| Rod Stewart's Grammy winning, chart topping Great American Songbook series continues with Thanks For The Memory...The Great American Songbook IV. Produced by Steve Tyrell and Clive Davis, Thanks For The Memory is highlighted by vocal duets featuring Rod with Sir Elton John (on Ray Charles' signature remake of "Makin' Whoopee") with Chaka Khan (on Sam Cooke's "You Send Me"), and with Diana Ross (on the Gershwin's "I've Got A Crush On You," from 1940's Strike Up The Band, echoing the original duet by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland). The new album is the follow-up to 2004's No. 1 Stardust - The Great American Songbook Volume III, also produced by Tyrell and Davis, which won Rod's first Grammy this year for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Performing on the album Thanks For The Memory are a number of guest star appearances of major virtuoso instrumentalists who span several generations: guitarist George Benson on Harold Arlen's "Let's Fall In Love," trumpeter Chris Botti on "I Wish You Love," trumpeter Roy Hargrove on '"My One And Only Love," and Dave Koz on "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)."
Other solo performances by Rod slated for Thanks For The Memory include a pair of Irving Berlin standards, "Blue Skies" and "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," Jerome Kern's "Long Ago & Far Away," Vernon Duke's "Taking A Chance On Love," Rodgers & Hart's "My Funny Valentine," and the title song, Bob Hope's eternal theme, "Thanks For The Memory."
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Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Rod Stewart; Bob Mann (guitar); Dan Higgins (clarinet); Warren Luening (trumpet); Kenny Ascher (piano); Ed Howard, Dave Finck (bass instrument); Allan Schwartzberg (drums); Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Elton John, Roy Hargrove, Diana Ross, George Benson , Chaka Khan. | | Recording information: Schnee Studios, North Hollywood, California; Larrabee Studios, Los Angeles, California; Deep Diner Studios, New York, New York (2005). |
Producer: Steve Tyrell; Clive Davis; Bob Mann |
Engineer: Andy Zulla; Al Schmidt; Bill Schnee |
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