Rocket Honeymoon

Larry Cartell

Rocket Honeymoon
Lawrence Gray, Larlon Music BMI

Roman Records

Arranged And Conducted By Bob Lowden
Produced By Tony Alano

196?

Sounds to me like a mid-sixties recording with a slight Freddy Cannon influence (?).   Incidentally, Freddy Cannon produced one Larry Cartell's single on Glenolden in the late sixties.

According to a press kit published by Glenolden Records in 1967 :

Larry got his start in show business at the age of three, singing with his father in bars in his native Philadelphia.  Larry holds the record for winning song contests.  Beginning as young boy and through his teens,  Larry won every contest he entered, he won one contest for 64 weeks straight.

The 23 year-old recording artist is a talented song writer as well as a singer and also writes the lyrics. 

His career as a singer really got under way last spring when he was discovered by Nick Busillo, who also discovered Al Martino as well as other famous entertainers.  Under Busillo's guidance, Larry recorded "Cowboy Santa", destined to become an all-time Christmas smash.

Larry was the only artist permitted to take part in the Gimbel Brothers annual Thanksgiving Day parade with is own float.  He was seen by 40 million viewers.     He will soon be seen of the "Ed Sullivan," " Tonight," Joey Bishop", "Mervi Griffin," and "Mike Douglas," as well as several other television shows.    Larry lives in South Philadelphia, spawning ground of such recording greats as Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Eddie Fisher. Larry is already carving a name for himself in the recording industry, and he also plans a career in films and television.

Larry Cartell's real name, I assume, is Lawrence (or Laurence) Gray, as I can't find any Cartell song's signature on his records.

Larry sung also the title song in  “Girl In Golden Boots”, a movie directed by Ted V. Mikels.  

Read more about this by Jeremy Allison, a big fan of the movie HERE.

  ★

Nicholas "Nick" Busillo, Larry Cartell's manager, was a veteran of the Philadelphia music scene, when he first recorded Larry Cartell for his Glenolden label in 1967.  In the early fifties, he was involved in music publishing and was with BBS Records and Crosley Records labels, which he co-owned with Bill Borrelli and/or Russ Smith.  (The Crosley label was revived in 1958-1960.)

★

"Larry Cartell, singing star, is enjoying great success with his first release, "Cowboy Santa", on Glenolden Records (150).  At this early point, the record is earmarked as one of the greatest Christmas hits of all times"  (Billboard ad, 1967, Decembre 16)