitelites – Just Another Day Wasted Away / Where, Oh Where Do I Live – Columbia 4599 – UK – c.1929. A bright late-1920s Columbia fox-trot pairing, reflecting the theatrical influence on British dance-band repertoire. Frank Luther – Will the Angels Play Their Harps for Me? / The Little Old Shanty – Imperial 2216 – UK – c.1928. A nostalgic and mildly novelty-tinged coupling, popular with audiences drawn to rustic sentiment and homely themes. Fred Barnes – Give Me a Million Beautiful Girls / Sally (The Sunshine of Our Alley) – Regal G 7789 – UK – c.1932. A strong example of British inter-war popular song, blending music-hall nostalgia with straightforward ballad delivery. Denny Dennis – A Rose in a Garden of Weeds / Feelin’ Low – Decca F 9232 – UK – c.1936. A smooth Decca crooner issue with Stanley Black’s orchestra, characteristic of mid-1930s British popular recording. The Rhythmic Troubadours – Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams / Whistling in the Dark – Regal MR 400 – UK – c.1931. A solid early-1930s dance-band release featuring relaxed tempos and light vocal choruses. The Ipanema Troubadours – Sunny – Who? / Sunny, Sunny – Columbia 4100 – UK – c.1926. An early Columbia fox-trot reflecting British enthusiasm for American musical-theatre numbers during the mid-1920s. Leslie Holmes – I’ve Gone and Lost My Little Yo-Yo / The Squire’s Wedding Day – Imperial 2738 – UK – c.1932. A light-hearted novelty and comic song pairing, typical of British humour-based recordings of the period.