Rosemary Clooney c. 1958; photo by Glenn Embree.

Rosemary Clooney died June 29, 2002 at the age of 74. I have an album she did with Bing Crosby in 1958, called Fancy Meeting You Here. I got it as a record almost 20 years ago. It just came out on CD and I got that. But it's been one of my very favorite albums of all time. It's so good.

The songs are all about travel, or fantastic places, and they're beautiful duets, but they're more fun than anything. Lots of ad-libs and topical references. The tracks are: Fancy Meeting You Here, (I'd Like To Be) On A Slow Boat To China, I Can't Get Started, Hindustan, It Happened In Monterey, You Came A Long Way From St. Louis, Love Won't Let You Get Away, How About You, Brazil, Isle Of Capri, Say 'Si Si', Calcutta, Love Won't Let You Get Away -- every one is gold. Originally a 1958 release, arranged and conducted wonderfully by Billy May.

This new CD version comes with some bonus duets. Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope do Ain't A-Hankerin' and Protection. Bing Crosby and Jo Stafford do Love Won't Let You Get Away, Medley: Fancy Meeting You Here/On A Slow Boat To China/Hindustan, Ol' Man River and When It's Twilight On The Trail.

Anyway, you should buy it for yourself, and see what you think: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005O6KL/

Clooney had soared to fame with her 1951 record of "Come on-a My House,'' becoming a star in television and films. Her career was sidelined by her marriage to Oscar-winning actor Jose Ferrer and the births of their five children. The pair divorced, and her attempts to return to performing were sabotaged by her erratic behavior.

Having undergone a series of emotional upsets, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, the blond singer cracked up during a 1968 engagement in Reno.

She walked off the stage in a rage without finishing her act. She underwent harrowing confinement in a psychotic ward, then began rebuilding her life, gradually resuming her career and reaching new heights as a singer.

Rosemary had five children with Jose Ferrer from their marriage, including Miguel Ferrer, the actor who played Agent Albert Rosenfield on Twin Peaks. He also appeared in Traffic (2000), The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997), Revenge (1990), RoboCop (1987), Flashpoint (1984), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and The Man Who Wasn't There (1983).

Rosemary was the sister of actor and AMC host Nick Clooney; and she was George Clooney's aunt.

Rosemary's films include The Stars Are Singing (1953), Here Come the Girls (1953), Deep in My Heart (1954), White Christmas (1954), Red Garters (1954), Conquest of Space (1955), Radioland Murders (1994).